MAM
Life is a beautiful sport, says Lacoste campaign
MUMBAI: Lacoste presents the brand film “Timeless” at the heart of a new advertising campaign. Broadcast around the world, the campaign will be shown on TV, online, and outdoor. The campaign is accompanied by digital ads and bumpers.
This epic cinematic fresco is set in the 1930s where a man experiences love at first sight. He sets off on the trail of a mysterious woman, jumping on the train she is riding. But as soon as he reaches the first car, he finds himself in the 1940s. Determined to find her, the hero begins a frantic quest that takes him through carriages and eras, until he ultimately arrives in the present. Over time, styles change but the polo retains its timeless elegance.
As the new face of the brand, Novak Djokovic is at the center of the print campaign shot by photographer Jacob Sutton, also with models Julia Bergshoeff, Mathias Lauridsen and Alexandre Cunha.
For its new advertising campaign, the brand has imagined a changeover between the two champions, René Lacoste and the new Crocodile, Novak Djokovic. The first film of the campaign, directed by Julien Pujol and presented on May 22nd, bears witness to the Brand’s defining moment: the invention of the Lacoste L.12.12 Polo shirt – the day upon which René Lacoste decided to break away from contemporary tennis dress codes by cutting off the sleeves of his shirt in order to allow himself greater freedom of movement.
The visuals combine 1930s black and white with the present-day collections’ colors. A composition that is a testament to the brand’s timelessness.
The couple, played by Damien Chapelle and Dorcas Coppin, are seen in spectacular settings: a 1930s Parisian train station brought to life by 250 extras, authentic trains from each decade and outstanding style fashioned by Madeline Fontaine, nominated for an Oscar for Jackie. It is magnified by a cinematic soundtrack by Max Richter that gives the viewer goose bumps as of the first second.
After directing The Big Leap, the first brand video in Lacoste communication history, the director Seb Edwards once again shows his ability to transcend universal emotions, directing an electric attraction that makes the viewer feel alive. The film captures this rare, yet vital, emotion with all the more grandeur and romance as this “chase” takes place over eight decades, reminding us that life itself is a beautiful sport.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
