In February 2024, La Samaritaine Paris-Pont Neuf host an exceptional encounter between two of the world's most beautiful cities: Paris and Venice. Through a 360° campaign, the famous Parisian store is partnering with Fondaco dei Tedeschi, to create a campaign celebrating the connections and similarities between these two cities where DFS Group establishments are located.
Under the artistic eye of Yvan Fabing, film director and photographer, this collaboration unfolds in a series of animations and visuals. The goal: to offer a playful and original perspective, a "head-to-head" between Paris and Venice, where every corner of La Samaritaine becomes an invitation to discover the other city.
This campaign, designed as a true visual and narrative game, is based on the idea of "parallelism" between Paris and Venice. Clichés, symbols, and cultural references are revisited with a touch of self-deprecation, allowing it to resonate with both French and Italian audiences. The Samaritaine’s "Happy French Living" is challenged by the Italian dolce vita.
One of the key moments of this highlight is the narrative intrigue that unfolds in the campaign film : a Franco-Italian duo discuss over the script of a film. In which of the two most romantic cities should it take place: Paris or Venice? Each defends their beloved city to finally… get closer to each other.
The posters play on duality too : La Samaritaine and Fondaco dei Tedeschi face each other, one right-side up, the other upside down, just like the Franco-Italian duo featured in the campaign video. The pigeon, a symbol of both Paris and Venice, becomes a graphical red thread, reinforcing the visual and symbolic connection between the two cities.
To capitalize on the original and quirky aspects of this campaign, we have also extended it to digital touch-points with playful verticals that encourage interaction. Among others, we created a "find the odd" game, where a Parisian element is hidden in a Venetian landscape and vice versa, or "Where’s the Peacock?" — a hide-and-seek game featuring the peacock, the symbol of La Samaritaine, hidden in photos of iconic Venetian locations.
The curious can also challenge their Italian skills with "Italian Dictionary," where typical expressions and gestures are decoded for a total immersion.
