Le Château is getting in touch with its Montreal roots in a new campaign for its fall/winter wear. The campaign was created by Sid Lee and is the retailer’s first advertising initiative in five years.
The effort centres on the theme “Of Montreal,” celebrating the Montreal-based company’s ties to the stylish city. Out-of-home ads showcase the brand’s clothing and accessories, along with French words such as “amour” and “beauté.” A playful TV spot features a woman chasing her runaway dog throughout the streets of Montreal, set to the catchy tune “Bonjour Montreal,” which was written for Expo 67.
“We have a great history here and [the campaign is] certainly something that speaks to our past, our present and our future,” said Franco Rocchi, executive vice-president at Le Château, which was founded in Montreal in 1959.
“Montreal is a unique city and we bring a different point of view to the shopping centre: it’s going to be the Montreal point of view.”
For the past four years, Le Château has been in the midst of a brand repositioning. Long targeted at teens, the brand went more upscale with both its clothing and bricks-and-mortar stores to appeal to women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Its new store concept features a more modern and sophisticated design. Categories such as career wear and special occasion are more clearly defined and easier to shop. Le Château’s elevated clothing offering includes more upscale office attire, chic dresses and a new bridal line.
“We’ve been working on [the brand repositioning] and we feel like now we’re ready to communicate it to the world,” said Rocchi.
Earlier this year, Le Château did a business analysis with Fusion Retail Analytics. “Their conclusions showed that customers coming into our stores are very happy with the style, the price, the fit, the comfort and the service,” said Rocchi. “The challenge then was how do we communicate and bring our brand back to people’s attention.”
The idea behind the new TV spot is to show “the beauty in the everyday,” said Rocchi. “It’s a chance to see Montreal and you get to see our fashion, our clothing and our shoes. Everybody in the commercial is wearing Le Château. It’s just a very happy, positive commercial.”
The out-of-home ads, meanwhile, “proclaim our vive le difference.” said Rocchi. The ads are running in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.
