Le Coq Sportif develops NFC and RFID retail applications

Le Coq Sportif, a supplier of sportswear, launched a large investment project in 2006 to redevelop the company’s brand. After cultivating partnerships with great sporting figures, the French brand launched an event to create a buzz around the 25th anniversary of Yannick Noah’s victory in the French Open (Roland Garros).

The brand will therefore be installed in the center of the village for the entire duration of the Roland Garros tournament. The company has been working with a team of specialists on new technological applications within sales outlets for use during the tournament.

Le Coq Sportif asked TheBigSpace – an emotional experience agency – to create an application to install within a standard shop mirror. The concept involves interacting with clients, advising them on clothing combinations and creating a strong emotional attachment with the brand. 

To make this possible, Le Coq Sportif labels the relevant products (vintage products that have been re-worked for Roland Garros) with two tickets: one RFID tag and one NFC tag. The technology partners involved in this operation are Avery Dennison (for the tickets); KSA (a consultancy specializing in the retail sector and consumer products); Nokia (for mobile applications); NXP Semiconductors (for the chips); Tagsys (for the inlays); and TheBigSpace (for the magic mirrors).

For customers, the operation is straightforward. They select an item of clothing or pair of shoes and then hold the tag close to the mirror which will then offer suggestions for related items and additional colors, and will also give access to video content (a video of Yannick Noah).

This fully RFID magic mirror will be installed exclusively at the Le Coq Sportif stand at Roland Garros, and subsequently in the Strasbourg and Paris Citadium stores, as well as in the brand’s Paris showroom. 

NFC is a technology that enables communication at very short distance, allowing the consumer simple but secure access to information and services via a piece of electronic equipment such as a mobile device. Thanks to the NFC tag, Le Coq Sportif is also able to communicate with its customers directly. To make this possible, Nokia will provide Nokia 6131 NFC equipped mobile devices available to customers. The mobile just needs to be held near to the tag for automatic application download to be triggered. Clients can then watch videos, and register online to receive related newsletters and other brand information. Again via the Nokia 6131 NFC, they will be able to submit answers to four questions in a big competition to win mobiles and perhaps the opportunity to spend the day on May 23 with Yannick Noah and Mats Wilander for a replay of that famous final. 

‘Brands sold through multi-brand outlets have lost contact with their customers as the customers develop a relationship with the retailer and are known only to the retailer rather than the brand owner. These new technologies open the door to new possibilities in terms of customer brand loyalty, reinforcing brand attachment and enabling a strong emotional link to be created. This approach is also completely aligned with Le Coq Sportif’s current strategy of creating strong emotional values,’ commented Bertrand Jauffret, CEO of KSA, and the board member behind the initiative. 

Le Coq Sportif’s campaign kicked off on May 5 with the launch of a website (www.lecoqsportif.com) dedicated to the event, and will continue until May 23 with an urban re-match between the two opponents who faced each other in 1983.