EXCLUSIVE: Kering Launches Corporate Communications and Event Strategy
PARIS — To mark its 10th anniversary, Kering will launch a broad communications and event strategy to raise awareness of its history and brand values.
The former Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, or PPR, became Kering in June 2013, as it morphed into a pure luxury and fashion player under the direction of chairman and chief executive officer François-Henri Pinault.
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To celebrate a decade of the moniker, the company plans a number of projects to raise awareness and and brand recognition of the Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Saint Laurent parent company.
A corporate advertising campaign will be launched in the third quarter of the year to shine a spotlight on the Kering corporate name and its role in the luxury world.
Cesar-nominated documentary directors Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai are working on a film about the history of the group and its current activities, which is slated for release near the end of the year.
French publisher Flammarion will also release a book on the history of Kering from its inception through its transformation into a luxury company.
Event festivities will kick off June 21, both the summer solstice and celebrated as the Fête de la Musique in France, with a party at the corporate headquarters in Paris. New York-based employees will celebrate in the same way the next day, with additional events planned in Milan, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo throughout the year.
The company’s philanthropical arm, the Kering Foundation, will host a major fundraiser in New York on Sept. 12. The event will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the foundation and its work to combat gender stereotypes and eradicate violence against women.
A few days later on the weekend of Sept. 16, the company will once again open the doors of its headquarters in Paris for the country’s Heritage Days. Located the former Laennec hospital, the sprawling property will host an exhibition of Balenciaga haute couture curated by the house’s current creative director Demna. It will also host an installation of contemporary art from the artist Rachel Whiteread, supported by the Pinault Collection, as well as an immersive installation on the history of Kering.
Later in the month, the company will host a gathering devoted to the organizations, projects and initiatives it has supported, including sustainability projects and NGOs, over the years.
Kering, pronounced “caring,” comes from the root “Ker,” a local language word meaning “home” that harks back the company’s origin as a timber trading company in the northern coastal region of Brittany in 1963.
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