To reaffirm its values of determination, strength and surpassing yourself embodied in its tagline "Live Strong", French meat brand Charal has turned its prestigious boat racing sponsorship of the Vendée Globe yacht race – the mythical “Everest of the Seas" – into entertainment. For the first time, the brand produced a sport series about sailboat racing and the Vendée Globe that brings customers and fans closer to the action than ever before.
The Race of a Lifetime
Taking fans behind the scenes of Charal's sponsorship of the world's most challenging boat race
Client
- Charal
Office
- France
More people have climbed Mount Everest than completed the Vendée Globe – the greatest non-stop solo sailing race round the world.
With this series, we wanted to show that behind the solitary feat of the Vendée Globe lies a deeply collective adventure, a challenge at every moment that resonates with the values of strength and perseverance dear to Charal. We are proud to have initiated and supported this project, showcasing the human depth of this incredible preparation.
Dimitri Guerassimov
Creative Director, VML France
The challenge is to tell the story of the Vendée Globe in a new and engaging way, highlighting both the individual achievement of the skipper and the collective effort of an entire team.
5012 people have climbed mount Everest. 498 people went into space. But only 88 skippers have finished the Vendee Globe race, making it one of the toughest challenges ever taken on by humans. The community of boat racing fans is very important in France compared to the rest of the world. But even Netflix has overlooked the compelling narrative potential of boat racing, leaving this significant opportunity untapped.
"The Race of a Lifetime" is a 6-episode series from the producers of "Drive to Survive" that features 32 on-board shockproof, waterproof and freeze-proof cameras filming the famous French skipper, Jérémie Beyou, in his 48-month preparation for the Vendée Globe race. The cameras were integrated into the boat’s structure, filming 24/7 to bring the audience as close to the action as possible. The series was then made easy to access and watch for race fans on the go by scanning a QR code at the Vendée Globe starting line. To promote the race to a wider audience across France, Charal and VML also made the series available on pack in supermarkets.
The Series has accumulated over 2.5 million views across platforms and become the most watched organic content in Charal's history.
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