French car brand Renault, together with Paris-based international creative agency Publicis Conseil, has launched a new ad campaign that highlights their new E-Tech electric range.
The ad is a salute to Renault's iconic "Les Voitures à Vivre" (which translates to "cars for life and living") campaign from 1984.
This new campaign aims to link its heritage as an automotive icon with its push toward electric vehicles, offering “retro-futuristic” vehicles that are equipped with technologies designed to be human-centric and accessible.
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Renault demonstrates the power of leveraging its heritage to tell a compelling brand story that bridges the past, present, and future.
By reinterpreting its classic "Les Voitures à Vivre" ethos through a modern lens, the French automaker positions itself as both a nostalgic and forward-thinking brand, appealing to long-time fans while engaging a new generation of consumers.
Linking Heritage with Innovation
The TV commercial starts with a snippet of "Les Voitures à Vivre" and transitions seamlessly to the modern iteration of the Renault 4, a theme that continues throughout the video with other iconic ranges from the French automotive manufacturer.
Filmed with a continuous left-to-right tracking shot to represent the flow of time, the commercial takes viewers through decades, showcasing unique visuals for each era.
From the nostalgic grain of 1960s Super 8 footage to the retro tones of 1990s VHS recordings, each scene authentically reflects the essence of the period when Renault’s iconic models shaped automotive history.
This emotionally powerful narrative highlights Renault’s commitment to evolving with each generation’s needs, and now, with its range of 100% electric cars.
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The spot ends with the slogan “For you to change nothing, we change everything,” emphasizing its commitment to innovating its brand while still serving the needs of the customers it aims to attract.
This serves as a perfect example of how compelling a one-minute ad campaign can be if you team with a reputable creative agency like Publicis to share your message.
Renault Global Marketing Director Arnaud Belloni emphasized this thought in a statement:
"With this film, we wanted to show that there’s no need to change the way we live with cars — only the cars themselves. Renault constantly innovates to meet today’s needs and challenges."
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The Renault E-Tech range was originally announced in 2019, and forms part of the French automaker’s strategic plan called “Renaulution," in which the company affirmed the expansion of its EV range in a bid to shift the company “from volume to value.”
Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo explained in detail what "Renaulution" is in a press release in 2021:
"More than a turnaround, it is a profound transformation of our business model. We’ve set steady, healthy foundations for our performance. We’ve streamlined our operations starting with engineering, adjusting our size when required, reallocating our resources in high-potential products and technologies.
We’ll move from a car company working with tech to a tech company working with cars, making at least 20% of its revenues from services, data, and energy trading by 2030."
As the auto industry moves toward sustainability through electric cars, we can expect to see more EV launches this year. Just three weeks ago, Toyota debuted its latest Battery Electric Urban Cruiser as part of its e-collection.
