Perrier Just Remade Its Most Famous Ad, ‘Lion,’ 3 Decades Later

Almost three decades after its spot “Lion,” directed by Jean-Paul Goude, stormed the Cannes Lions festival, winning the Grand Prix in Film, Perrier has rolled out a remake of sorts—with everything on an intentionally smaller scale.

The original spot, an absolute classic from Ogilvy Paris, featured a woman and a lion fighting over a bottle of Perrier. Created in 1990, it won the top prize at Cannes the following summer.

See the spot here:

Twenty-eight years later, Ogilvy Paris is still on the Perrier account (after briefly ceding it to Publicis in the mid-1990s). And it just made a “Lion” sequel to advertise Perrier Fines Bulles—a line extension of Perrier that has a different carbonation process resulting in smaller bubbles.

And so, everything in the new spot is smaller, too. The woman is now a girl, the lion is now a cub. “Even the music, although intentionally reminiscent of its predecessor, is now smaller sounding,” Ogilvy tells us.

See the new spot here:

The new ad, like the old one, was filmed in South Africa—though by a different director, Johnny Green.

“With this new film, we pay homage to the heritage of Perrier,” Green says. “We sense moves that remind us of a similar story yet stay surprised and amazed and driven by suspense, until we’re rewarded by the iconic remake of the confrontation for the Perrier bottle … of Fines Bulles.”

Ogilvy Paris tells us the biggest challenge of the production “was to keep the strength of the idea inherent in this mythical movie, which is a true reference in France, while modernizing it, and adding more finesse, in keeping with Perrier Fines Bulles. The styling of the little girl, the re-orchestration of the original music, the calibration, all these details were thought through in updating this classic.”

The agency said Green “immediately understood the intent. … He was able to bring the needed elegance and sensitivity while respecting the strength of the idea.”

While Ogilvy hopes, first and foremost, that the spot engages viewers in the brand universe, it wouldn’t mind getting a little hardware, too. “We would, of course, be honored to see, 28 years later, this little remake featuring a girl and a cub awarded a little Lion,” the agency says.

CREDITS
Client: Perrier France
Global Head of Communication and Strategic Marketing: Marie-Catherine Cerutti
Marketing and Category Director: Philippe Gallard
France Sparkling Brand director: Laure Goutagnieux
France Senior Brand Manager: Baptiste Huchet
Agency: Ogilvy Paris
Senior Art Director: Alexandra Offe & Julien Bredontiot
Senior Copywriter: Julien Bredontiot & Alexandra Offe
Head of TV Production: Antoine Bagot
TV Producer: Aurélie Appert
Sound Producer: Johanne Kenniche
Accounts: Diego Feldman, Kévin Martin, Anissa Chabba
Strategic Planner: Hadi Zabad
Managing Partner, Influence & Réputation: Eric Maillard
Director Social Brand PR, Influence & Réputation: Catherine Caussou
Account Director, Influence & Réputation: Désirée Ramialison
Director: Johnny Green
Producer: Jean Villiers
Editor: Bandapart
Production Director: Gang Films
Sound Production: H&O / Circonflex Productions

Tim Nudd

@nudd

Tim Nudd is a former creative editor of Adweek.