Romain Cahier, manager of the Sports Village in Betton near Rennes, knows Décathlon's challenges today well: “With competition from e-commerce, we have to find new, original and unprecedented ways of attracting visitors by showing that we are not just a shop.”
The Sports Villages are genuine sports facilities attached to some of the brand's stores, offering sporting and fun activities for families, in order to introduce people to new sports (for example during a birthday party).
It all began in October 2017, when the 300 students of Digital Campus Rennes were invited to the Sports Village for their orientation day. A unique moment to recharge their batteries and meet their new classmates before tackling the academic year, which led to the breaking of many records - especially of fits of laughter and good cheer.
Romain Cahier then invited a first-year class of the Master's degree as a Digital Strategy Expert to spend a week thinking up original and unique events likely to draw new audiences to the brand. Supported by Jonathan Grandin, a digital marketing instructor, they broke other records, in particular in terms of imagination: an event to raise awareness of eco-friendly urban mobility and a charity day in aid of breast cancer are planned for 2018 and will serve as a common thread for these students throughout the year.
The students of the intensive-track Bachelor thought about how to reconcile environment and sport around the national “Green and Blue” campaign run by the brand at national level. No fewer than six original projects, including three event projects and three mobile app ideas, were submitted to Romain Cahier, who fully intends to put them forward at national level and, why not, bring them to life somewhere in France.
“The digital customer experience is at the heart of the issues facing large-scale retail today”, explains Jonathan Grandin, who supported the various classes. “The challenge for major brands is to re-enchant the shopping experience and attract customers who are unfamiliar with them, and the opportunities offered by digital marketing are a unique way to stand out, provided you show creativity and boldness.”
In addition to the two awareness days planned for 2018, Digital Campus Rennes brings in Décathlon as part of the Project Tuesdays, a key event that has students carry out, in “agency” mode, concrete projects in direct interface with professionals.