A Polka Dot Takeover
How E.Leclerc Created The Polka Dot Ritual in Paris
Image by BOBY
The final stage of the Tour de France had been something of a procession up until 2025, when the Paris 2024 Olympics changed everything.
The road biking races went into Montmartre and drew massive crowds, cementing the brilliant vision of the Paris Olympics to make the games an integral part of the city.
The 755-metre cobbled ascent of Rue Lepic became the defining visual of the Olympic road race, set in a natural amphitheatre in the heart of Paris.
It then became obvious that the Tour, which had traditionally spent its final stage as a procession, applied the Olympic energy to its final stage.
But not everyone was in favor.
Sprinters did not want to see their opportunity crushed; some riders complained it was too tough a stage at the end of a challenging tour, and the authorities, especially the Paris police chief, were concerned about crowds and safety.
It took an intervention from French President Macron to veto the Paris police chief’s proclamation, ensuring a new final stage route for the Tour in 2025.
It was a massive success, especially for the polka dot king of the mountains sponsor supermarket chain, E.Leclerc.
A brand that has been a sponsor since 2019 and one that uses the tour as a marketing effort to highlight its regional strength and affinities, but in Paris, Leclerc turned the iconic Rue Lepic into a mass of polka dots.
An estimated 180k spectators packed the streets of Montmartre.
Image by BOBY
It also worked so well in 2025 because it was a celebration of 50 Years of the Polka-Dot jersey, with The Tour starting the competition in 1975, so the t-shirt, bucket hats, flags, and banners were more about a celebration than a commercial hijack.
It was marketing brilliance that ensured residents got involved, turning their residences into polka dot billboards and giving away desirable free swag.
Instead of the brand logo, it was the polka dot, a degree of separation away, which made it a tasteful brand hijacking rather than a tasteless one, and one that worked brilliantly on TV.
Image by BOBY
E.Leclerc has already topped Kantar’s polls as the favorite tour sponsor; doubtless, the agencies involved will be busy with their calculators determining the media value of all those polka dots in the hills of Montmartre last Sunday.
Finally, it’s not just about Paris; E.Leclerc is activating across the Tour in the towns and villages where the tour stages start, and even has its own active supporters club, who tour wear the polka dots with pride and travel in their RVs.
Who is involved?
Suzanne Mispelon- Project Management
Eric Etienne- E.Leclerc