In this Success Story:
On the occasion of World Sight Day, Essilor, a major partner of Ligue 1 McDonald’s, created a unique activation by turning a league match into a platform to raise awareness about the importance of good eye health.
Designed and delivered by SPORTFIVE, with the support of the LFP, this activation demonstrates how a sports partnership can go beyond simple visibility to convey a meaningful, accessible and engaging message.
Giving Meaning to the Essilor x Ligue 1 McDonald’s Partnership
In football, everything comes down to the smallest details.
Reading the game, anticipating movement, fine-tuning a gesture: vision is a key performance factor, both on the pitch and in the stands.
As a major partner of Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Essilor draws on this world where precision is essential to deliver a prevention message that resonates naturally with its expertise.
Long committed to eye health issues, the brand aims to highlight a reality that remains largely overlooked: in France, 1 in 3 people suffers from undetected vision problems.
On the occasion of World Sight Day, on October 9, football becomes a natural platform to raise broad awareness around a simple yet essential message: taking the time to have your vision checked.
The Idea
Turning the Pitch into a Platform for Awareness
The creative concept is based on repurposing a universal football symbol: the players’ jerseys.
By redesigning the name and number prints with letters of decreasing size, inspired by eye tests, the pitch becomes a full-scale vision test - visible both in the stadium and on television.
A simple, immediate, and accessible mechanism, designed to intrigue, engage, and encourage everyone to reflect on their own vision.
The Activation
A Match Turned into a Full-Scale Vision Test
The activation came to life during the AJ Auxerre – RC Lens match.
On the Pitch
AJ Auxerre players wore jerseys with redesigned name and number prints, composed of letters in decreasing sizes. A deliberately intriguing detail, designed to catch the attention of spectators and TV audiences from the very first minutes of the match.
In the Stadium, Every Surface Became a Channel for Awareness
LED boards and giant screens displaying awareness messages
Announcements by the stadium speaker to contextualize the initiative
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Press and Influencers
Sparking the Conversation
To amplify the impact of the initiative, SPORTFIVE deployed a press and influencer strategy designed as a catalyst for discussion and awareness:
Distribution of targeted press releases (sport, optics, marketing)
Sending four collector jerseys to aligned media and creators (Footpack, Vibes Foot, L’Équipe du Soir…), reaching nearly 972,000 followers, with a deliberately intriguing approach
Inviting two creators, Today It’s Football (120,000 followers), to the stadium to cover the activation and share the experience
Digital and TV Amplification
Extending the experience beyond the match:
Editorial branding on LFP platforms (banners, newsletters, billboards)
Teaser and recap videos shared on Ligue 1 social media channels
Contests and the Mon Petit Prono activation, offering fans the chance to win the collector jerseys
Four live mentions on the Ligue1+ app, where commentators Smail Bouabdellah and Benoît Cheyrou praised the creativity and originality of the initiative
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Results: Strong Visibility and Tangible Social Impact
Fans in the stadium for the AJ Auxerre – RC Lens game
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Custom jerseys and 3 minutes of LED exposure on the pitch
digital impressions across all platforms
influencer impressions with a 9% engagement rate
of Ligue 1 fans say they like the Essilor brand after the activation
Press coverage (7.6M total audience)
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TV mentions on Ligue 1+
