Backed by kyu, Sid Lee Paris Joins Forces with YARD
YARD, a Parisian creative agency known for its ingenuity in connecting with the urban generation through its work across music, sports, fashion, and cinema has joined Sid Lee Paris. YARD’s extensive knowledge and prowess in media, event creation, marketing, and insight into urban DNA will add a unique dimension to the European hub of the global Sid Lee network and, by extension, the kyu collective.
As a content production agency and champion of “urban trend culture,” YARD will bolster Sid Lee’s knowledge of early adopters through its intuitive understanding of this vital urban demographic. Sid Lee Paris will equally be able to expand its creative offering by adapting campaigns to this growing audience, as well as benefit from the expertise offered by Miles, YARD’s production studio.
“YARD’s strength comes from the content it creates. It is ultra-relevant to urban youth and YARD has a unique capacity to relate to this target,” says Johan Delpuech, Managing Director and Partner of Sid Lee Paris. Sylvain Thirache, the President and Executive Creative Director, adds: “YARD provides a collective opportunity to develop a new creative script and to offer innovating forms of culturally rich content for our clients.”
This professional union began earlier this year, and has already yielded creative collaborations. YARD’s impressive roster of clients – Nike, Desperados, Beats by Dre, Uniqlo, Jordan, Red Bull, and Converse (to name a few) – will be an excellent complement to those of Sid Lee Paris, which include Honda, KFC, Paris Saint-Germain, Dom Perignon and BNP Paribas, among others.
“By joining Sid Lee, we are crossing a new threshold in YARD’s development,” says Yoan Prat, YARD’s Co-Founder and Managing Director. “The agency will bring us structure and substantial expertise in strategy and in craft, as well as client development in the long term.”
The deal was the first majority acquisition made by kyu to support the growth plans of a member company.
“YARD and Sid Lee are uniquely tuned in to urban influencers,” says kyu CEO Michael Birkin. “The partnership has clearly ignited the creativity and imagination of both teams.”
This alliance also advances Sid Lee’s new strategy in the kyu collective. The strategy, which is founded upon the idea of building brands for the modern age by keeping one step ahead, has already grown on an international level through collaboration with other kyu member companies, such as through the exposure to IDEO’s expertise in design thinking and Infrared’s specialization in hospitality.
With the YARD and Sid Lee Paris teams fired up and ready to go, kyu looks forward to what exciting developments are in store. Michael adds: “We believe there will be other partnerships to come from Sid Lee.”
Photo courtesy of Sid Lee