Le Bon Coin: An Exceptional Roadshow Across France for Enthusiasts
After several seasons of successful PR events, Leboncoin gave Acmé a clear mission: to reinvent itself without losing its identity. Over four months, across 17 French cities, Acmé orchestrated a roadshow built around a simple idea: each stop offered a local immersion into the world of an exceptional enthusiast. Clients and prospects from the real estate, automotive, and media agency sectors each experienced, in their own city, an event tailored just for them.
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Each invitation revealed just enough to pique curiosity: an exclusive encounter with one of the city’s most remarkable residents, whose identity remained partially shrouded in mystery. The promise of a unique, one-of-a-kind experience, reserved for the guests of this particular stop.
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In Paris, Brendan Goux, a carpenter at Notre-Dame, guided his guests through the heart of the historic construction site. In Bordeaux, Joël Dupuch, an oyster farmer recognized by Gault & Millau, opened the gates to his oyster beds for his guests. In Lyon, between mixology workshops and a vinyl DJ, the production team’s guests partied until midnight. In each city, the same magic unfolded for a different group: an enthusiast speaking from the heart, an audience truly listening.
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An oyster knife in Bordeaux. A beautiful book on the reconstruction of Notre-Dame in Paris. A vinyl record by his favorite artist in Lyon. Not just merchandise, but mementos that tell a story—and that kept the event alive long after it had ended.
Refresh the formula, keep the spirit.
After several seasons of well-established PR events, Leboncoin faced a real risk: complacency. The brief given to Acmé was clear: keep the formula of exceptional venues and unique activities, and add that extra touch that turns a good time into a memory. All while staying true to the brand’s DNA—no ostentation, a sense of community, and authenticity—across 17 cities and 500 participants.
The target audience consisted of two distinct groups. Real estate and automotive professionals in their 40s and 50s, who were not accustomed to PR events, were looking for a warm, unpretentious experience. The teams from Parisian media agencies—young and well-versed in the genre—wanted something truly different to surprise them.
Meet a renowned oyster farmer (Cap Ferret)
The go-to place for enthusiasts— a concept that reflects the platform
Leboncoin is a platform that gives visibility to those who have something to share. Acmé applied this concept to event planning: each stop on the roadshow brings together a group of local guests and a prominent figure from their region, whose passion (for gastronomy, crafts, culture, or music) serves as the central theme. The concept makes each city unique and embodies the brand’s values without explicitly stating them.
Two formats were designed to suit the target audiences: an immersive morning session followed by lunch for the automotive and real estate sectors, and a lively after-work event extending into the evening for the advertising agency, similar to the one in Lyon, featuring mixology workshops, a vinyl DJ, and dinner at O Vin d'Anges until past midnight.
Meet the carpenter of Notre-Dame (Paris)
17 destinations, just one requirement.
Rolling out a concept across 17 locations over four months requires a level of precision that must never be apparent in the final result. Acmé structured the project around a national production guidelines and rigorous local sourcing: in each city, the right enthusiast, the right venue, and the right service provider.
The enthusiasts featured here are not professional guides: Brendan Goux shares his story of Notre-Dame as someone who has left a piece of himself there, while Joël Dupuch opens his oyster beds to visitors as if they were his own home. The venues were chosen to flow seamlessly from one to the next: Langosteria at the top of La Samaritaine following the cathedral’s attic, La Cafouine on its seaside terrace after the oyster beds, and O Vin d’Anges for an evening that begins as a workshop and ends as a party.
Meet a monk who makes liqueurs (Grenoble)
When a business relationship becomes a memory
What the participants took away wasn’t a brand message. It was a morning spent at the Notre-Dame construction site. Oysters shucked on the edge of a park by someone whose great-grandfather used to shuck them in the same spot. A morning spent diving into the Mediterranean.
The lunches that followed carried all the warmth built up that morning, and professional conversations flowed naturally without anyone having to force the transition. City after city, the Leboncoin teams observed the same phenomenon: customers leaving while talking about the passionate person they had met, and spontaneously associating that moment with the brand that had made it possible.
Client information
Leboncoin is France’s leading classifieds platform, founded in 2006 and a subsidiary of the Adevinta Group. With over 30 million unique monthly visitors, it covers real estate, automobiles, jobs, and services throughout the country. As a brand deeply rooted in the daily lives of the French, it has built its business model on local relevance and trust.
Curious corner
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The focus shifts from the place to the person. It’s not the space that creates the experience; it’s the encounter with a local enthusiast whom we would never have met otherwise.
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City by city, seeking out well-known local figures who are outside the conventional event scene. Brendan Goux in Paris, Joël Dupuch in Bordeaux, a mixology expert and vinyl DJ in Lyon: each one shares their expertise; no one is putting on a show.
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Real estate and auto industry professionals prefer a morning event followed by lunch. Parisian media agencies, on the other hand, prefer a more festive, evening-time format. The concept adapts without losing its essence.
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It captures the memory of the gathering in a single object and keeps it circulating long after the event is over. Not just a giveaway, but an extension of the experience.
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Leboncoin connects people who have something to share. This roadshow does the same thing: the brand’s values aren’t just talked about—they’re lived out.
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A national production charter sets common standards. Rigorous local sourcing ensures that the content is tailored to each region. The framework is the same everywhere; the content is never.