Image via AirFrance.fr

It’s been 2 weeks since Air France’s latest spot, France Is In The Air, is running internationally. The 45-second advertisement is part of the brand’s new global campaign, which started on April 2nd with print, radio and web ads in 12 countries (including Brazil, China, the USA, Russia, Senegal or Switzerland). What I like about it is that it has an Evian Babies feel to it: a stylish and simplified background, people swinging (instead of swimming) through the screen in a gracious manner, a focus on music rather than words. A very nice creative, mixing retro and glamor, like the print ads. But have you noticed the cyclists?

“There’s nothing that looks more like a plane than another plane,” Tiphaine du Plessis, associate director at BETC, the agency behind the campaign, told l’ADN. The strength of the company lies in “its roots, the French state of mind: when you put one foot in an Air France plane, you are already somewhat in France,” she says. The campaign plays on the globally recognized “positive values” like its traditions, history, gastronomy, architecture or music.

Oh and the Tour de France, of course:

Gif via FUBIZ.net

Why cyclists? Look at the above GIF from the spot. The girls’ jerseys are clearly cycling-related (they also have the World Champion’s jersey, white with rainbow stripes, and the French Champion’s jersey, bleu-blanc-rouge). To see the real ones, check these out:

The Tour’s leader jerseys, from left to right: King of the Mountains, Best Young Rider, Overall Winner, and Best Sprinter.

In 2012, Mark Cavendish won his first Tour de France stage as world champion.

2014 French Champion Nacer Bouhanni winning a stage of the Tour of Oman

Now that we have the same jerseys and the same shaven legs, let’s look at the motion.

Watch the GIF below, from the 2014 Tour de France’s last stage, the sprint on the Champs Elysées. You can see some of the fastest sprinters on earth (beasts!) going for the line. In the eand, the German Marcel Kittel beat the Norvegian Alexander Kristoff.

Image via Reddit.com

Except the body shapes and the swings, it’s a perfect fit. Remove the bikes from the above and you have the swinging girl cyclists, no? Now you can watch the entire spot:

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The film was directed by We Are From LA, and the music is a remix from Glass Candy, Warm in the Winter. It will also become Air France’s new official sound brand, to be used for all communications (jingles, hold-on tones etc.) “This is a revival: it is less about the well-being, and a new energy,” Caroline Fontaine, Director Brand Manager & Advertising of Air France at BETC, told l’ADN. If you want to hear the entire soundtrack  without losing sight of Air France, just watch the ad’s making-off:

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Do you like it? I do! Looking forward to this year’s Tour now.