LONDON, April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Innovative eyewear brand unveils European campaign with motorsport icons

Oakley today launches a pan-European integrated brand campaign featuring motorsport icons Fernando Alonso, Valentino Rossi and Sebastien Loeb.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60635-oakley-european-campaign-change-perspective

The "Change Perspective" campaign rolls out across brand, media and retail channels in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy, and builds on the "Beyond Reason" campaign concept launched with great success prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Oakley continue to explore the "Beyond Reason" mindset of their elite athletes and are now inviting consumers to share their unique vision and approach, with the central premise "In order to change the game, you need to look at the world differently".

The campaign reveals how motorsport legends Rossi, Alonso and Loeb challenge themselves outside of their well-documented lives in MotoGP, Formula 1 and World Rally.        

Tom Cartmale, Oakley UK Brand Director, commented "This spirit of new adventure, new experience and new horizons is what drives our iconic athletes, and has enabled Oakley to reset boundaries in product design and sport performance. We hope this campaign will inspire and intrigue but most of all create a deeper connection with our consumers and enhance awareness & understanding of our lifestyle products, specifically Garage Rock".

Image-enabled print ads, digital and ambient outdoor activity, interactive video web-banners and in-store video displays will reveal Alonso as a road cyclist, Loeb as a helicopter pilot and Rossi as a rally driver, and a central campaign hub on Oakley.com will drive interaction and photo sharing across Oakley, athlete and retailer social networks.

Notes to Editors

Campaign Hub to go live 3^rd April 2013

The Change Perspective campaign online:

Facebook:facebook.com/oakleyeurope 

Instagram:Instagram.com/oakleyeurope

YouTube:youtube.com/oakley 

Oakley:oakley.com/changeperspective

Appendix

Athletes:

Valentino Rossi is 7 times MotoGP World Champion and only the second rider in motorcycle grand prix history to surpass 100 race victories. Not only is he the all-time leader in 500CC/MotoGP race wins, he is also the only rider ever to lift all four classification championship titles - 125cc, 250cc, 500cc & MotoGP.

Valentino was also double winner in the 90^th edition of the Monza Rally Show.

Sebastien Loeb is the most successful driver in the history of the World Rally Championship. The 9 times champion was not only named French Sportsman of the Year in 2007 & 2009, but he was also made Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2009, the highest decoration in France.

Sebastien has also clocked up over 150 hours piloting helicopters.

Fernando Alonso is a 2 times Formula 1 world champion and has amassed an impressive 22 pole positions during his career. His last title in 2006 made sure he went into the record books as the youngest ever double world champion.

Fernando has also averaged speeds of over 30km/h on his road bike, covering 122km in just over 4 hours.

Agencies:
Creative Direction - four23
Media planning - OMD and Maxus (UK)

Photographers:
Valentino Rossi: Gigi Soldano/Milagro
Sebastian Loeb: Gary Prior
Fernando Alonso: Rubén Fernandez Fernandez

About Oakley, Inc.

Established in 1975 and headquartered in Southern California, Oakley is one of the leading sports brands in the world. The holder of more than 600 patents, Oakley is continually seeking problems, solving them with inventions and wrapping those inventions in art. This philosophy has made Oakley one of the most iconic and inimitable brands on the market, with innovations that world-class athletes around the globe depend on to compete at the highest level possible. Oakley is famed for its insuperable lens technologies such as High Definition Optics® (HDO®) which is incorporated into all Oakley sun and prescription eyewear, and all premium Oakley goggles. Oakley has extended its leadership position as the world's leading sports eyewear brand into apparel, footwear and accessories collections. Laser focused on the consumer, Oakley has both men's and women's product lines that target Sports Performance, Active and Lifestyle consumers. Oakley is a subsidiary of Luxottica Group. Additional information is available at http://www.oakley.com.

Video: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60635-oakley-european-campaign-change-perspective

SOURCE Oakley