When a Brand Gives Up Its Logo: Why Lacoste’s “Save Our Species” Campaign Still Matters

Hey marketers, welcome back.

As someone who loves animals, I couldn’t help but write about this campaign.

Most brands spend years building recognition around a single visual cue. A logo. A symbol. Something you can spot from across the room.

Lacoste did something different.

In 2018, the brand launched the Save Our Species campaign and temporarily replaced its iconic crocodile logo. Not redesigned. Not refreshed. Replaced.

What followed wasn’t a rebrand, but a statement.

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A Campaign That Spoke by Stepping Back

For this limited campaign, Lacoste partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Instead of the crocodile, the brand used silhouettes of 10 endangered species on its polo shirts. The idea was simple and uncomfortable at the same time.

• Each animal replaced the crocodile logo

• The number of polos printed matched the estimated remaining population of that species

• Exactly 1,775 polo shirts were produced in total

No restocks. No extensions.

The limitation wasn’t a marketing trick. It was the point.  Click Here !

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The 10 Species and the Number of Polos Made

Each shirt represented how many were left.

• Vaquita - 30 polos

• Burmese Roofed Turtle - 40 polos

• Northern Sportive Lemur - 50 polos

• Javan Rhinoceros - 67 polos

• Kakapo - 157 polos

• Cao-vit Gibbon - 150 polos

• California Condor - 231 polos

• Saola - 250 polos

• Sumatran Tiger - 350 polos

• Anegada Ground Iguana - 450 polos

Total: 1,775 polos

Seeing the numbers laid out like this is what made the campaign land. You weren’t buying a limited edition because it was rare. You were buying it because the species already were.

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Why This Wasn’t Just Another Sustainability Campaign

This wasn’t a permanent brand change, and it didn’t need to be.

Lacoste was already an established brand. That gave the campaign credibility. By temporarily stepping back and letting the animals take the visual space, the brand made sure the focus stayed where it mattered.

The crocodile didn’t disappear forever. It stepped aside.

And that restraint is what made the campaign feel genuine rather than performative.

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Proceeds, Not Promises

All proceeds from the Save Our Species collection were donated directly to wildlife conservation programs supporting the featured species.

There were no vague commitments or future pledges. The product itself was tied to the cause.

That clarity matters.

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Final Thought

I find this campaign pretty cool, not because it was loud or viral, but because it was precise.

Lacoste didn’t try to shout about sustainability. It chose to pause, step back, and let the numbers speak.

In a world where brands often add more to be noticed, this campaign reminds us that sometimes the most effective message comes from knowing when to remove something instead.

That’s why Save Our Species still gets talked about years later.

- MK