Leboncoin, Play-Doh, Tinder, Fnac
Four memorable brand activations in France during Q2 2021.
For the first quarter of 2021, I wrote a post on four French brands, but for the second quarter, I will also present two (international) American brands which have designed unique activations for the French market. These international brands collaborated with local advertising agencies and localized their marketing by creating the perfect message to fit French news and society.
In the program: anniversaries, humor, creativity, hugs and culture… Here are my 4 favorite brand campaigns in France from April to June 2021.
Leboncoin celebrates its 15th anniversary with Catherine Deneuve and her chickens 🐔
With nearly 30 million unique visitors per month, Leboncoin is one of the most visited websites in France. It is a platform for the sale of goods and services across the country and is now celebrating its 15th anniversary.
The company released a multi-channel campaign supported by the agency DDB Paris with an overarching slogan “15 ans de bonnes nouvelles” / “15 years of good news”. This campaign was launched with success in April with a 40-second commercial featuring the actress and icon of French cinema, Catherine Deneuve.
In this film, a marketing team pitched an advertising idea to Catherine Deneuve where different objects can have a second life thanks to Leboncoin. “Because you can find everything on Leboncoin” they told her, whereas the actress nodded and added “yes, chickens”. Great silence, so the actress takes them to a room in her house displaying her impressive collection of ceramic, porcelain, etc. chickens.
The idea for this film was imagined by Leboncoin when they discovered that Catherine Deneuve was actually collecting chicken figurines purchased on their platform. Humor and authenticity are the winning duo for this endearing advertising spot. Thus, Leboncoin has imagined a story around her personal story and passion to show that their website is really a universal platform, used by half of all French people, even Catherine Deneuve!
Play-Doh x Museum of Modern Art: ”The most beautiful works of art are the ones we create together” 🎨
And one more anniversary! This time with Play-Doh blowing out their 65 candles. The famous American brand of modeling clay is joining forces with the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Paris for the re-opening of cultural venues in France.
This collaboration celebrates creativity as a family activity with an advertisement produced by the Parisian agency Brand Station. Their ad shows a work of art made by a daughter and her father exhibited at the MAM. This same painting was publicly exhibited at the museum in real life for a few days in June.
Through this campaign, Play-Doh successfully sends their main message: the best works of art are the ones people create together. The brand is thus positioned as a family and inter-generational game; a way for parents and children to share unforgettable moments around art and creativity.
The Hasbro brand kills two birds with one stone by combining their message with a major national event in France: the re-opening of cultural venues. In this way, they ensure that their advertising will not go unnoticed.
Tinder and their summer of love tour 🌴
If you have Cascada’s song stuck in your head, you’re welcome. If you don’t know this gem of a song from 2012, here you go.
But back to Tinder and their summer of love tour because after a year of virtual dating, the American dating app organised physical events in five cities in France.
For Tinder, these events are a perfect way to combine two current concerns of their users and more generally 18–25 year olds, their main target.
- Loneliness and isolation hit the young population considerably. Over the past few months, 60% of Tinder members say they’ve signed up to overcome loneliness and to meet new people.
- FODA (Fear Of Dating Again) is a syndrome that affects many young people, who are afraid to go back to dating and meeting others, in the real world.
To overcome this fear and encourage their users to meet offline, the app has planned original ice-breaking activities and a lunch box cooked by local chefs. The participants were invited to live a memorable moment, in compliance with health rules and for a good cause: for each hug made with their match, Tinder undertakes to offer a meal to students in need.
With this series of events, the brand is fully aligned with the concerns and needs of their users. They also show that social commitment is part of their values by offering help to students in need, a segment of the French population particularly affected emotionally and economically by COVID-19.
Fnac reminds us of how to experience culture in everyday life👏
Fnac is a French company and the European leader in the distribution of cultural and leisure goods. The company sells tickets for cultural events through its ticketing subsidiary France Billet. Since the start of the public health crisis, the majority of cultural events have been canceled. Concretely, that means more than a year without going to a concert, going to see a play or a comedy show.
June 30, 2021 marked the reopening day of all these places in France. On this day, Fnac released an advertisement as an ironic nod to the list of advice to stop the spread of the virus. At this point, we all know by heart such tips as “wash your hands”, “wear a mask” and “avoid touching your face”.
But do we remember how to experience cultural life? Fnac has designed some didactic illustrations to remind us how to clap, how to get to the theater on time, or how to ask for one more song.
The company intelligently published their print campaign in the main daily newspapers; these same newspapers which have informed the population of the rules of social distancing for the past few months. The result? An advertisement that puts a smile on your face and reminds us of how unique and absurd this period is.
Looking forward to discovering more exciting brand activations for the third quarter of 2021. À bientôt ! 👋
