Last December I entered a contest organized by the Union of Advertisers of France (UDA) to create a commercial radio spot.
Their goal was to give carte blanche to the creating participants and then test the reactions of the public.
The imposed theme was "Incivilities in the City"; there was also the possibility of creating adverts for 6 famous brands (Renault, Lafayette Gallery, Axa, Chiffon, Tic Tac) without any customer input, without any restrictions: total freedom !
I chose to only do the "Incivilities" spot.
I designed and wrote the text, then asked several comedian friends to “lend” me their voices (including my friend Jean-Marc Lancelot ;-)
A total of 80 creations were sent to the UDA and to their jury of 19 professionals from radio, advertising, and other media. Their job was to decide which advertising spot had the most impact of all, which one most deserved the LAB D’OR.
And I am very happy to announce that I came first in my category ("Incivilities in the City") but also first of all the creations together (brands included).
So, my creation is this year’s LAB D'OR !
Here is the origin behind my spot called "Me Me Me" (which is also an excerpt from the speech I delivered at the award ceremony on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 !) :
"When I'm driving in Paris and a motorist swerves in front of me or when I'm in the subway and someone is speaking really loudly on the phone in a crowded train (totally oblivious of others !), I usually think to myself : "me me me me me me".
It was this sentence that came to me right away the minute I became aware of the theme "Incivilities in the City" for this contest.
So, I say to myself : since this selfish person wants to take all the space and wants to have everything for himself, well I will just let him express himself.
But what he will not know is that he will be all alone ... in front of all those who will listen to him ...
But that’s not my message ...
So I chose to highlight the root cause of this problem: this crushing selfishness (ie, non-sharing, indifference, uncaring for others). And the incivilities in the city (and also in life) are only the external consequences of this deep scorn for others.
I was inspired to challenge those lowest parts within each of us in a simple, deep and symbolic way.
But that’s not the message...
The contest rules imposed very specific criteria : strength of conviction, impact, memorization of the creation, the feeling of an emotion.
So, I deliberately opted for a short spot (15 sec), so using repetition, simple words (those words we all think deep down), voices embodying the Ego, the victim and Wisdom.
An authentic and sincere interpretation, without music or sound illustration, just silence ... So that the message resonates deep down inside, touching one’s emotions. Like an arrow hitting a target.
But it will be on the outside that this "me me me me me me" message can fulfil its mission, if it can be broadcasted thanks to a strong rotation over the radios : it could become a public gimmick, a little phrase which awakens the public’s conscience and which is triggered automatically at the sight of some self-centred citizen in action (or for oneself when one is caught in the action) ; and which could bring forth change in our behaviour.
But my message is not that ...
My message is above all about a feeling. A feeling that we all share and which addresses the most luminous and universal part in all of us : "The first act is to think of others"
"Think of others ..."
3 words ... that impact, make so much sense and connect us all to each other ...
And maybe it’s that feeling that makes us all ... equal ? "