The Third Indian Ocean Meetings, which are held at the Réunion from May 18 to 21, take on a global dimension in 2021. This meeting of communication and advertising professionals takes place for the third time. But this is the first time he has propelled Reunion, and with it the French-speaking region of the Indian Ocean, at the forefront of the French-speaking world. It is also rare for those involved in communication and advertising to express themselves on their activity and their role in society.. Hence the value of the testimonies of the two conductors of the Rencontres: Christian Cappe, president of the Francophone Union (UF) and Thomas Giraud-Castaing, president of the Association of Communication Consulting Agencies (Aacc) Overseas, also secretary of UF and director of the Zoorit agency.
Can you remember what the Francophone Union is?, for what purpose and by whom it was founded ?
Christian Cappe (CC) : The Union Francophone is a platform that was created operationally in May 2018. It was born on my initiative following meetings with former Ministers of Foreign Affairs Michèle Alliot-Marie and Hubert Védrine, as well as with major advertising and media executives, who encouraged me to embark on this adventure. Private and institutional partnerships have therefore been numerous. The Francophone Union aims to create a common market between players in the world of communication., what are the media, advertising, agencies and the digital sector. It provides new means to French-speaking media around the world., especially in the era of digital transformation. UF is interested in young advertising professionals, organizes educational conferences on professions in the sector and, more recently, develops regulatory proposals for public authorities (concerning for example the extension of aid granted to the metropolitan press, to the overseas press, the budget revives, questions related to GAFA, etc.).
Is it linked to the International Organization of La Francophonie? ?
CC : The UF collaborates with the services of the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF). She obtained the label linked to the Cinquantenaire de la Francophonie. It collaborates on projects linked to the Indian Ocean and should involve the services of the OIF concerning issues linked to climate and sustainable development in Montreal.. Joint projects between the OIF and the UF are underway.
What is the link between the Association of Overseas Communication Consulting Agencies and the Union Francophone? ?
CC : Historically, the president of the Association of Overseas Communication Consulting Agencies participated in the first Indian Ocean Meetings in Mauritius. The AACC Outre-mer then encouraged and invited the UF to organize the Indian Ocean Meetings in Reunion.. The AACC Overseas enabled the sustainable establishment of the UF in Reunion. I also thank Thomas Giraud-Castaing. otherwise, the Francophone Union has established its headquarters for the world in Reunion, and Thomas is the secretary.
There is something still new in 2021 in perceiving Reunion as a center of influence of the French language, a center of the French-speaking world. The island itself does not perceive itself that way. What vision of Reunion underlies your action? ?
CC : There can be no cultural exchanges, economic, social or political without a perfect understanding of men and women. Mastery of a common language is essential to all exchanges. Reunion Island, in the same way as other French-speaking countries in the region, are at the origin of a common market in services which today has a potential of 28 million consumers. What matters is not the use of French in particular, but having a common language, to use it as a common good. The Union Francophone does not necessarily promote the French language, but uses this common capital as a tool for relations between the peoples of the region.
Is there a way to see, French or French-speaking, which distinguishes us in particular from the Anglo-Saxons, in communication and advertising ?
CC : The French language cannot be considered as an exclusive communication tool. It is still used, just like local languages, to communicate better. for example, Creole in Reunion, English or Mauritian in Mauritius, etc. The French language is a common tool useful for exchanges but cannot be the reflection of an exclusive culture. In essence, it is a language of openness to others which offers a wide choice of freedom in oral expression.
The first Indian Ocean Meetings took place in Mauritius in 2018. The runners-up at Reunion in 2019. What lessons did you learn from these first two meetings? ?
CC : The first Indian Ocean Meetings made it possible to begin to respond to an expectation, a desire to increase exchanges between the countries of the Indian Ocean region in the field of communication. They also highlighted the desire to accelerate the constitution, the organization of sectors bringing together brands and advertisers on one side, the agencies of the other and finally the media. The context of the health crisis, digital transformation and the speed of imposed changes create a call for knowledge, a call for exchanges, and new forms of commercial relations between players in the profession. The Indian Ocean Meetings reflect the upheaval of the economy, for which it will be necessary to deploy agility and innovation.
The Third Meetings take place in the context of the health and economic crisis which has hit the communication sector hard.. This sector has around fifty agencies in Reunion. How are they doing at the start of the second quarter of 2021 ?
Thomas Giraud-Castaing (TGC) : The year 2020 was complicated, the sudden squeeze on media budgets forced agencies to move quickly, and their digitalization has taken a big boost. I have the impression that the ecosystem has moved very quickly. Large groups and agencies have found more human sizes and new players, younger, and digital natives have appeared on the market. 2021 is therefore the year of change. This feels good because it hasn't changed for a long time.. At the national level, things are also changing a lot.. Advertising is at the center of the debate on the ecological transition and well-being at work. The entire sector is in the process of repositioning itself to become more “responsible”.
CC : The mission of the Union Francophone is to provide new avenues for creating added value for all stakeholders. (the media, agencies, digital players, advertisers) whose ultimate objective is to create the conditions for new economic growth that creates jobs, respectful of both societal and environmental commitments.
For some time now, we have observed a clear change in the way brands communicate about their products.. This rise in responsible communication is a theme of the Third Indian Ocean Meetings. Are agencies intended to simply support this movement or to drive it by encouraging brands to take this step of speaking truth? ?
TGC : Advertising has always been a marker of the present and an accelerator of trends. We see it, communication was the major challenge of the year which has just passed. Whether for institutions or brands, the citizen has taken power thanks to social networks and this is almost absolute. Agencies have always known that over-promising is not a tenable position in speaking engagements., because the backlash is immediate. Our agencies have therefore long advocated congruence, being aligned between what we say and what we do. Brands have now become aware of this and are starting to apply it, but changing habits takes time. Tell an advertiser that in the long term, it is more beneficial to take citizen actions and make it known than to make promotional posters, is not obvious. We must help him find the right balance and there can be no deception towards the consumer, it has the opposite effect. Green washing over time, social washing now, have proven that sincerity is one of the essential values expected by consumers.
CC : The Francophone Union must be an accelerator of the commitment of actors in the world of communication in favor of major causes and responsibility. We wanted to illustrate the involvement of young talents who will work on climate advertising programs. The ambition of the third Indian Ocean Meetings and, more generally, of the Francophone Union in the region is to allow the countries of the Indian Ocean zone to be placed, in particular Reunion, at the heart of both creative exchanges, commercial and media within the Indo-Pacific region. It must encourage the emergence of sectors of excellence by welcoming the best talents at the supra-regional level. (whether in French-speaking countries, English or Portuguese speakers). The world of communication and creation has, fact, an obligation which is to open a new path in which all economic actors, educational and political must flow together.
What was a constraint turns out to be an advantage : the program of the Third Meetings is impressive because, notably, internationalization facilitated by numerous videoconferences. What do you expect from this third meeting? ?
CC : The health context has propelled and will propel the third Indian Ocean Meetings from a regional scope to a global dimension. After the cancellation of its equivalent in Paris – the Rencontres de Paris – in March 2020 due to confinement, all the system initially planned in the metropolis (programme, speakers, themes and meetings at the highest level), has been added to the program of the Indian Ocean Meetings. So, young talents who will aim to work on climate advertising campaign projects have seen their number increase from 30 usually to 200. They will be from Cambodia, from Africa, of the Indian Ocean and Canada. Discussions related to media financing in the Indian Ocean have been expanded and transformed into a roundtable format. It will make it possible to list regulatory proposals on GAFA ; proposals which will be submitted to heads of state next November at the Francophonie summit in Djerba. Many experts will travel to Reunion, others will be interviewed from studios based in mainland France or elsewhere in the world. Nearly 70 speakers will be involved in this edition. Too, this edition of the Indian Ocean Meetings will open strongly to Africa, also Anglo-Saxon.
On what basis do agencies, daily, are competitors can collaborate to create what you call “a common market for communication and digital professions”. Can you clarify this notion of “common market” and provide examples of what it could bring to companies in the sector? ?
TGC : If we are competitors on a daily basis, we have common concerns. The first is to make the economic world understand that our thoughts, our know-how, our creativity and our abilities to manage projects are levers of value creation for local and regional companies and brands. The provision of services when it is intangible is difficult to value. By working for this common market, we bring all the stakeholders around the table : advertisers, the media and agencies and in general civil society. This common market is also an opportunity to exchange and present actions carried out in countries similar to our territory., with the same constraints (insularity, economic limitations, etc.). This is also an opportunity for our agencies to highlight our know-how to stakeholders in the area., to see further, and to show that our structures are adapted to developments in new markets.
CC : In view of the structuring of the sector bringing together advertising agencies in the Indian Ocean, the relationship with brands and advertisers, the grouping of media and press advertisers in the same entity will be a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the transmission of know-how, exchange of content and experience. The objective is to go beyond the island framework and go beyond the seas to increase its activity and share its knowledge and experiences..
Comments collected by Olivier Soufflet and Julie Simons (Run Concept)
