Brand/Advertiser: AIDES (one of the largest European community-based organizations against HIV/AIDS) for AIDS awareness in FRANCE. Winner, Cannes Lions 2005 Gold Medal Winner on AIDS AWARENESS in the Public Health & Safety Category
Execution: TV in France
Link: Click Here then click onto HiRes or LowRes links below the image of girl in window
Target: Young, single French females
Reviewer: Eva Lind-Mallo (more about Eva here)
Rating: ****

Description/Synopsis: As a little girl grows into beautiful young woman, she discovers that love isn’t always easy. After a series of dating catastrophes, she finally meets the man of her dreams. TAGLINE: Live long enough to find the right one. Protect yourself. (Protégez-vous.)

What Works:
Are French films to Hollywood films, what French advertising is to world advertising…a genre for the elite where there is often no storybook ending and you’re left wondering what just happened? Perhaps, but in this case, the French have laid out a message, which is directed at a specific audience, delivered in a clear and non-prudish manner and offers an unambiguous call to action.

As marketers, our job is to:

1) Identify target audience/markets (in this case, young, single French females) that will buy into a product or support an idea (here, HIV/AIDS prevention)

2) Capture the target’s attention (a mini-film in the ad time allotted for “Publicité” on French TV that, as opposed to lecturing, weaves a complete story and hooks the viewer)

3) Systematically work towards getting the target audience to accept concepts or propositions offered (yes, you will likely go through many frogs before you meet your Prince Charming)

4) Converts audience into taking desired action (protecting yourself against HIV/AIDS until you meet the “right one”)

What Doesn’t:
Using persuasive appeals, both logical and emotional, this piece is a form of propaganda and is trying to propagate a philosophy or point-of-view which one may not want to embrace.

As opposed to merely communicating the facts about HIV/AIDS here propaganda is being played to garner support of a certain position. As opposed to just selling a product or service, here we are delivering a message that attempts to shape opinion over individual behavior (beyond choosing widget or service A over B). Much marketing strives to deliberately evoke a strong emotion, and here we are utilizing propaganda to suggest relationships between concepts (protect yourself through the frogs, the Prince will come, you’ll live happily ever after…). And what if our target doesn’t want to find a prince? This message is clearly intended to encourage or discourage certain forms of behavior and plainly sells traditional marriage as an end goal.

Branding Bottom Line:
HIV/AIDS awareness in Europe is often about raising consciousness about the plight on other continents, namely Africa. There is a bit of sappy storytelling involved here (the girl meets boy of dreams) but I’m sure the trial and error path she took to get there wouldn’t make it onto a PSA in the United States! Knowing the target audience is unlikely to buy into an abstinence-only message, the ad gets the message right by latching into the target’s mindset and outlining what’s in it for her with a clear call to action (protect yourself for the “right one”).

Epic-length (220 seconds!) but cogent and relatable storyline that zeros in on target audience in well-executed spot.