WE, THE LOVER

TitleWE, THE LOVER
BrandSANTÉ PUBLIQUE FRANCE
Product/ServiceSEXUAL HEALTH
Category A06. Not-for-profit / Charity / Government
Entrant BABEL Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation BABEL Paris, FRANCE
Production CAVIAR Paris, FRANCE
Post Production FIRM STUDIO Paris, FRANCE
Post Production 2 CIRCONFLEX Paris, FRANCE
Credits
Name Company Position
LAURENT NUYEN BABEL CREATIVE DIRECTOR
JEAN-LAURENT PY BABEL CREATIVE DIRECTOR
LOUIS GRZESKOWIAK BABEL ART DIRECTOR
CEDRIC HAMELIN BABEL COPYWRITER
JEANNE HALFON BABEL Head of TV prod
ORIANA BERZIG BABEL AGENCY PRODUCER
ERIC ZAJDERMANN BABEL PARTNER
NICOLAS KABASSAKALIS BABEL BRAND DIRECTOR
HAPSA DIA BABEL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
LAURA DELBOURGO BABEL BRAND MANAGER
COLINE MOREAU BABEL BRAND MANAGER
JULIE ESPALIOUX BABEL PARTNER
CELINE MOUQUET BABEL HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA
LUCY LUSCOMBE CAVIAR DIRECTOR
MACIEK POZOGA FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
CLAUDINE TANGUY SANTÉ PUBLIQUE FRANCE Head of Prevention and Health Promotion Department
NATHALIE LYDIÉ SANTÉ PUBLIQUE FRANCE Head of Sexual Health Unit
LUCILE BLUZAT SANTÉ PUBLIQUE FRANCE Communication manager
NICOLAS ETIEN SANTÉ PUBLIQUE FRANCE Communication manager

Why is this work relevant for PR?

This campaign aims to implement structural change within society, hence the need to introduce an earned PR approach to touch the general public. Indeed, rather than focusing on a classic PR campaign we chose to pull the thread of acceptance thanks to the song “We, the lovers”. Indeed, we decided to use it as a PR tool and an anthem during May 17th, the international day against homophobia. Our PR strategy focused on our partnership with The Voice, gave another dimension to our creative campaign and addressed the issue of acceptance through music. The personal story of the singer and

Background

This PR campaign is based on the creative concept to solve a social and a public health matter surrounding the rejection of the LGBTQ+ community by promoting acceptance. To do so, we created a film and prints that both show representativness acceptance of LGBTQ people. The original music of the film, “We the lovers”, has a particular place in this campaign as its lyrics and singer's personal story carry a moving message. Indeed, Jean-Claude Pascal won the 1961 Eurovision by singing “We the lovers”, but at the time, no one knew the true meaning of its lyrics. This song was actually about a hidden homosexual love story that Jean-Claude Pascal was living at the time. It is through this song that the PR strategy was made, as a way to pull the thread of the urge to accept all types of sexual orientations and genders.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Often in campaigns against LGBT discrimination, the approach is to show the violence it can cause. However, in order to encourage structural change and ensure its perenance, we decided to change the perspective. Rather than being in an accusing posture, we have chosen to encourage change through kindness and empathy. We talk about acceptance in an accessible and inclusive manner without judgment. The best way to do so is to move people with common emotions such as love in a film - “We the lovers”, tenderness in prints and compassion in our series of podcasts. The creative idea is carried with a baseline that includes and encourages the public to make a change without shaming it : In the face of intolerance, we can all make the difference”.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

The song of the film “We the lovers” which won the 1961 Eurovision has been used as an anthem of the entire campaign including the PR strategy. The lyrics tells the story of a forbidden love that directly echoes the personal story of its author Jean-Claude Pascal, who had to hide his homosexuality. That is why we used it in the PR campaign to reach the general public. For this purpose, we chose to introduce the campaign message in one of the country's biggest music TV shows: The Voice. Behind the implementation of a special showcase around love on May 17, international day against homophobia and date of release of the campaign, we highlighted the song "We the lovers". It was interpreted by candidates as well as other songs about love and acceptance of differences. The tv host promoted during the entire show our campaign and its messages.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

The Voice was our best option in terms of visibility and reach among all music TV shows in France. This season was the most watched of all: 5.4 million viewers. We could therefore benefit from a strong echo. Plus, the production was enthusiastic about our campaign. This led to the creation of a unique showcase on the theme of love and acceptance, few days after the finale, on the International Day against Homophobia. All participants did it for free and announced the event on their social media. During the showcase, which was broadcast live on all social platforms of The Voice, the host, Nikos Aliagas promoted the campaign. The song "We the Lovers" was reinterpreted by the Voice candidates - 3 of whom were personally affected by the subject. Before each song, they gave personal testimonies about their relationship with the cause and their willingness to support it.

List the results (30% of vote)

As we are reaching structural changes within society, it is hard to quantify in the short term the concrete impact of the showcase and more broadly the campaign. Nonetheless, it was a unique event that gathered different types of sectors : entertainment and a health institution. It shows how a creative idea can be amplified in PR to convey a public health message. Still, the first numbers surrounding the campaign’s release are showing a great success : 60 press coverage on the day of the campaign's release 350 000 views of Santé publique France posts related to the campaign and the showcase 50 000 views of the showcase on the Voice platforms (in total) An engagement rate of 6% In addition, according to Santé publique France campaign’s post-tests “60% of the people surveyed said they were encouraged to take action against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender thanks to this campaign”.