When you’re used to seeing black and white, is that all you’ll see?

O n Monday, the CMO of Canal+ and I discussed the nuances of transformation.

We talked about that moment when you’re so close to something that you tend to ignore the gradual changes that naturally occur. That it’s easy to be misled by, and to misunderstand, shadows.

I n the Havas Lofts program I expected to expand my toolkit in terms of process and communication; I did not expect to feel transformed. But that’s exactly what happened. And it’s not ending in July. This program has ignited an ambition to transform everything that I do; and to those who think that sounds ambitious, I say — qui n’avance pas, recule!

I’m going to start with this W. Edwards Deming quote that has been sitting on my desk during my stay here:

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.”

Data is the undisputed King, of course. But my approach builds on the belief that we also need to give a deep bow to the Queen: people, and sociology. Marissa Jaeckel, a lofter from Chicago, invited me to a sit-down with a strategist at her host agency Les Gaulois. We discussed that, because we are so entrenched in data/seeking to find that golden nugget of a eureka moment, it’s easy to forget to look at people. And we need to. In an industry designed to build meaningful connections, we need to look as close as we possibly can. And not from a brand perspective. From a people perspective.

I’ve been looking. And I see individuality everywhere. I see it as I look up and around me. I see it as I take in every experience…

• 47 passionate euro games.
• 27 morning runs on the Seine.
• 20 days learning by the side of my incredible Canal+ team.
• 16 one-on-one meetings with executives across departments.
• 7 status meetings across departments.
• 5 Parisian lofters from different parts of Havas/Vivendi.
• 2 incredible studio tours.
• 1 huge launch of a first-of-its-kind campaign.
• 1 huge rebrand, happening this September.

These four weeks have been challenging. They’ve pushed me, and I think I pushed them too. But I’ve learned from Cécilia Frandjian that these four weeks were the easy part: the real challenge will be making the best of it back home, she says.

It cannot all be copy and paste. We have a different culture, different expertise, and different requirements. So the tricky part is working with home-base teams to find out what can be applied and how change can happen together.

I keep going back to my observation of the french way of connectivity through purposeful disconnectivity, with this added lens of the need for a person to person approach in order to transform. What that means, and how I apply that back home, is my next chapter. As the CMO of Canal+ and I discussed, transformation is definitely not something that can be forced... so we’ll see how I do!

None of this is possible alone. Thank you for the warmest welcome Cécilia, Juliette, Sophie, Isabelle, Jordane, Audrey, Maxime, Jerome, Jocelyn, Mathieu, Alexandre, Katie, Virginie, Eugenie, Margot, Julia, Estelle, Luis & Pierre-emmanuel. Thank you for encouraging me and making it possible for me to be here Val, Gail, Anthony, Alex, Nick, Kate, Erin, Erich & Elliott. Thank you for your guidance and support Barb, Pam, McKenna, Elicia & Anne. Thank you for this brilliant program Allison & Patti. Thank you for sharing this journey with me Ziya, Marissa, Lu, Fan & Hillary.

Ceci n’est que le début!

x

Qui vivra verra! was originally published in havas lofts on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

… are you a peach, or a coconut? …

Time is moving WAY too fast. And my fantastic coach/BFF, Cécilia Frandjian, isn’t taking a single minute for granted. This week Cécilia arranged for my participation in an intercultural training workshop with Studio Canal; the purpose was to identify our cultural instincts so we can better work together.

W e talked about culture as a moving thing; a system of values/beliefs/knowledge/behaviors shared by a group of people that influences the things we pay attention to and how we react to them. We workshopped to the conclusion that, broadly, cultures are divided between implicit and explicit reactions. For example, a generalization could be that Americans are like peaches — easy going and soft to the touch, but really hard to get deep into the center. The French are like coconuts — tough to crack into, but once you do, they are overflowing toward you. The key in this workshop to remain ourselves and true to our culture while recognizing and adapting to our situations through clear intentions, messages and impact.

Cécilia also gave me and the other Paris Lofters the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of Canal+. We were able to connect with Alexandre, the Director of Programming at Canal+ news network I-Télé. This was phenomenal — Alexandre walked us through the workflow processes for running the network programming, which is not dissimilar to how we operate at Arnold. He talked about the efficiency and speed at which they operate in order to control reprogramming and breaking news.

“To be perfect,” he said, “everyone needs to know what they need to do, and how to do it. No questions.”

H e demonstrated in real-time that the level of top-secret-intelligence and think-on-your-feet reactions all boils down to liability and control; he’s a DJ with a playlist and the music can’t stop. Speaking of music… the tune is a little different here (see what I did there?). One of my goals in this program was to explore how Canal+ adapts itself to consumers; creating work that pushes comfort levels, and is buzz-worthy and connective. Cécilia is making sure I have access to projects to meet this objective, and one project in particular is really shedding light on this for me…

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 & THE TOPIC OF ADULT CONTENT (PORN) IS OFFENSIVE TO YOU!!!!

I n France, adult content is THE most innovative industry. Canal+ has the best adult content offers, but while “sex sells,” sex is hard to sell. It is easily pirated, and often free online. How can Canal+ and its partners sell porn packages in this environment?

Last Friday I attended a conference with Dorcel, the leader in the porn industry. They walked through different marketing tactics, which they execute with a small team and small media dollars. One case they presented was the #handsoff campaign, where they provided free access to their entire library under one condition: hands must remain on the keyboard. This very quickly became talked about on social channels — and then consumers became very innovative with how to trick the keyboard to know their hands were still there. It won two Lions.

Ok. So we have THE most innovative industry (ahem, porn), and THE best offers (Canal+). And people are talking. So Canal+ decided it was time to do something risky and become the first ever non-porn producer to advertise its porn offerings. The campaign is centered on the idea that “there’s something missing in porn without Canal+.”

This was a huge effort, and I was able to participate in the final stages from the Client perspective; legal presentations, final approvals, launch and press. While the subject is a bit different than the subjects I work on at the moment (home & auto insurance), the central idea is the same, and approached in the same way that my team operates — keep your eyes and ears open, want to be the first to think differently about a topic, band together as a team, and give it your all. Do not EVER go halfway.

Work, environment, people and processes — these 3 weeks have been incredible, and incredibly jam-packed. I can’t believe next week is our last — C’est naze!

x

C’est parfait! was originally published in havas lofts on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If I had a croissant for every attempt to articulate the distinction between “the French” and “the American”…!

This is what I was sent here to investigate: the differences in cultural and business methods across global Havas / Vivendi networks in order to effectively contribute to our continual agency optimization model. 9 days in, I do not have an “answer,” but a hypothesis I’m sketching based on observations thus far.

HYPOTHESIS: seamless connectivity through purposeful “disconnectivity.”

Canal+ is the leading French media company, and their offering is unlike any other media company in the world — I see it as a cocktail of Comcast, HBO, Netflix and Hulu, with the added-bonus of YouTube series and a really solid production company for major international feature films (NBD). Needless to say, this group knows how to operate, and that trickles down into everything they do here — it’s almost like Manhattan’s grid-like transportation structure (…if that structure expanded into sky and sea!). They are everywhere at all times. They are vigilant. And yet, they are so casual.

It’s like I’m inside a VR experience, where everything is orchestrated to be just so. UX is at the heart of everything they do at Canal+ in order to deliver consumers “all the best in one place” — literally, they promise that, and legal is ok with it because they deliver on it. They are UX experts in their business, and in their internal organization. Because the UX is so succinct organizationally, they are able to adopt a casual approach.

I would describe the culture as “self-nourishing”:

• There is a gym at the office, where the team plays badminton during lunch on Thursdays and takes a workout class either during the day or after work (or both!).
• There is a cafeteria with multiple mini-restaurants where they sit down to eat, and there is always room for dessert and time for a coffee.
• There is a roofdeck for cigarette breaks and conversation.
• They find each other by the fountain and begin solving problems outside the confines of a scheduled meeting.

They’re not running from meeting to meeting try to find enough hours in the day to get work done. Yet everything gets done.

On my first day, I was told that this is “an oral company,” and that I should not mistake this for “wasting time.” At the coffee maker, over lunch, over drinks — this is how they solve problems.

I didn’t fully understand this notion until this week. There is a weekly in-person status meeting for Client, Agency and Media leads. They start at 9:30 and go “until lunch.” This happens at the agency. They don’t run through status like a check list of items to be done and followed-up on later. They use the time to discuss and analyze every little piece, and don’t move on until there is alignment. This sounds exhausting, I know. And maybe like a bit of a time suck. But it wasn’t. It was really helpful for everyone.

“Personal relationships are how things work in France,” I was told. When I heard this, I thought, well, of course! That’s how things work in America too. Then I realized that our definition of personal relationships is different.

One of my colleagues said that this weekly in-person meeting is critical for them to ensure that their emotions are being fully understood. Heated debate, disagreements, laughter — it was the most productive 4 hour meeting… And they do it every week.

I’m doing a lot of describing of “the French,” as I’m observing it, and less of a comparison between that and how we operate in America. I think the full comparison will have to come after I’m back at Arnold and can evaluate the experience from a home-base perspective. Is it different? Absolutely. Things we can learn from each other? 100%. What does it all mean? I’m not sure yet. But, as these pieces come together, I’m reminded of this quote from Parisian “expert” Caroline de Maigret:

“I’m always surprised how guilty [Americans] feel not to be perfect. It must be hard to live every day.”

The Parisian attitude seems to just be what-it-is. They care about themselves. They take their full lunch, their full 7 weeks vacation, their full weekends to explore the world around them. They don’t seem to be working to carve out time, because I don’t think time isn’t an elusive thing for them; it’s theirs, good or bad. I’m adopting this attitude while I’m here; I’m running to museums after a work day, I’m taking cooking classes on Saturday mornings and dining at nice restaurants because I’m here and I’m seizing the day.

Okay, okay… I said I wouldn’t do a comparison yet, but there is one comparison I can say with confidence at this stage in the game, and that is the power of team. My team back in Boston is incredible — every time we talk they ask how I’m doing and what I’m learning, always without even a wince at all the extra work they’re handling for me so I can be here. My team here in Paris is so welcoming — they invite me to everything, and really make sure I understand the projects we’re working on, despite the language barrier. The power of people building people up, no matter your culture, seems ever-present in the Havas / Vivendi groups. And that’s what makes us truly successful.

Jusqu’à la semaine prochaine! x

Je ne sais quoi! was originally published in havas lofts on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Oh, Paris, you are beautiful! I only wish I spoke your language better so I didn’t get lost all the time…

After navigating the streets, gardens, and Seine (yes, the Seine is overflowing into sidewalks), I made it to Canal+ for day 1 of my Havas Lofts adventure. I was nervous, excited, and a little upset about being late and covered in mud. I was greeted by the kind Juliette, who laughed off my mud and tardiness, saying things can only go up from here.

“You can live your life only one of two ways,” she said, “rigid, or flexible. I choose to be flexible.”

During my HR download with Juliette, I started to think: Havas Lofts, you are a sly little fox. I didn’t ask too many questions about my placement at Canal+ — we all know the incredible, award-winning work they do with BETC. Pushing creative boundaries to sell something that people need, but don’t need? Sign me up!

But then you surprised me, Havas Lofts. Within the Canal+ Marketing group, you didn’t place me in the Communications team, who works directly with BETC to create advertising campaigns. No, you placed me in the Offerings team, which organizes Acquisition and Retention programs through Product Offerings. On my first day, my team walked me through the research, testing, and strategy development for creating new offerings for consumers. I can’t write too much about the exact work we’re doing, but it involves marketing plans on a large scale — targeted digital campaigns and brand optimization — all rooted in, and led by, the Offerings team.

Ah, Havas Lofts. You are brilliant!! This perspective is something I never could have had access to without you. This experience will be invaluable to me as a marketer. While I still don’t think I’ll ever “be a Client,” this inside scoop is the absolute best way for me to really dig in and understand the mentality and process. My team is absolutely incredible — I already know it is going to be so hard to say goodbye.

You are also really nice, Havas Lofts! I am staying at an apartment building with another Lofter from Boston’s Havas Media, and we have had the best time exploring the arondissimonts and sipping wine by the river like locals. I’m also so grateful to have Aurore (my lofter from November) nearby — she takes such good care of me.

Je suis sous le charme — looking forward to the next three weeks!

x

Ça roule! was originally published in havas lofts on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.