The mini trade fairs of the Communication We Are COM X ISCOM, present the daily life of communicators: their challenges and their successes. 🤓 We decipher the sectors of international communication, from global to local, in this episode 25!
Expert opinion
For this mini-fair of the communication professions, we are lucky to receive two experts, on the side advertiser : Charles Richer is Head of social media strategy at RedBull and Azul Diaz is Global sustainability project manager at Lancôme (L'Oréal Group).
To begin with, what is your definition of international communication?
Azul Diaz: It is not easy to have to define such a complex domain. 😊 If I had to summarize, I would say that international communication consists of getting a brand message across to a whole set of targets, adapting to the specificities of each of them. To address in a relevant way to public, on an international scale, you have to master the local subtleties.
Charles Richer: Indeed, doing international communication, it is to think about a strategy at the global level, to finally adapt it to the local. For this, it is essential to know the hearings and their expectations, which vary according to countries, regions, cultures, centers of interest, etc.
#1 – Why did you choose the field of communication? What was your course ?
CR : Already very young, the communication campaigns appealed to me, the television commercials, but also the videos digital which were beginning to hatch. This is why, initially, I turned to the web and digital. I started my studies with a DUT, which allowed me to discover all the professions in the sector: development, creation, production, marketing, communication... And it is the COM, which naturally imposed itself on me, with always an appetite for digital marketing. To complete my training in communication, I then joined ISCOM, then Panthéon Assas.
AD : My background is a bit different, because I did not choose the COM, it is rather the COM that chose me. 😊 When I left high school, I took a double degree in design and international relations, areas that I mistakenly thought were far removed from communication, when in fact they are an integral part of it.
After an international career, I took a gap year, which led me to work in contemporary art in France. I was sort of a communications project manager, and I realized that I loved this job, combining creativity and strategic business. Also, after my gap year, I also joined ISCOM.
#2 – Why and for whom will you advise international communication?
AD : Communication is a universe that has so many different areas of expertise. I joined L'Oréal as a make-up project manager, whereas today I work more in the CSR branch of communication. Must therefore be extremely curious and dynamic, not be afraid to explore new subjects, new horizons. A communicator must be able to draw inspiration from everything and touch everything.
International communication, in particular, requires a great openness to the world. We must put aside all our prejudices and relearn what local realities are all over the world.
CR : Absolutely, international communication requires a lot of open-mindedness. This discipline allows take height. All subjects are thought in global mode, while requiring local adaptability. And how to adapt to the various local specificities? By studying lifestyles, cultural codes, consumption habits, etc. This global reflection is very interesting, it brings, it seems to me, a lot of humility.
I am also convinced that a good communicator must be curious about everything and have a thirst for learning every day, because doing communication means knowing how to juggle between multiple areas of expertise.
#3 – What stimulates you the most in your sector?
CR : At Red Bull, we sell energy cans. However, I only work very little on this part. I am more in charge of what is internally called “brand love”. In other words, I create content around the events and experiences that we develop in partnership with athletes and artists. It is this diversity of projects, encounters, audiences and challenges that I find extremely stimulating.
In one day, I can go from the world of skateboarding to that of dancing or cycling, to end up on a hip-hop project. We constantly need to learn, understand and explore new areas.
The same goes for Social Media and their uses evolving at breakneck speed. The algorithms of today will not be those of tomorrow. Once again, humility and curiosity are appropriate.
In short, what stimulates me the most in my sector islearn and try new things every day.
AD : innovation and change. We have the chance to exercise a job that is extremely linked to the contemporary world, which is based on the reality of people's lives, and which therefore changes constantly.
It's up to us to offer consumers new ways of life, new experiences, impactful messages... Communication is a world of creation, which makes every day interesting.
#4 – On a daily basis, what are your missions and challenges?
AD : On a daily basis, I support the brand on international CSR issues. How to meet the ambitions of the Lancôme brand, those of the L'Oréal group, and more broadly the expectations of all consumers, to transform the company in a more responsible way?
Which means that one day, I can work with the care marketing team on a product creation strategy, and the next day I can help speak out about our commitments, internationally. Every day is a new adventure.
C.R : My daily challenge? That people stop scrolling on social networks, to dwell on what I want to show them. 😊 Social media requires a lot of strategic thinking ahead of any action. How to communicate? From whom ? What social network? At what moment ? Once this basic work has been done, we need to produce content, tell great stories that appeal to our audiences.
And when I talk about upstream work, we are already thinking about our strategies for next year. Anticipation is essential in social media.
#5 – @Azul, how to adapt to several time zones?
AD : When you work in an international group, whose teams are all over the world, you have to know how to make compromises. To participate in some meetings with Asia, we start a little earlier than usual, and vice versa for California.
#6 – Can you tell us about your pride? Do you have any projects to share with us?
GIVES : Lancôme has just acquired a 12-hectare estate in Grasse, in the south of France, a city famous for its perfumes. The idea is to become master of the entire value chain of our products, to be able to grow our own flowers and extract the aromas ourselves. But how to communicate on this very local project on an international scale? How to capitalize on these actions all over the world?
To bring this place to life with audiences who will never visit it, we offer tours in virtual reality. We also want to make it known through the metaverse. It is fascinating to see that, thanks to new technologies, the local can now become global. The potentials ofclient experience keep on increasing.
#7 – In your opinion, how will communication evolve in the years to come?
AD : Exactly, communication will evolve with these new technologies, which will impact the messages, both in substance and in form. New platforms are already changing the way we communicate. TikTok, for example, has democratized content creation. It seems to me that many things will become possible in the years to come, especially with artificial intelligence.
I would add that these changes in communication will also influence consumer expectations. I think that the latter will need more reassurance, in a world where new technologies could isolate communities.
CR : Communication has always evolved and will always evolve. Social networks have changed the way we communicate and AI will change them again. I think in the years to come, the real change will be in the message. Every day, we are confronted with multitudes of messages, requests are now everywhere and on all media. We no longer have time to understand and memorize them.
That is why, more than ever, meaning becomes essential. The free post will go away in favor of real background information and relevant stories.
#8 – Finally, do you have any last advice for future communicators?
CR : Be fundamentally curious, look at everything that is being done, and not only in communication, for that matter. Take an interest in artists and athletes, for example, they have become real communicators, who master social media and know how to make themselves visible in an original way. So watch constantly and without limit. A good idea never comes from nowhere, it results from all the inspirations you may have taken.
And be open minded, learn to gain height. To understand the expectations of your targets, you must put yourself in their shoes, not think like a simple communicator, but think like them.
AD : Yes really, curiosity is key. I would add thatyou have to dare. A good communication campaign always comes from someone who has dared to share their idea, dared to insist and argue. It is by daring that we make things happen, that we innovate and that we stand out.
Case studies of local and international communication
And to go further in our overview of international communication professions, let's take a look back at some of the We Are COM team's favorite campaigns! 😎
