In a world saturated with discourse, where every statement impacts a brand's credibility, how can you make a strong and lasting impact? 🎯 For Orange FranceThe answer can be summed up in one word: consistency!
"Before creating something beautiful, one must create something true, ensuring the solidity of the foundation of one's arguments." claims Gaëlle Le Vu, Director of Communications and CSR at Orange France and member of Club We Are COM. 💡 Meeting with a demanding and committed communicator. Kick-off for a lesson in legitimacy and credibility right on the pitch, not just on the football field! ⚽️
Hello Gaëlle, as Director of Communications and CSR, how would you define responsible brand communication?
Responsible communication is fundamentally transparent communication. In a world dominated by fake news, brand messaging must absolutely stand out for its ethics, honesty, and accessibility. More than ever, It is necessary that what is said reflects what is done.
Beyond the rhetoric, communicating responsibly also means communicate intelligently, by controlling its environmental impact.
The brand message must absolutely stand out through its ethics, honesty, and accessibility.
Out of curiosity, how is the communications department organized in a group like yours?
The communication of the Orange group, present in 26 countries, based on a two-stage system. On the one hand, a corporate communications team carries the brand, its health, and its image on a global scale. On the other hand, more local teams They manage national communications by adapting to the specific challenges of each territory.
Internally, as well as externally, this complementary scheme, combining globality and proximityis applied.
You recently renewed your partnership with the French Football Federation. In what way is football an arena for your commitment?
Did you know that in France, football has more than 2,4 million registered players? This sport is everywhere, present throughout the country and in all levels of society. It is this universality that motivated our commitment to the FFF several years ago.
Today, Orange is committed to supporting more than 200 clubs in France, to provide close support to the greatest number of people: young people, families, amateurs, supporters…
Even though the majority of licensed players remain men, women's football is progressingWe are committed to supporting and promoting this practice. Therefore, renewing this long-standing partnership was an opportunity for us to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality. And it is in this egalitarian logic that, for the first time, our partnership includes an equal commitment to the development of women's and men's football.
The renewal of this partnership was an opportunity for us to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality.
How do you communicate about this commitment to gender equality?
Communication is primarily carried out through our brand ambassadors, these athletes from the national team who bring people together over 100 million followers, a powerful force for raising awarenessparticularly on the issue of gender parity.
In parallel, Orange is carrying out a number of hard-hitting campaigns. Do you remember that 2023 ad? A campaign powered by AI to combat prejudices related to women's footballwhich was a real success.
More recently, it is through a retrospective of 100 years of football that we have reaffirmed our feminist struggle. 100 years is both a lot and very little, because everything still remains to be built.
Building a long-term partnership based on trust means having the opportunity to speak out on topics with legitimacy, and to affect mindsets deeply and lastingly.
Building a long-term partnership based on trust means having the opportunity to speak legitimately on various topics.
What role do you want to give to the player ambassadors of your Team Orange?
Our ambassadors share a common desire to truly impact society and make good use of their public profile. Combating cyberbullying, among other things, is a very strong commitment for our sports ambassadors. Finally, They have the desire and the ability to make things happen, and we are here to help them.
More specifically, we offer them to to speak on this or that subject or participate in this or that actionIn some sectors, like eSports, our ambassadors enjoy proposing new things and creating their own content. In the world of football, this is much less common, as our athletes are desperately short on time.
At Orange, you champion an ethical, responsible, and inclusive vision of digital technology. Can you tell us about the #ForGoodConnections initiative?
While digital technology is a powerful tool for empowerment and opening up to the world, it can also pose risks: screen time, cyberbullying… At Orange, nWe are convinced that digital technology requires educational support, a true education.
The #ForGoodConnections initiative is deployed throughout the year, in football clubs, colleges and associations. To raise awareness among younger generations about the risks of the digital world, we are setting up fun workshops. Far from top-down teaching, these role-playing scenarios engage nearly 130,000 young people each year.
Once a year, a special event complements these regular meetings. Simultaneously, in different football stadiums and in the company of our ambassadors, we bring this experience to young people and partner associations. a special day focused on the proper use of digital technology.
Originally French, #ForGoodConnections is now present in nearly 25 countries across Europe and AfricaIt's pretty great to see that what we're putting in place is developing even beyond our borders.
To raise awareness among younger generations about the risks of digital technology, we are setting up fun workshops.
In your opinion, what will the communicator of tomorrow look like?
From today, The communicator must be aware of their impact on behavior. Our job is not insignificant; we shape the consumption patterns of tomorrow. Therefore, we must...to reflect on our responsibility and the role we want to play in society.
In a world where information is becoming increasingly accessible, communicators will also have to provide evidence. The correlation between words and actions is a central concern. This does not mean that communication, and its famous storytelling, cannot embellish things somewhat. But before creating something beautiful, one must create something true, ensuring the solidity of the foundation of one's arguments.
Finally, we need to put an end to this logic of unilateral messaging and to re-establish a dialogue with stakeholders. The communicator must be fundamentally attentive, always becoming more open to the feedback they receive.
Our job is not insignificant; we are shaping the consumption patterns of tomorrow.
Before we finish, do you have any final advice or best practice to share with us?
If you want to get into sponsorship, choose partners that make sense, brands that share your purpose and values. Consistency is the key to credibility.
And above all, ensure your partnerships are long-term. Trust and loyalty are also essential for your credibility.
3 things to know about Gaëlle Le Vu!
His source of inspiration? Meaning. It is by knowing why we do things that we do them with pleasure and in a good mood. Meaning is Gaëlle's driving force.which makes him want to get up every morning (before reading Le Monde).
His favorite COM campaign? A Orange advertisement from the 2000sIs the planet really going to tip over at the dawn of the new millennium? Let's take a look.
His passions and commitments? Gaëlle is passionate about reading and photography. As for her involvement, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Orange Foundation and Action Tankthat our expert continues her battles, including in her personal life.
