In an environment marked by distrust and complexity, one thing is certain: Informing is no longer enough ! 👀 More than ever, public communication must engage, provide meaning, and create the conditions for action. It must become A lever for transformation!
At We Are COMWe like to give a voice to those who take on this challenge every day. 🤓 Meet the Martin Lagane, Director of Communications and Spokesperson for theANAH – National Housing Agency. Organization, impact strategy, local presence, bold public statements: he shares with us behind the scenes of public communication that does not just inform, but seeks to transform. 🚀
Hello Martin, as Director of Communications at ANAH, how would you define public communication?
It's a communication that is being put into serving public policy to transforming political decision into beneficial action.
Its unique characteristic? To embrace the complexity of situations, in order to help citizens understand, decide and act. Private communications agencies often have the option of simplifying their messages. However, to promote public causes and avoid making false promises, our mission is often to fully and honestly present the reality of the situation. Public communication is only credible when it is honest.
At ANAH, We're not trying to say that renovation is simple, quick, or free. It's not! We are more focused on communicating the right reflexes to adopt and the solutions that exist to overcome this complexity and secure renovation processes.
Public communication is only credible when it is honest.
At We Are COM we are curious, we would like to know how the Communication Department of a national agency such as yours is organized?
Our management has evolved considerably in recent years, particularly with the creation of FranceRénov' and the MaPrimeRénov' and MaPrimeAdapt' grants.
Today, the ANAH communications department has 12 communicators and one intern, and is structured into several units. The "France Renov'" unit manages all public-facing communications, including campaigns and trade shows, as well as the management of our network. The "press and social media" unit is in charge of institutional communication and press relations. The "digital" unit manages all of the department's digital projects. Finally, we have a person in charge of the internal COM to value and unite employees.
What are the challenges for ANAH's communications team? Who are your target audiences?
First of all, and perhaps this is the most important issue, The communication must convince French households to call upon France Rénov', the public renovation service, to support and secure their renovation projects. We must also raise awareness and build brand recognition so that it becomes second nature!
At the same time, Communication contributes to the dynamism of our network. France Rénov', spread across the entire territory. It was necessary to develop a sense of belonging to this network and pride in serving the cause of home improvement through unifying events.
ANAH also communicates in a more institutional way, with local authorities and elected officials, to showcase the positive effects of housing improvements and to emphasize the importance of local engagement. This is a crucial public policy for to restore the attractiveness of the territories. We try to prove this through testimonies from the field.
Finally, regarding internal communication, we need attracting and retaining talent by valuing the meaning of our mission : to improve the quality of life of households, revitalize territories, contribute to the fight against climate change.
Proximity is therefore at the heart of your strategy. How can you effectively combine national and local communication?
Indeed, the strength of France Rénov' is to combine the power of national communication, supported by ANAH, with the local roots and hyper-proximity of our territorial network.
More specifically, our national brand, now well-known and recognized, is available in local, grassroots actions, on the ground, as close as possible to the citizensIt has become an argument for reaching and convincing households.
The coherence of this vast system depends on a co-construction between the network and communication. I am convinced that by associating local structures with our national communication strategies, a true collective intelligence can be established. Authenticity also comes from listening to what's happening on the ground.
The strength of France Rénov' is to combine the power of national communication, supported by ANAH, with the local roots and hyper-proximity of our territorial network.
So, can you tell us about your flagship initiative: the Tournée France Rénov'?
The Tournée France Rénov' is a real source of pride internally. The concept? A mobile unit, consisting of two tiny houses, which travels the roads of France to create an event in the heart of the city on renovation and to reach households that need to carry out renovation work.
The first tiny house is designed to to take the drama out of the workThrough an interactive and fun exhibition dedicated to renovation and adaptation, visitors can discover the diversity of our solutions and learn that each project is custom-built. The second tiny house invites households to create their own tiny homes. a personalized interview with one of our advisors to answer all their questions.
Our conviction is twofold. We must play the card of the network to build trust, and we can count on theexpertise Our France Rénov' advisors are there to help households choose quality projects and avoid scams.
At the same time, ANAH is using humor to try to demystify renovation work. Would you say that risk-taking is necessary in public communication?
Yes, it is necessary, essential even, for two reasons. On the one hand, undertaking a renovation can prove to be very anxiety-inducing. Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting to start any construction work! 😊 Humour remains the best way to defuse tension and overcome these reservations.
On the other hand, as a public service, we need to differentiate ourselves to have maximum impact, with limited budgets. To make ourselves heard in the face of competition, particularly from the private sector, we must therefore to take risks and dare to take a step aside in order to make a lasting impression.
How? By getting seniors to dance, for example, to promote adapting housing for loss of autonomy. Our campaign "joy of living" embraces its offbeat tone. To encourage seniors to take action, we chose to project the renewed serenity and pleasure of aging at home.
More recently, it's with a social media campaign that we took risks. To make ourselves heard in a digital space saturated with messages, we wanted – literally – to lower our voice in an ASMR video. The reason this project makes us so proud is that it could have been divisive… Ultimately, and paradoxically, We made the most noise by whispering!
In your opinion, what will be the major developments in public communication in the coming years?
First of all, Public communication will have to address the major challenge of the growing distance between citizens and politics. Faced with growing distrust, it is essential to rebuild common ground among stakeholders in society. Public communication plays a more important role than it might seem in national cohesion, access to public services, and confidence in the future.
I would add that public communication will also have to adapt to new ways of consuming information. Traditional media are no longer sufficient to be heard and seen. Today we need to turn to new territories, to go where our targets are.
Public communication plays a more important role than it seems in national cohesion, access to public services, and confidence in the future.
Before leaving, would you have any final advice for We Are COM readers?
Don't hesitate to think outside the box. That's what makes communication so powerful. Always look for the rough edges; they are the spark of humanity that makes us irreplaceable, even in the face of AI. 😊
3 things to know about Martin Lagane
His sources of inspiration? Simply doing things with enthusiasm! What motivates Martin is teamwork and the constant pursuit of innovation. In the media world, Martin is a fan of the podcast format, which allows for a more relaxed pace, conducive to reflection.
His favorite ad? This ancient awareness campaign For prostate cancer screening, featuring Michel Cymès with his trousers down. Proof that humor doesn't detract from the seriousness of a subject.
His passions ? Martin is passionate about gardening. He loves growing and harvesting what he sows. To escape the chaos of daily life and refocus on what truly matters, he follows Voltaire's teachings and cultivates his garden. 😊
Images: Freepik
