Context of Advertising-Culture-Franc

French Culture: Customs & Traditions

Most people associate French culture with Paris, which is a centre of fashion, cuisine, art and architecture, but life outside of the City of Lights is very different and varies by region. Historically, the French culture was influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures as well as the Franks, a Germanic tribe. France was initially defined as the western area of Germany known as Rhineland but it later came to refer to a territory that was known as Gaul during the Iron Age and Roman era.

While vast differences separate metropolitan and urban areas, over the past 200 years wars — the Franco-Prussian War, World War I and World War II in particular — have been unifying forces.

Languages of France

French is the dominant language of the country’s 65.4 million residents, but there are a number of variants based on region. French, the official language, is the first language of 88 percent of the population and is typically the second language of those who speak another language.

About 3 percent of the population speak German dialects, predominantly in the eastern provinces, and there is a small group of Flemish speakers in the northeast. Arabic is the third-largest minority language.

Those living near the border with Italy typically speak Italian as a second language, and Basque is spoken by people living along the French-Spanish border.

Other dialects and languages include Catalan, Breton (the Celtic language), Occitan dialects, and languages from the former French colonies, including Kabyle and Antillean Creole.

Religions of France

Catholicism is the predominant religion of France — about 80 percent identify themselves as Catholic — but the country is fairly secular and the vast majority of those who affiliate themselves with the religion do not attend mass regularly. Other main religions include Islam, practiced primarily by immigrants from North Africa, Protestantism and Judaism.

Values of the French People

The French take immense great pride in their nation and government and are typically offended by any negative comments about their country. Visitors, particularly Americans, often interpret their attitude toward foreigners as rude.

The expression "chauvinism" originated in France and while women are playing a greater role in family life and business, many still see it as a male-dominated culture.

The French embody romance and passion, and there is an open attitude toward sex outside of marriage. Even the country’s top politicians have been known to carry out extramarital affairs without making an effort to conceal them. As a reflection of the country’s secular nature, about half of children are born to unmarried couples.

The French embrace style and sophistication and take pride in the fact that even their public spaces strike a regal tone.

The French believe in "égalité," which means equality, and is part of the country’s motto: "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité." Many say they place a higher importance on equality than liberty and fraternity, the other two words in the motto.

French cuisine

Food and wine are central to life at all socioeconomic levels, and much socializing is done around lengthy dinners.

Bread is central to any meal, and it is commonplace to see long, crusty baguettes being carried home. Cheese is also an essential part of any French meal.

While cooking styles have changed to emphasize lighter fare, many still associate French cooking with heavy sauces and complicated preparation. Some classic French dishes include boeuf bourguignon — a stew made of beef braised in red wine, beef broth and seasoned with garlic, onions and mushrooms — and coq au vin, a dish made with chicken, Burgundy wine, lardons (small strips or cubes of pork fat), button mushrooms, onions and optional garlic.

French clothing

Paris is known as the home to many high-end fashion houses; the French people are known for their understated elegance in clothing.

Many French people dress in a sophisticated, professional and fashionable style, but it is not overly fussy. Typical outfits include nice dresses, suits, long coats, scarves and berets.

French art

Art is everywhere in France — particularly in Paris and other major cities — and Gothic, Romanesque Rococo and Neoclassic influences can be seen in many churches and other public buildings.

Many of history’s most renowned artists, including Spaniard Pablo Picasso and Dutch-born Vincent van Gogh, sought inspiration in Paris, and they gave rise to the Impressionism movement.

The Louvre Museum in Paris is among the world’s largest museums and is home to many famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. 

Holidays and celebrations

The French celebrate the traditional Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter. They mark May Day, also known as Labor Day, on May 1. Victory in Europe Day on May 8 commemorates the end of hostilities in Europe in World War II. Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14, the day the Bastille fortress in Paris was stormed by revolutionaries to start the French Revolution.

Four defining characteristics of french advertising

American advertising is designed to inform and persuade. French advertising is designed to seduce. To understand French advertising, you must understand this fundamental difference.

In a 1993 study of French advertising creative directors, four characteristics emerged from a series of qualitative interviews that describe the essence of the French approach to advertising. The four charactertistics are : la séduction, le spectacle, l'amour, and l'humour.

La séduction: The French verb "seduire" does not always carry the same connotation as the English word "seduce." One meaning of "seduire" is to "lure to sexual intercourse," but more commonly it means to tempt, to fascinate, to attract, to charm, or to entice. A good French advertisement is one that tempts the consumer with its offering.

Le spectacle: "Spectacle" incorporates the meanings of sight, an attraction, a show, a play, a story, a lavish production, high production values. A good French ad is one that has the drama, the entertainment value, the production values, and the excitment of the theatre.

L'amour: Romance and innuendo are integral parts of French culture and as such form an integral part of French advertising. A slogan such as "the coffee of desire" (un café nommé désir) brings together two cultural expectations for advertising: (1) romantic notions should be expressed or alluded to whenever possible and (2) advertising should not focus on product functions.

L'humour: Humor is central to French advertising. It may take the form of ribald approaches that may be shocking to Americans or the humor expressed in the playful use of words and amusing associations.

Some Examples of French Advertising

This ad for Levi's loose fitting jeans incoporates concepts of seduction, romantic story, and humor.  

This athletic shoe ad demonstrates elements of seduction and humor.

Translation: "I feel naked without them."

This ad for Bordeaux wine incorporates a visual pun, play on words, humor, and romantic notion.

  

Mood Board of French Culture

Image Surfing

Proposition-Bring Cadbury's into popular French designs/posters from the past with a twist. using the same style of type/print and other techniques to show the cadbury's products in the designs

These show classic french advertisements, and below is some information about them. For my final pieces of work I want to incorporate the cadbury bar into these classic adverts.

In the late nineteenth century, 'Le Chat Noir' was a Parisian cabaret located in the risqué arrondissement of Montmartre. 'The Black Cat' was a fitting name for such a locale, conjuring up as it does images of black magic and witches, and was probably influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name, published in 1847.

Perhaps the most timeless and recognizable image associated with absinthe is the extraordinary poster for Absinthe Robette which was created by Belgian posterist Henri Privat-Livemont in 1896. Elegantly composed, it features a beautiful woman in a sheer gown elevating a glass of absinthe in admiration and wonder. The traditional implements of a perforated absinthe spoon and a sugar cube rest on top of the Yvonne glass. Note that the sugar cube is very large, as most sugar cubes were during this time period. Also note how the absinthe spoon has a slight hook at the tip. While not common, some absinthe spoons were designed this way in order to hold the spoon onto the rim more securely.

Beyond the sheer beauty of this poster, what is of note to absinthe enthusiasts is the brand name of Absinthe Robette. This poster was extremely well-known during its initial run, and has been reproduced countless times in the 100+ years since then, but to date, a bottle of Absinthe Robette has never been found to exist, despite numerous bottles of other brands such as Pernod Fils and Edouard Pernod having been discovered in old bars, upstairs attics and hidden caches over the years. Very little is known about Absinthe Robette in fact, except that it was a Belgian brand of absinthe (of which there were few) and that it was a verte. And yet the brand lives on in name forever, associated with the most iconic absinthe poster of all time.

Dear readers, if you happen to stumble upon a bottle of this undoubtedly fine refreshment, please get in touch with me immediately! I will be more than happy to help you carefully dispose of the contents, one sip at a time.

There are not many people out there who don’t appreciate the classic french posters that seem to pop up on so many of our walls.  I’ve tried to pick a few alternate choice for this post and steer clear of the more well known ones we all know.  Of course I have thrown in a few old movie posters that caught my eye.  The artwork on most (maybe not all!) of the old movie posters shows real artistry, real painters & designers who have inspired generations.  Incidentally most of the movies I’ve included feature Humphrey Bogart on them, another of the all time greats!

Poster Printing
"In 1878, a German named Alloys Senefelder created the printing method known as lithography from the word "lithos" or stone. The ink is carried on a flat surface rather than on raised edges or in incised lines. It was not until the mid-1800's, however that the lithographic process would be perfected. It was Cheret who would refine the lithographic printing technique and master the creation of colour lithography.

In early lithographic posters, the artist or an assistant would draw the image desired onto a slab of limestone using a grease crayon (It should be noted that most posters were actually drawn on the stone or plate by a master lithographer, other than the artist, from preliminary studies, with the artist's approval and guidance).

However, most people do not realize what a cumbersome exacting process stone lithography really was. It had major drawbacks. The limestone was most often Bavarian limestone which was heavy, fragile and expensive. In addition, a separate stone was needed for each different colour of the poster. Sometimes as many as nine or ten stones were used! When the printing run was completed, often the stones were ground down to the first image and then used again for another poster.

After the ink was applied to the stone, the paper was laid on the stone, a metal backing was laid down on top, and the entire stone passed on runners under a wooden bar called a scraper, which applied pressure to lift the ink from the stone to the paper. The process had to be repeated for each colour.

Commercial printers started using roughened zinc (plates) instead of the limestone, and they were called "lithographs." ("les Maitres de l'Affiche")are lithographs printed in this manner) The distinctive feature about most lithographs (original posters) is the evenness with which the ink is applied to the paper. Under a magnifying glass one can see that the colours are evenly distributed, and it is one method of identifying a poster as a lithograph (rather than a recently printed photo offset reproduction of a lithograph which has a visible fine dot screen).

What would happen to dramatically change the way in which posters were created and printed was the advent of photography in printing. They became known as photolithographs (or photo offset, or simply offset), and it is the printing process most commonly used by commercial printers today (with digital printing becoming the next level). Most commercial (advertising) posters since World War II are photolithographs, while most posters done before World War II are lithographs. Posters which are printed by stone or zinc (plate) lithography will always be more valuable than those produced by photographic means." (Fusco pp.31-34)

The Subjects
"The Industrial Revolution in full swing, once basic consumer need's were covered, marketers found it profitable to create new needs, ones consumer's never knew they had. Posters were an ideal way to educate consumers about what they should want.
To convince consumers that fashion, status and convenience were as valid reasons to buy as necessity, marketing experts soon discovered the persuasive technique of showing products being enjoyed by beautiful people in beautiful settings. Pretty women soon smiled out of billboards selling everything imaginable (from gas lighting, laundry soap, medicine, cigarettes, bicycles, cookies, travel destinations, stores, art exhibitions, magazines, to wine and beer).

Posters for alcoholic beverages provide a good example of art leading the way to break a taboo. In the 19th century, drinking by women was regarded with scorn. As a result liquor ads were addressed almost exclusively to men. Knowing how persuasive men find a pretty face (and a good figure), the posterists put women in liquor posters and showed them not only praising the product but actually sampling it (such as Dubonnet, Vin Mariani, Absinthe Robette, and Mumm Champagne).

With more money and leisure time, the urban population reached out for intellectual and spiritual experiences. Now better educated, people acquired an appreciation of culture, art, and literature. As the posters for publications attest, there was a hunger for books, newspapers and magazines that brought the outside world to the reader as never before (such as Harper's, Lippincott's, Le Journal, Pan, Gil Blas, Le Rire,
and La Revue Blanche)." (Gold)

With the debut of Sarah Bernhardt, and the poster that immortalized her (PL. 27), other female stars emerged, and graced the most beautiful posters ever created. Striking images of Yvette Guibert, Eugenie Buffet, Camille Stefani, Jane Avril, La Goulue, and Loie Fuller are not easily forgotten.

Ideas-

• Recreate Classic Poster
• Place Cadbury products into posters (using original image)
• Use Print style to create posters 

This shows a quick mess around on photoshop to see what the product could look like in the old style poster

References

http://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html

Taylor, Ronald E., Hoy, Mariea, and Haley, Eric. "How French Advertising Professionals Develop Creative Strategies, Journal of Advertising25(Spring 1996)1-14.