Power to the Local

Mobile phone operator Bouygues Telecom launches a charm campaign on Instagram “by the French for the French”, while SCOR opens the door to its offices (all 37 of them) for us to see.

Bouygues Telecom Bets on Home Team

Have you ever been on a trip — strolling down the streets of a foreign town, phone in your hands, ready to capture the exquisite uniqueness of the place — to end up realizing you’re mostly surrounded by non-locals? And worst, you also realized the pictures you just posted on Instagram look exactly the same as hundred others?

© Loïc Julien - Gard - Aigueze

It’s the same with commercial photography. We’re often presented with the same landmarks, thinking that because they’re so well known, people will relate to them. But at some point, it just doesn’t feel real anymore to see too much of the same. Fortunately, some brands have found a way out, and to engage with its audience better, they decided to shoot locally by locals for locals.

© Loïc Julien - Isère - Venon

#Vill4Ge 

Bouygues Telecom can pride itself to be France largest operator in rural regions. And when they realized sparsely populated areas suffer from weak access to Internet services, they decided to take action. The company recently installed 4G across the countryside, thus bringing isolated communities up to speed, and closer together. With these humanist values in mind, they collaborated with Ooshot to create a campaign based on honesty and veracity. Something that real people could relate to in their actual lives.

© Francesco Carovillano - Belfort

Local communities take the lead

It was decided to feature the bucolic charm of rural France, including remote villages from 40 different departments such as Somme, Vosges and Maine-et-Loire. And who better placed to frame their beauty than local photographers? Fifteen talents were thus selected, mainly based on their artistic sensibility to the subject, to render the soul of France’s countryside, and its people. This creative framework was stunningly illustrated by our skillful artists who produced touching and appealing content cast in a ravishing, yet realistic backcountry setting.

© Francesco Carovillano - Oise - Frocourt

#SuccessStory

The brand also pushed the concept forward allowing the audience to post their own pictures on Instagram through its User Generated Content. And thanks to Lolywood Collective, they launched an online contest for “France Most Beautiful Instagram Vill4Ge”, which added an extra touch of humanity and humor to the project, and compelled the audience to participate. Judging by the high number of likes Bouygues Telecom’s campaign received on Instagram, we can say undoubtedly that investing in local communities drives result. Good job, locals!

SCOR Opens Up

SCOR is the fourth largest reinsurer in the world with offices around the globe. When it comes to advertising, being such a giant can prove beneficial, but it’s also a double-edged sword. Huge structures can sometimes feel impersonal and people are more inclined to trust a company with a human face. SCOR has always been a corporate, employer brand, this is why they chose to shoot their facilities around the world and show everyone what they’re concretely made of.

SCOR is diverse in many ways. Not only they offer various innovative services for its clients, they're also based in 37 different cities around the world. And because we find it so impressive, we had to share it with you.

© Ryan Linnegar - Scor - Sydney

SCOR’s Offices

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Beijing, China – Bogota, Colombia – Brussels, Belgium – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Charlotte, USA – Chicago, USA – Cologne, Germany – Dublin, Ireland – Hong Kong, HK – Houston, USA – Johannesburg, SA – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Leawood, USA – London, UK – Madrid, Spain – Mexico, Mexico – Miami, USA – Milan, Italy – Minneapolis, USA – Montreal, Canada – Moscow, Russia – Mumbai, India – Nairobi, Kenya – New York, USA – Paris, France – Rio, Brazil – Santiago, Chile – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Seoul, South Korea – Singapore, Singapore – Stockholm, Sweden – Sydney, Australia – Taipei, Taiwan – Tokyo, Japan – Toronto, Canada – Zurich, Switzerland

© Guido Erbring - Scor - Cologne

Now imagine flying to all 37 of them and shoot each facility. Just adjusting to the jet lag is an accomplishment, but what about adjusting to each culture and its specific needs, without being lost in translation? It’s so diverse, it’s so rich, it’s definitely not a one-team job… Or so you would think.

When SCOR asked Ooshot, a creative tech solution for brands, to create content for their website, social media and annual report, they were in safe hands.

Ooshot acted as a single contact point for the client and used its local photographers based worldwide to tackle this gigantic task all at once. This simplified process allowed for a single briefing from SCOR, thus ensuring consistency and quality across all shootings. The Ooshot strategy also benefited SCOR financially: having the photographers on the spot generated no transport costs, access to spread workforce allowed for shorter delays, and a consolidated budget significantly reduced red tape.

© Alex Tarajano - Scor - Brickell Ave.

But most importantly, relying on local communities to do the job yielded better results. From a creative point of view, the photographers selected were architecture experts with solid knowledge of their environment. And being local, they fruitfully communicated their own personal view, rooted in their unique cultural background. The result, diverse yet familiar, shows the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. A metaphor for SCOR’s success everywhere it does business.