Here we are in front of the department stores on Boulevard Hausseman, in the 9th arrondissement of the capital. It is with the Marais, one of the districts of Paris most affected by the phenomenon of uncontrolled advertising campaigns.Thomas Bourgenot, advocacy officer for the association Resistance to Advertising Aggression (RAP) gives us a guided tour : “You have a building, in the middle of the crossroads, which is regularly squatted by wild posters. They put up posters almost every day, even several times a day. And just opposite, we have a scaffolding with the same posters , of two different brands, which are stuck next to each other.”
“We already have an explosion of legal advertising and there, we add a layer of advertisements that are not allowed.”
Thomas Bougenot, advocacy officer at the Resistance to Advertising Aggression Associationat franceinfo
The town hall of Paris estimates that the wild posting colonizes 500 public or private spaces of the city. Agents are mobilized every day to clean 1,600 square meters each week, the equivalent of two handball courts.
Why do advertising agencies choose illegality? These companies – small or large structures – claim these wild campaigns. They call it “guerrilla marketing”. The campaign takes place mainly on social networks. The city serves as a backdrop, explains Stéphane Dottelonde, president of the Union of Outdoor Advertising (UPE) who denounces these practices: “It is above all to give itself a somewhat disruptive, unconventional aspect, as if it were not a commercial communication, when it is indeed a commercial communication.”
“Typically, these brands use a social media pushback device to amplify the impact of this campaign.”
Stéphane Dottelonde, President of the Union of Outdoor Advertisingat franceinfo
We are not talking about MJC (youth and culture centres) or neighborhood rock bands seeking to advertise for free, but big names in fashion such as Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Diesel. Major brands that also display their products in regulated spaces.
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What are these agencies risking? Above all, a financial penalty. In 2020, the Paris police headquarters increased the amounts. It imposed a fine of 15,000 euros on the main agency in the sector and the municipality demanded the reimbursement of cleaning costs for almost a million euros.
But this financial pressure is not enough. Advertising agencies have built in the risk. We called one of them pretending to be a potential customer. This is what our interlocutor replied when we explained that he feared reprisals from the municipality: “It’s been a little game of cat and mouse for years and there’s no moralizing issue behind it, he says. The risk, indeed, is to have a fine. There are two options, the first option is not to take out insurance and there it is your responsibility if there is a fine. Otherwise, we offer insurance, in quotes, and there it is totally at our expense if you have a fine. There are no fines on any campaign, there are no rules.”
“As they are inspectors who are touring Paris, they have to fall when there is your poster. It’s really a matter of luck.”
The representative of an advertising agencyat franceinfo
The town hall of Paris therefore wishes to change gear. The assistant in charge of cleanliness in the public space believes that it is necessary to take criminal action. Even if Colombe Brossel is well aware that it is difficult to implement: “As long as there was no materiality, proof that you had sold this illegal performance, well, the simple fact of posting it was not in itself illegal. That’s why we have a partnership with the prosecution and that we are currently working on compiling some very substantiated, very well-informed files, so that prosecutions can be undertaken.”
The Association Resistance to Advertising Aggression (RAP) for its part, calls for the dissolution of these agencies. Last November, in the absence of results, activists took action against the window of one of these advertisers.