Could a woman narrate a truck commercial? Could a man with a Creole accent promote Super Bowl grocery discounts on the radio? This is the intention behind the Here are new voices initiative, which aims to combat certain clichés specific to the preserve of the medium of advertising storytelling, but above all to promote new voices from diversity.
“Why do we always hear the same voices? “says Franck Julien, at the microphone, while we see scrolling photos of Patrice Robitaille, David Savard, Edith Cochrane and Julie Le Breton. Just these few words out of his mouth to conclude that he probably earns his living with his golden voice.
Yes, but it’s not that simple.
If the member of the Union des artistes is in one of Studio Lamajeure’s recording rooms, it is to record a narration for a campaign aimed at having more voices like his, from of diversity, chosen in the casting advertisers.
Franck Julien is one of the players in the campaign Here are new voices, initiated by Mélanie Delisle and Philippe Brassard of the advertising agency Cossette, in collaboration with VoilàCasting and Studio Lamajeure.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
In the foreground are mixer Donevan Adams and creative director Mélanie Delisle. Franck Julien is on the microphone to record the narration of a video that will explain to the juries of different competitions what the campaign is about Here are new voices.
As a singer, Franck Julien has participated in programs such as Beautiful and Bum And What’s your name ?, in addition to being part of the choir of There are people at mass. It has been nearly 15 years since he took voice lessons at Ateliers Danielle Fichaud. “I’m not in the loop advertising voices. It’s a preserve and I’ve been trying for a long time. »
My voice can sound like anyone who grew up in Quebec.
Franck Julien
He adds: “We must demystify the way in which casting. »
When the time comes to choose who will narrate an ad, only the photo influences the choice of actors, underlines creative director Mélanie Delisle. The time constraint also favors the choice of sure values, so that there is still little diversity in the advertising voices compared to the series of the small screen. Result: some actors are in high demand. “This lack of diversity creates a vicious circle: no experience, no demo, no contract…”, emphasizes Franck Julien in the message he recorded in front of us.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Philippe Brassard, Deputy Creative Director at Cossette
Fight clichés and reflexes
Philippe Brassard and Mélanie Delisle are colleagues at Cossette. About two years ago, the first shared with the second a very simple revelation he had when picking up his child from his daycare, on the border of the Villeray and Saint-Michel districts: his son will grow up surrounded by people from all origins, while he grew up in Saguenay in a white world.
As an advertiser, he should perhaps take a step back and change certain reflexes. “My child’s reality will be completely different from mine. […] In advertising, we tell stories, and I realized that these are stories that are too white. For a 100e anniversary, we are going to think of a man’s voice with a historic character. »
“In advertising, the messages are short, so we take shortcuts with social consensus, explains Mélanie Delisle. But for this short time, we try few things […] In all humility, we wanted to find tools for the industry. We have to question ourselves as clients, as designers, as producers: how can we break clichés without losing a quick understanding of the messages to be conveyed? »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Mélanie Delisle, creative director at Cossette
Good risk taking?
Philippe Brassard and Mélanie Delisle assisted seven actors from diverse backgrounds in the recording of demos at Studio Lamajeure. The recordings were then put online on the VoilàCasting platform, an agency founded by Michel Olivier Girard (known for his A&W advertisements).
PHOTOMONTAGE PHILIPPE RICHELET, PROVIDED BY COSSETTE
Ahmad Hamdan, David Bélizaire, Fally Kaseka, Franck Julien, Andawa Laveau, Soleil Launière and Emmanuelle Duperval
Last fall, artisans in the advertising industry received newsletters, through VoilàCasting, which presented the Voilà des nouvelles voix initiative with links to participants’ profiles (and an invitation to hire them!). Another newsletter is to be sent out this week with new names.
For its part, the Lamajeure studio sent the following audio message to various advertisers.
The goal of the Here are new voices campaign is also to raise awareness in the community of certain ways of dealing with actors from diverse backgrounds, underlines Philippe Brassard. “When we direct them, are we clumsy even if we have good intentions? When are they asked to change their accent, for example? »
It’s true that some actors lack experience and it takes a little longer, but maybe it’s because they need to be directed better…
Melanie Delisle
However, it is the clients of advertisers who have the last word in terms of cast. “We experienced the frustration of being told no,” confesses the creative director.
However, companies and agencies may have an interest in taking risks to distinguish themselves. “By having new voices, ads can stand out. When the whole industry goes left, why don’t we go right? “says Mélanie Delisle.
“If I just change the reflexes and the vision of a designer, I’ll be happy”, concludes Philippe Brassard.