The Commerce Alliance is not letting up. On Tuesday, November 21, this federation requested the immediate withdrawal of the “Let’s save our resources” advertising campaign, at the initiative of the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe).
“This campaign is neither “fun” nor “bold””estimates Yohann Petiot, general director of the Commerce Alliance, in response to the comments of Christophe Béchu, minister of ecological transition – under whose supervision Ademe is placed –, who had unveiled these spots in these terms, on 14 november.
The anger of the traders’ federation relates in particular to a film during which a “reseller” dissuades a customer from purchasing a new jacket. The campaign includes two other spots, in the DIY and electronics sectors, to invite consumers to rent a sander rather than buy one or to acquire a reconditioned smartphone rather than a new one.
A sector facing an “exceptional crisis”
On the eve of the start of the “Black Friday” promotional operations and the Christmas gift shopping period, this campaign, designed by Havas and financed by Ademe and the Ministry of Ecological Transition, is supposed to promote ” sobriety “in “inviting the French to ask themselves the right questions before buying”according to a press release.
“Preserving our model of society in a context of climate change requires a transition towards greater sobriety and requires us to find a path towards a more circular economy”recalled the minister, in a press release, during its launch.
But these arguments did not convince traders. “What is the objective of this campaign? Finish killing the fashion business? »asks Mr. Petiot, recalling that the sector is going through a “exceptional crisis”, due to the fact “purchasing power constraints and decline in activity”. The federation deplores in particular that these spots “discredit the trade” And “forget to promote the commitments of fashion players in favor of environmental transformation”.