Lime, Dott and Tier appear to have launched a new influencer campaign on TikTok. The goal: to encourage Parisian Internet users to vote against the ban on electric scooters in Paris. Their fate will be sealed during a citizen vote organized on April 2.
Update March 29 at 2:58 p.m.: added answer from Dott, Tier and Lime at end of article.
While a local vote will be held in Paris on April 2 to vote to ban or maintain self-service electric scooters in the city, operators Dott, Lime and Tier are joining forces to tip the balance of their coast. Among them is Lime, whose communication practices are becoming increasingly questionable. Latest campaign: the call for influencers on TikTok to encourage Parisian Internet users to vote against this Sunday, at the initiative of the aforementioned trio.
In fact, it is legal: but in reality, everything was not very transparent.
Vote for electric scooters: Parisians invited to vote
This April 2, Parisians are called to go to the polling stations to answer the question: “ For or against self-service scooters? This is a physical ballot open to people registered on the electoral lists (including European Union nationals registered on the municipal supplementary list). According to the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of mobility, David Belliard, the municipality will respect the resulting choice.
For its part, the Government will present a national action plan on the use of electric scooters, both personal and self-service. Several points are on the table, such as the potentially raised minimum age, the compulsory wearing of a helmet, or the amount of the fine when a scooter is used by two people simultaneously.
The call for influencers on TikTok
Journalist Vincent Manilève, expert in influence on social networks, published a series of tweets this morning highlighting the #SauveTaTrott campaign launched on TikTok. Several influencers are on the list: Valise & Caramel, Ethan Berreli, Lou Pernaut, Princess Lilyy, Roman Freud, MarketDamp and Rayan & Alix.
Two hashtags are highlighted: #SauveTaTrott and #Vote2Avril. For the journalist, it is a ” additional proof that it is indeed a coordinated communication » and this all the more so as the publication dates are close together. Information corroborated by the journalist Alexandre Lechenet on Twitter.
Something is happening on TikTok: influencers are speaking out to encourage Parisians to go against the ban on electric scooters this April 2. Of course, you see where I’m coming from. pic.twitter.com/nO5UVOzmgJ
— vincent from the internet? (@vincentmnv) March 29, 2023
As he points out, ” the accounts of TikTokers that take a stand have hundreds of thousands of followers, even more than a million for several of them. “Supporting screenshots, he shows that several videos mention the fact that it is a paid partnership, but not all of them: some mentions have been added” several hours later ” the publication.
Among the arguments put forward by the influencers, there is the fact that electric scooters are ecological, but that they also make it possible to reduce traffic jams and crowds in public transport. All the more so as they would be massively used (the figure of 400,000 users per month is advanced).
For his part, Ethan Berebi declares: “ There is the mayor of Paris who wants to ban scooters in Paris “. What emerges from his video is the fact that users of the services should be educated more, rather than banned. For Lou Pernaut, the town hall has set up many cycle paths, which would then be less used if self-service scooters no longer exist. In Princess Lilyy’s video, she is seen riding a Dott scooter to arrive on time at a date.
A content creator sends me this email received from an agency last November. Who offers him to share a petition and take a public position in exchange for free scooter time. pic.twitter.com/wrcDogXh4m
— vincent from the internet? (@vincentmnv) March 29, 2023
Last element published by Vincent Manilève: a screenshot of an email received by a content creator from an agency last November. The proposal made to this influencer was to sign a petition and speak out for self-service scooters publicly in exchange for free rides on the Dott app.
An unwelcome temporality, in the midst of controversy around influencers
The problem, for Vincent Manilève, is ” the lack of transparencynce about the company that funded this influencer campaign. While Lime and Dott are seen in the videos or directly mentioned, these operators are not mentioned as the brands the videos were made for. Tier is also part of this campaign, as confirmed by the three actors (see the joint response at the end of the article).
Unwelcome shortcomings while a forum broadcast in the Sunday newspaper (JDD) was published last Sunday, about a bill on the supervision of influencers, which is currently being studied in the National Assembly. A platform signed at the start by 150 influencers brought together by Umicc, an association bringing together several communication and influence agencies.
Since then, about fifty signatory influencers have removed their names from the forum, declaring that they did not sign it or that they made a mistake, as indicated The world. Among the proposals of the text, there is the desire to establish more transparency in sponsorship operations.
Lime: a divisive strategy to bend public opinion
For his part, Lime has also gone it alone on several occasions. First seduction operation in mid-January, with a distribution of helmets for bicycles and electric scooters. This was not enough to prevent the triggering of the vote which will take place this Sunday.
But where Lime’s strategy is really divisive is when it goes further. Last month, the operator invited its users to register on the electoral lists. Against proof of registration, everyone could benefit from 10 minutes of free use.
Last operation to date, Minuit Porte de la Chapelle, on foot or on a trot? “: a press release sent to users again, highlighting the security offered by the use of an electric scooter, and by extension the insecurity that would reign in this district. It read: ” What could be safer than riding a scooter in the evening, when the streets are empty and your imagination is trying to reconstruct the last thriller watched at 2 a.m.? “.
A campaign decried by councilor Laurent Sorel (France Insoumise), for whom “ operators will stop at nothing to rot the debate on scooters “. A clumsiness recognized by Lime himself, apologizing via BFM: “ Our intention was not to stigmatize a neighborhood but to draw attention to a reality “.
According to the actor, our self-service electric scooters can be a transport solution synonymous with safety in the event of a night journey, regardless of the district “. Finally, Lime unveiled its device to prevent its users from riding two on an electric scooter a few days ago.
Too bad that this technology was not developed and deployed earlier, as if pressure from the town hall had pushed the operator out of his comfort zone in order to better secure his service. Let’s say that the sequence of all these events tends more to tarnish Lime’s brand image than to restore it with the authorities, or even the general public.
Lime has finally joined forces with its competitors Dott and Tier to denounce the conditions for organizing the vote, deemed unfavorable to the trio. The actors have set up a website, Let’s trot better, inviting Internet users to vote for self-service scooters in Paris. A site that highlights figures praising the qualities of the service offered and road safety. Content enhanced with information and user testimonials.
The joint response of Tier, Dott and Lime
Contacted by us, the three operators sent us a joint response. Here it is in its entirety:
” The objective of the vote is to consult all Parisians. We find that many 18-35 year olds are not informed of this vote, nor of its potential consequences. The communication of the City of Paris – like the methods of the vote – are not well adapted to 18-35 year olds, since the municipal information campaign only takes place in person, on certain spaces of displays. However, it is crucial to speak to them as well – in particular via the media that affect them directly – so that they participate in this democratic exercise.
This type of communication is supervised and is moreover very standard in 2023.
Paid partnerships are reported. We are campaigning “For self-service electric scooters in Paris”. These Tiktok publications are part of a broader campaign with information in the street, on social networks, events, communications in our applications and a site trotinnonsmieux.com which explains all the voting methods. This communication campaign is financed by the operators. »
To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.