The campaign “Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one” marks a strategic repositioning of Metro, the French daily newspaper, emphasizing a shift from a traditional press format to a more engaging, urban, and entertainment-infused reading experience. The brand proposition centers on Metro’s evolution into a modern publication that balances serious information with accessible, lighthearted content, positioning itself as a relevant part of city life while appealing to readers seeking both news and escapism.
The campaign’s market strategy leverages a strong symbolic and experiential narrative to communicate this transformation. By orchestrating a live, large-scale paper folding event that created a giant boat from an oversized version of the old-format newspaper and launching it onto the canal Saint-Martin, the execution vividly visualized the farewell to the old Metro and the welcoming of the new one. This creative angle taps into urban culture and the physical environment of Paris, aligning with Metro’s promise as a city-centric paper.
Targeting extends beyond the general public to include media agencies, creative agencies, and advertisers, reflecting a dual approach that reinforces credibility and industry engagement alongside public awareness. The campaign employs a multi-channel strategy combining live events, press adverts, digital teasers, social media amplification, and an interactive email contest aimed at professionals, thereby maximizing impact and reach.
This layered approach highlights an insight into the evolving media consumption habits where content must entertain and engage to stand out. The campaign’s narrative and media mix underscore Metro’s ambition to remain a serious yet unpretentious daily companion in an increasingly competitive media landscape, symbolized by a tangible, culturally resonant gesture rather than conventional marketing alone.
FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact.
This campaign fits FORMAT#9 because it employs a spectacular symbolic act to visualize the transformation of Metro. Instead of literally explaining the new features or telling a product-driven story, the agency orchestrates the dramatic folding of a giant newspaper page—symbolizing the old Metro—into a massive paper boat and launching it in public. This visually exaggerates "saying goodbye to the old" and sailing forward with the new, encapsulating the benefit (freshness, entertainment, reinvention) via a powerful analogy. The event is explicitly described as a "manière de symboliser ce qu'apporte le nouveau Metro", making symbolism the central creative device.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. TF1 – As France’s leading private broadcaster, TF1 leverages a broad-reaching entertainment and news portfolio, focusing on mass appeal and prime-time dominance. It positions itself as a family-friendly, mainstream content hub with strong advertising reach and diversified media offerings including digital platforms.
2. Canal+ – Positioned as a premium pay-TV provider, Canal+ differentiates through exclusive access to high-quality movies, series, and sporting events. It emphasizes cutting-edge original productions and a subscription-based model targeting upscale and loyal viewers seeking premium and exclusive content.
3. France Télévisions – The public broadcasting group highlights its role as a trusted source of diverse, quality programming with a strong commitment to cultural, educational, and public interest content across multiple channels. It positions itself on broad accessibility and public service values.
4. M6 Group – M6 is known for youthful, trend-driven entertainment and innovation in reality TV and lifestyle programming. It differentiates by targeting younger demographics with dynamic content and integrating digital and multi-platform engagement for advertisers and viewers alike.
5. NRJ Group – NRJ Group focuses on multimedia entertainment, especially radio and digital music streaming, primed for younger urban audiences. It positions itself as an energetic and youth-centric brand, emphasizing music, pop culture, and interactive media to drive high engagement.
Q: What is Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one about?
A: Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one is a 2012 professional campaign created for Metro by the agency FullSIX, specifically its 6:AM division, and launched in France. The campaign marked Metro’s transition from its traditional large-format newspaper to a more compact edition. Central to the campaign was a live event along Paris’s Canal Saint-Martin, where a giant paper boat, folded from an oversized page of the old Metro, was launched as a symbolic farewell and welcome. The campaign targeted both the general public and industry professionals, using film, press, digital, and social media to amplify its message.
Q: What creative device does Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one use?
A: Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one employs FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. Rather than relying on direct product demonstration or narrative, the campaign uses a striking symbolic act: transforming a massive sheet of the old Metro into a giant paper boat and launching it in public. This exaggerated visual metaphor encapsulates the brand’s transition and renewal, making the benefit of the new Metro tangible and memorable. The symbolism is central, visually representing the shift and the promise of a fresher, more engaging publication.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one?
A: The campaign proposition for Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one centers on Metro’s evolution into a modern, city-centric publication that balances serious news with entertainment and escapism. By orchestrating a public, symbolic farewell to the old format, Metro positions itself as an accessible, unpretentious daily companion for urban readers. The strategy targets both the general public and industry professionals, signaling Metro’s commitment to relevance in a competitive media landscape. The campaign underscores the brand’s ambition to deliver information with a fresh, engaging, and playful spirit, reflecting changing media consumption habits.
Q: How does Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Goodbye former large Metro, Welcome to the new smaller one holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 73/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s curatorial standards.
Q: Who are the competitors in Metro's category?
A: In Metro’s media and entertainment category, key competitors include TF1, which leads with mass-appeal entertainment and news across broadcast and digital; Canal+, positioned as a premium pay-TV provider known for exclusive content and original productions; France Télévisions, which emphasizes public service and diverse, accessible programming; M6 Group, targeting younger audiences with trend-driven entertainment and multi-platform innovation; and NRJ Group, which focuses on youth-centric multimedia, especially in radio and digital music streaming, driving high engagement among urban audiences.
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