NewsCase StudiesEvents

Digital advertising methods French consumers HATE !

Also in the news...

Foreign travel advice Indonesia

FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Indonesia.

Foreign travel advice Romania

Warnings and insurance Still current at: 24 April 2024 Updated: 23 April 2024 Latest update: Information related to drug offences and Romanian music festivals (under 'Laws and cultural differences' subheading on the 'Safety and security' page).

Foreign travel advice The Gambia

Warnings and insurance Still current at: 23 April 2024 Updated: 22 April 2024 Latest update: Ferry services between Banjul and Barra have been suspended until further notice; The Islamic Summit of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) will be held in Banjul on 4-5 May; road closures and delays at Banjul International Airport ('Safety and security' page).

Foreign travel advice China

Warnings and insurance Still current at: 23 April 2024 Updated: 22 April 2024 Latest update: Updated information on flooding (‘Safety and security’ page).

Guidance Living in South Korea

Information for British citizens moving to or living in South Korea, including guidance on residency, healthcare, driving and more.

Digital advertising methods French consumers HATE !

Back to News

No exception here, French consumers are the targets of numerous advertising campaigns, both online and offline. With the Internet and new mobile marketing tools, communication opportunities towards consumers are rising, and it’s hard to determine which better tool to use to address potential clients.

As globalization works, trends in France are quite similar to those elsewhere, but some specificities remain. Here is a quick list of where NOT to invest your advertisement budget if you are trying to reach French consumers digitally.

THE 3 MOST IRRATATING ADVERTISEMENTS

  • Vocal emails on an answering machines, 54%*
  • Full page advertisement pop-ups when opening a website or application, 50%
  • Video advertisement played before Youtube videos, 44%

THE 3 MOST INVASIVE ADVERTISEMENTS

  • Text or MMS advertisement received on their mobile phones, 48%
  • Advertisement banners on internet that open with a click (and that you usually didn’t mean to click), 20%
  • Promotional emails sent on personal inboxes, 27%

3 ADVERTISEMENTS MOST LEFT UNNOTICED

  • Outdoor digital billboards, 58 %
  • Flashcodes that enable you to get more information, 57 %
  • Paid search results in search engines, like Google Adword, 48 %

So where should you invest your money to reach French consumers? Here are the 4 prefered ways French people like to get commercial information in the digital world

  • Online product catalogue, 47 %
  • Corporate website of the company, 42 %
  • Organic search results in search engine, 24 %
  • Corporate mobile application, 23 %


Nowadays, digital communication is crucial, and you need to make sure you make the right choices to reach your potential customers. Consumers are getting picky on how and when they like to be addressed, and French consumers have their preferred habits. When defining your media planning, also consider “old-school” tools, such as paper mail (France’s favourite advertisement material), TV (costly but effective on brand image), or radio, billboards and theatre ads.

Need help from a country expert ? www.my-french-communication-agency.com will help you draw out the lines of your next campaign on French Territory.

* Numbers are based on the results of a survey made by IFOP www.ifop.com and Bonial www.bonial.fr in December 2013


You are not logged in!

Please login or register to ask our experts a question.

Login now or register.