Interview with Odile Roujol, Director of Communications at Orange
Agence L / Womenology
Globally, what’s the share of female consumers of your new brand Sosh, in relation to male consumers?
Odile Roujol
Sosh is the 100% digital mobile brand launched by Orange, it’s community-based and participatory. In community, on the social networks, we pretty much cover the French population. In terms of subscriptions, we were at about 2/3 men and 1/3 women in the first few weeks after its commercial launch in October 2011.
Agence L / Womenology
At Orange, have you seen this share evolve over the last 10 years?
Odile Roujol
The market has in fact evolved in terms of equipment with the development of smartphones and now tablets, new practices have developed from voice to Internet connection and we’re noticing that women are getting to grips with it just as much as men and with a real interest in all these new customs. There therefore isn’t really much of a difference in use.
Agence L / Womenology
And in terms of the applications downloaded on mobile phones?
Odile Roujol
Just like men, women personalise the way they use their phones through application downloads. What makes the difference is the interest, the lifestyle and the tastes of each person. For example, the League 1 application appeals more to men in theory. As part of our partnership with MyLittleParis, during the Sosh Bus tour, each female visitor received a guide to the “Top Sosh apps” which suggested applications for women: each woman can then choose the apps that match her profile… there’s something for everyone!
Agence L / Womenology
In terms of advertising messages, do you use specific ones for the female market?
Odile Roujol
As a matter of fact, we reflect a lot on how our messages our perceived. For example, in a previous campaign, the Christmas characters addressed both men and women. When we evaluate the perception of the Three Wise Men, the nutcracker, the little fairy… we’re mindful of what each of them can evoke. It was very important to us that the little Rock’n’Roll fairy wasn’t vulgar and didn’t find herself in a position where, all of a sudden, the only female Christmas character was looked on as shocking and was rejected by women.
The differentiation that occurs in our messages is done on the social networks. On Facebook, we have more than a million fans in total who follow our news and with whom we interact on a daily basis. We also have several platforms on the net: on film or music platforms, women are in the majority at 52%. We notice that they are more active at posting comments and “likes”. They are in the logic of “I’m expressing myself” rather than “I’m absorbing information”. This is sufficiently more so than amongst men which is why I mention it to you. On the subject of differentiation, we also have a webzine that’s called Le Collectif which deals with emerging topics such as the “the geek portrait of the month” but we also publish articles that address women, such as the one on fashion applications published during Fashion Week. Although women don’t express themselves in the same way as men on social networks, they are involved in a very active and committed way.
Agence L / Womenology
And therefore, in classic media communications, you don’t have a specific message that you address to each of the male/female markets?
Odile Roujol
No, because we’re the emotional connection and so we address everyone to show them that the diversity of lifestyles, customs and uses creates a family of wealth.
On Open, we represent a connected and futuristic household that’s reassuring and optimistic with fun colours; it’s a family that isn’t idealised. We know that this affects men and women. The woman looks after the business part, she’s in a meeting with someone else. We try to break up the codes a bit and at the same time maintain the role of each family member, the diversity of lifestyles and the use of screens by each person.
Agence L / Womenology
Do you pre-test your adverts with both target markets?
Odile Roujol
Yes but in the beginning, every time that we organised mixed groups, women expressed themselves less than men. In fact, we noticed that when women didn’t have a lot to say, it was because they still weren’t very comfortable with technical subjects, whereas they enthusiastically expressed themselves about uses and practices. Now, we also make differentiated projections that allow us to go a lot further in the pre-tests, post-tests and concepts.
Agence L / Womenology
Do you follow what’s being said on blogs and in forums?
Odile Roujol
Absolutely and on a regular basis! Discussions on blogs and forums are an important source of information for us. We’ve noticed that men tend to be more interested in the how to, in the “how does it work?” (the technical part), in comparing prices, while women are more into the accompaniment, uses, the entertainment element. This can encourage a degree of complementary action within the family.
Agence L / Womenology
Do you see male/female differences in purchasing decisions that will guide a certain choice? Are there any differential factors?
Odile Roujol
The quality/price relationship is perhaps sharper in men than in women. Aspects of pleasure, relations, emotions, safety… they stand out in all our studies as being more important for women. But it’s very complicated to establish a typical purchase behaviour because men may buy something for their partner, even though she has thought about it before.
Agence L / Womenology
In terms of influence, has the role of children progressed?
Odile Roujol
Definitely, in particular when it comes to passing things on, including onto grandparents. Those that we refer to as “digital tribes”, in other words mobile users, greatly influence their parents and grandparents. In France in March 2010, the “digital tribes” represented 13%, a trend that was equally stable in March 2011 with 13% (13% at the end of 2011). And the “digital adults”, those who are multi-equipped (who have several mobiles, a tablet, TV, Internet, etc.) represented 14% in 2010 and 18% in March 2011 (21% at the end of 2011).
The generations brought up with the net and for whom it’s essential to be connected, the “digital natives”, are also influential on behaviour within the family and have an influence on new digital practices.
Agence L / Womenology
Do you know if it’s the mother or the father who encourages this new bond?
Odile Roujol
In the RSE (Social Responsiability of Entreprises) study for women, the idea of passing things on and protecting the family is essential. In India, for example, women want to help their child succeed in life even if the family has to make sacrifices.
On the other hand, we carried out a study to follow the careers of female engineers because we’re largely concerned and we noticed that the biggest recruiter is the digital sector, ahead of chemistry and the food industry, with 14% of female engineers.
There’s therefore real modernity in the telecoms culture that’s driven by the dynamism of the new technologies which means that the digital world is in the process of evolving and women are playing an important role in it.
To finish off, digital technology is at the heart of what’s going to happen, whether it be in education, health, sustainable development… and women, like men, have just as much to pass on to their children, on different but complementary aspects. Creating a bond with others is one of the fundamental aspects, beyond consumption itself.
Agence L / Womenology
Merci
Contact Agence L : Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
Contact aufeminin.com / Womenology: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com
Website agency : Agence L
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