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Responses by Theophile Robaglia, art director and Joseph Rozier, copywriter, CLM BBDO

Background: Designed by the coffee brand Café Grand’Mère, the fifty-second spot “Thank You Grandma” is a tribute to the new generation of grandmothers and the impact they’ve had on the world today—a generation that has fought to change the position of women at all levels of society. The campaign was launched especially for Grandmothers’ Day, which the brand started in France in 1987.

Reasoning: Grandmothers have changed. They don’t like being called “grandmothers” anymore, as it connotes old age. This 32nd Grandmothers’ Day is a turning point in the way we celebrate them. The idea came naturally: before they were the women we know today, they were young women who changed the world.

Challenges: The film is the result of meticulous research through hundreds of hours of archival footage. Only a director specialized in archival images could head up a long curation process like this. Sylvain Desmilles, in addition to being a documentary filmmaker, is an anthropologist. His knowledge of the subject was invaluable when it came to finding the best images.

Favorite details: The film shines the light on women we’re not used to seeing. Everyday women, such as the first female firefighter, the first female airline pilot or the first female bus driver in Paris. Women who are just as representative of this period as the great political and intellectual icons.

Visual influences: Although it’s largely based on archival images, the film was not intended to be a documentary exercise. It’s a tribute, which gradually grows more powerful as the film progresses, and is edited as an ad. Many notable ads inspired its production: Getty Images “Endless Stories,” NBA’s “Dream” for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Gatorade’s “Unmatched” with Serena Williams.

Anything new: When we started the project, the client wanted to avoid militant and combative images. But you can’t build euphoria in a movie without building dysphoria. These women faced criticism and obstacles and it’s important to remember that if you want to come out of the film with a sense of admiration.

clmbbdo.com

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