Les Restaurants du Coeur and their different marketing actions

If we ask you which is the most famous french charitable organisation, what would you answer?  We know that you have the answer! Or maybe not…

If we tell you it has been created in 1985? By a French celebrity?

What about Coluche and « Les Enfoirées ». Now you should have the answer!

Of course it is Les Restos du Cœur!

This charitable organization has been rising an incredible voluntaries community aiming at helping and at bringing assistance to deprived people, in particular in the food domain by the access to free meals, and by the participation in their social and economic integration.

Les restos du cœur is today an impressive marketing brand that communicates in different ways and rising more than 80 millions euros of donations according to their website

This gambling machine started when Coluche decided to create this organization. Maybe this humoristic guy did not know that the organization would have such a success but as a celebrity he created a real craze from people and remarkable mediatisation. Making the Promotion of this organization was not a big deal. Coluche had the advantage of being an humourist so it was easier to communicate and to deliver a real and pertinent message. How to not be insensible in his words… Today, they are still using and relying heavily on this so charismatic and popular figure of Coluche which is a very clever strategy to communicate.

The charitable association had continued its own sweet way with the creation in 1989 of a grouping of artists and public personalities (mainly French-speaking) called Les Enfoirés to sing for the benefit of the charity. What a pretty way to attract more and more donors. Why not. People like mixing entertainment with actions.

Les enfoirés in Strasbourg (2014) with the figure of Coluche

Indeed, this troupe of singers is known to generate more than 26 million euros. By renewing popular French songs, they do have a very large audience through media which are willing to broadcast them. It is a way to bring more funds.  The public feels useful and spends a good time in coming to see the singers they like. Moreover, the concerts allow singers to perform on stage and treat their images.

However, they have known increasing negative reactions and critics from the public: Les Enfoirés are suspected of being hypocrites. The public can think that singers just want to increase their visibility instead of giving “time to prepare meals they could have brought, paid on their royalties”.

Furthermore, some artists are disappearing from the group since we can find not only singers, but no singers as footballers. Secondly, the difficulty when you engage a singer group is when people do not like the song that represents you, it can have a bad impact on the « social brand ». This was the case of the new hymn song in which singers are using a quite aggressive speech, not to the taste of everybody. More information here

This NPOs has becoming a real brand using marketing and communication strategies. They use a lot of tools in order to increase donors.

With the growing importance of new technologies, they are using online marketing tools. First, they have accounts on social media (Facebook and Twitter for example). It is a classic way to communicate online. But they also use bloggers and their influences. Indeed, in 2009, the Restos du Coeur in collaboration with Carrefour and Danone launched a marketing campaign through blogs: all bloggers are invited to post a video explaining the operation of the restaurants. For one published video, it is 10 meals which are distributed from Carrefour and Danone.

Some figures about its action:

• In 2009, more than 1,700 bloggers posted the video which has helped distribute 17,000 meals.
• In 2010, it was over 22,000 meals were distributed, a slight improvement but it is still insufficient knowing that there are over 2.5 million active blogs in France which would represent 25 million to leave again served.

This collaboration between brands and charity is called “charity business”. It is a good strategy since the benefits are for both parties: charities are financed and brands treat their image and advertise at very low price.

Furthermore, offline, Les Restos have decided to use an important advertising channel that is the media. Indeed in 2010 the TV show “sept à huit” provided a report on the restaurants by telling the life of beneficiaries of the restaurants. A well-oiled marketing plan to better know the restaurants in terms of beneficiaries.

Also, they used to broadcast commercial. The last one was this one:

This commercial is about the 30^th anniversary of the Restos, but also a way to call for donation. It is quite a good commercial to promote their action because:

• The slogan “il y a des anniversaires qui ne se fêtent pas” which means “there is anniversary that does not celebrate” shares the idea that the anniversary of the restaurants isn’t important, the most important thing is to keep helping people who need help.
• It shows simple moments of happiness (in everyday life) of people who celebrates birthday with their family/close relation. “Les Restos” doesn’t celebrate their anniversary but they help people who can’t enjoy simple moments of everyday life, in order to give them a little happiness.

(In addition, you can have a look at this video)

At last, they develop a direct marketing campaign: it was composed of an envelope containing an explicative booklet, a personalized letter from the director and return elements. Again, Coluche was the central point here.

Despite of all good marketing campaign, the association receives critics. An increasing number of people feel overwhelmed and manipulated with a lot of demands in the street, mailing, advert on google and Facebook and sponsored link. That may be the reason why the charity business campaign was not that efficient on blog. Bloggers can be reluctance to share the messages.

Also, the timing of the campaign is important: some of them have been deployed just during the Christmas preparation period. It is not a very good choice if we consider that people would prefer to spend their money in presents for their family.

If need for official information: http://www.restosducoeur.org/