It is the point that blocks the most campaigns from elsewhere, and almost always for the same reason: the language has been treated as a display option.
The principle, in one sentence
French is required in commercial advertising, and it cannot be less present than any other language.
The exact extent of that requirement, its arrangements, its exceptions and particular situations depend on the medium, the type of message and your case. They are checked with the competent authority and with a lawyer, before the media buy and not after a complaint.
This guide describes a way of working; it does not replace that check.
What that means for a video
Two versions, not a version and a translation.
That means two takes, ideally two people, in both languages, shot the same day. The French version is not an adaptation of the English one: it is a video in its own right, with its own expressions, rhythm and references.
A dubbed voice is heard immediately and cancels the intended benefit.
The whole chain is concerned
That is the point teams discover too late.
The video, the burned-in text, the caption of the post, the button, the landing page, the form, the emails that follow and the service that answers: all of that forms a whole, and a perfectly compliant campaign pointing to a page in another language has solved only part of the problem.
So check the complete journey, not just the creative.
Plan both versions in the brief
That is what separates a smooth campaign from an expensive one.
Planned from the start, the second version is shot straight afterwards, in the same setting, with the same clothes. Decided later, it means starting over and arrives after the launch.
Add a simple technical requirement to the brief: no version delivered with text engraved in the image, and a separate subtitle file per language.
The case of trade marks
That is the most frequent and most misunderstood question.
The treatment applicable to trade marks, company names and slogans depends on precise conditions that change over time. It cannot be inferred from an example seen at a competitor's, and it is checked for your case before distribution.
The hidden advantage
That constraint produces better campaigns.
A team obliged to shoot a genuine French version ends up discovering that it often performs better than the English one in this market, because it speaks to people in their language instead of including them by default.
Many brands note afterwards that they should have done it even without an obligation.
What the language rule concretely touches
| The element | What is expected | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Voice and on-screen text | A compliant French version | With the competent authority |
| The product name | Particular treatment of trademarks | The wording supplied by the client |
| Promotional display | An equivalence between languages | The relationship between the two versions |
What the creator must ask the client
The exact state of the wording to use. Compliance responsibility sits with the advertiser, but a video delivered outside the lines costs them a reshoot, and that reshoot is negotiated badly after the fact.
What is never deduced from a forum
The rule applicable to a specific case. Texts evolve and situations vary, so verification happens with the competent authority or a lawyer, before the shoot and not after publication.
Who validates your case
Not your agency, not your creator, not this article.
Particular situations, mixed media, campaigns coming from abroad and borderline cases are checked with the competent authority, and with a lawyer when a doubt remains. That check takes a few days; a withdrawn campaign costs far more.
