Parlez Vous Anglais?

Did you know I used to live in France? I ran a ski chalet in Haute-Savoie, worked on a boat in Monaco, and that followed 10 Easters from the age of 12 living with my exchange family in Lyon.

It’s why I adore being here so much.

One of the biggest lessons I learnt as a kid in France (apart from the love of amazing food) was that language doesn’t stop at words.

The tone of voice, emphasis on certain words, body language, what you laugh at, cultural oddities and so much more are what make us communicate as human beings.

As an agent, I found this came in terribly handy.

Sometimes the photographer and creative would be speaking ‘English’, but I swear they were speaking completely different languages.

I’d have to act as a translator, helping each of them see the other’s perspective.

When you’re marketing your work the most important thing you can understand is the language of the people you’re targeting.

Are they a big-picture advertising creative? Or a corporate marketing director? The editor of a high-calibre fashion editorial? A gallery curator? Or a neat, pedantic designer?

Understanding their world and really trying to get your head into how they think should guide the way your online presence communicates. Not just in words, but in the way you design your site, and how it looks and feels.

There’s nothing like immersion in another culture to understand how they think.

And what’s Google for if not to discover other people’s worlds?

Unless of course, you can go hang out with them in person, which I was fortunate enough to do earlier this month at Rencontres d’Arles.

I’ll share more of that later.

Meanwhile, whose world are you going to immerse yourself in now Jesse?

If you need help understanding your brand and target audience, especially in the advertising world, I am accepting applications for my last 2022 Bootcamp mentoring programme starting early October, which includes a Blitz of your work as soon as you sign up, so you can put your work out with confidence.

Schedule a free strategy call with me here, for Monday or Tuesday as I’m travelling until the end of August after that. And drop me an Email if you have problems finding a time.

Thank you to photographer Dahli Durley for this tres Francais shot.