This cartoon was commissioned by EDF to solve a very particular problem. It was early 2001, the last year of “life” for the French franc before the definitive switch to the euro. A time when the two currencies could still coexist — which caused serious inconvenience when it came to billing.
The EDF film
Dual franc-euro pricing
Displaying both currencies was clearly not meaningful enough for every customer: some sent their payment in francs — but using the amount shown in euros!
A nice discount on the bill, though not exactly to EDF’s liking… EDF’s Communication Department therefore had the idea of setting things straight with its subscribers, but in a humorous, offbeat way, by commissioning this educational, light-hearted cartoon from us.
You can watch the client testimonial of the communication managers of the time, Émilie Zapalski and Sophie Monteiro, who give a full debrief of this information campaign in cartoon form produced by 3TOON, by clicking on this link.
The “nostalgia” corner…
A little souvenir for collectors. The changeover to the euro generated an enormous flood of documents intended to prepare the population for the new currency. Below, a copy of the information letter EDF sent to its (residential) customers.
For those who remember it: the information letter for Électricité de France and Gaz de France customers, one of the many documents most public services sent us at the time of the euro changeover.
