CLM BBDO and Café Grand’ Mère celebrate women with Thank You Grandma campaign

Cristina Blanaru Ads, Creativity

Without our grandmothers, our lives would be very different. They’re part of a generation that fought to change women’s place in society. Freedom of expression, a woman’s right to control her own body, the right to play the same sports and practice the same professions as men… none of these advancements would have been possible without our grandmothers. 

It’s only right that we pay tribute to them and their exploits through the black and white images in this campaign, created by CLM BBDO, to highlight their victories, from the seemingly minor to the most resounding.

(GERMANY OUT) Demonstration für Miniröcke in Paris- 1969 (Photo by Interpress Paris/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Though this campaign goes back in time, it offers a deeply modern vision of our grandmothers (…) Before they were the women we know today, they were young women who changed the world.

Benjamin Dessagne and Stéphane Santana

Creative Directors CLM BBDO 

 Directed by documentary filmmaker and anthropologist Sylvain Desmille (Curious Film), the film, largely composed of archival images, celebrates all the pioneers who helped transform women’s place in society into what it is today. Extensive research that showcases lesser-known women: Françoise Mabille, the first French woman to become a volunteer firefighter; Violaine Sanson, member of the first women’s motorcycle racing team; Astrid Hustinx, one of the first female airline pilots; parachutists Odette Rousseau and Colette Duval; and Anne Chopinet, one of the first women to attend the prestigious École Polytechnique. “The emancipation and liberation of women is one of the major advancements of the 20th century,” says director Desmille. “This process was made possible by all those who, through their strength and actions, and frequently their courage, helped change attitudes towards women. They are more than just images, they are the faces of this moral revolution.»  A film rich in stories and strong in emotion that will be online starting February 18, and on air from March 1 to 3. 

Key dates

  • 1962 – Mini-skirt scandal: started by Mary Quant, the scandal becomes a symbol of the liberation of women’s bodies
  • 1965 – Women gain the right to manage their property, open a bank account, and practice a profession without needing their husband’s permission
  • 1965 – Technical schooling is finally open to girls
  • 1967 – Neuwirth Law authorizes contraception, which starts getting reimbursed in 1974
  • 1967 – Jacqueline Dubut and Danièle Decuré become the first female French airline pilots
  • 1969 – First season of women’s football in France
  • 1970 – Creation of the Women’s Liberation Movement
  • 1975 – Women finally gain the right to divorce by mutual consent
  • 1977 – First International Women’s Day

All of these dates remind us that the women of yesterday forever changed conditions for women today. 

Credits:

Café Grand’Mère

  • Claudia Pereira – Brand Manager  
  • Mathilde Reymondier – Marketing Manager  
  • Bertrand Sero – Advertising Manager  

 CLM BBDO

  • Benjamin Dessagne – Creative Director 
  • Stéphane Santana – Creative Director   
  • Matthieu Elkaim – Creative Director 
  • Théophile Robaglia – Art Director
  • Joseph Rozier – Copywriter   
  • Nicolas Carlotti – Account Director  
  • Romain Bruneau – Client Director  
  • Audrey Brahic – Account Manager  
  • Morgane Bohn – TV producer   
  • Tomas Couvry – Strategic Planner 
  • Damien Dupoux – Motion-Designer CLM BBDO

Production: Curious Film 

  • Sylvain Desmille – Director
  • Adrien Kamir – Producer   
  • Antoine Daubert – Post-Producer