How we turned a student workshops into national campaigns
BETC, in partnership with design school École Estienne, is changing the name of CANAL+’s under-26 cinema & series offer for the very first time.
In French Gen Z slang, being a rat means being extremely thrifty – someone who hunts down every discount and never pays full price. RAT+ embraces that mindset and turns it into a badge of honour.
RAT+: when a student workshop turns into a real CANAL+ campaign
At BETC, partnerships with schools aren’t just academic exercises. They’re real creative playgrounds where student ideas can turn into national campaigns. RAT+ is a perfect example: an operation created for CANAL+’s CINÉ SÉRIES under-26 offer, co-designed with students from École Estienne.
Finally, a “rat technique” with standards
To boost the visibility of the CINÉ SÉRIES under-26 offer, CANAL+ and its long-time agency BETC chose to celebrate the thriftiest members of Gen Z by renaming the offer after one of the funniest memes of the moment: the rat 🐀.
In today’s slang, avoir une technique de rat means having a smart, shameless way to save money. RAT+ leans fully into that logic.
By borrowing the exact codes of this now-iconic expression, the line « Téma la taille de l’offre » (as in "Check how huge of a rat move this is" ) highlights just how exhaustive the pack is – now at a reduced price. It’s a deliberate way of talking to under-26s using their own cultural references, with no filter and no corporate gloss.
A very real insight: Gen Z, inflation and subscription overload
Under-26s are on the front line of inflation. In this economic climate, entertainment quickly becomes one of the first items to be cut from a tight monthly budget – especially as SVOD offers multiply and subscription fees stack up fast.
The CANAL+ CINÉ SÉRIES offer for under-26s is a direct answer to that reality: it bundles CANAL+, DISNEY+, NETFLIX, OCS and PARAMOUNT+ into a single subscription. Instead of paying close to €70 a month for separate plans, subscribers pay €19.49/month for exactly the same services. The ultimate good deal.
An offer that generous deserved an equally strong campaign.
By the under-26s, for the under-26s
“Speaking to Gen Z demands absolute rigour in terms of references and tone. One wrong move and you lose them instantly – you become that dad who drops one clumsy slang word at a party and kills the vibe. The awkwardness is real." explains Nicolas Lautier, Executive Creative Director on the campaign.
At the same time, you have to be straightforward and crystal clear with them. No overcomplicated messaging, no three-step rhetoric.
With this campaign, two things really convinced us. First, the partnership with students from École Estienne, which allowed us to co-create a campaign made by under-26s, for under-26s. Second, the nature of the campaign itself. There’s no smoke and mirrors here. No artifice. The campaign is the offer.”
A workshop that feels like a real agency
The twist behind this campaign is that it was designed for young people… but above all by young people.
For several years now, BETC has been welcoming students from École Estienne and immersing them in the agency for intensive workshops. Over the course of a week, they work on a real client brief, supported by the teams – especially the creatives – and end the experience with a final presentation under real agency conditions.
It’s in this context that the first version of RAT+ was born. CANAL+ and BETC are proud to have brought this idea to life – a very concrete illustration of their shared commitment to championing tomorrow’s creative talent.
A special shout-out to Luce de Fleurian, Charlotte Girard, Gabrielle Manhes and Diego Tronchet, students at École Estienne, as well as Valentin Gourmel and Léo Rodriguez, creatives at BETC.
A model school–agency collaboration
“The partnerships between École Estienne and leading communication agencies help raise awareness of, and uphold, the high standards of our Design and Communication Strategy programme. Among these agencies, BETC stands out for the unique nature of our collaboration,” explains Mariette Dupont, Principal of École Estienne.
“During their workshop, students are immersed in the agency and work from a concrete brief, guided by the teams. They have one week to come up with a strategic and creative response, which they then present in conditions that mirror real agency life.
As part of this professionalising programme, we value the attention given to student proposals. And congratulations to the team whose project laid the foundations of this campaign, for making the connection between the brief and this generational wink to the Rat meme. It’s proof of a high-quality partnership between an excellent training programme, a strong brand and an agency willing to support the creative youth of tomorrow.”
A creative success – with very real numbers
With more than 8.2K mentions and nearly 130K shares, likes and comments in just a few days, RAT+ achieved an exceptional level of engagement for a commercial offer – clear proof that it hit its target.
The promotion of the offer ran throughout March 2023 across digital and multiple media formats, including OOH and DOOH, with contextual placements in key locations for the audience (bars, university campuses, and more).
