Would Tintin use a smartphone ?

These days, when walking in the streets, listening to the radio, shopping, you might be overwhelmed images of Tintin, especially in France.

Triggered by the release of the cinematographic adaptation by Steven Spielberg of Tintin (The Adventures of Tintin – Secret of the unicorn : the first of a trilogy of movies).

This love for Tintin is not a new phenomenon, far from there (the blond reporter’s first appearance dates back to 1929) but only this year has Tintin started to invade the communicational sphere.

McDonalds, Pitch (Pasquier Group), Carrefour, media : many are those who take advantage of the character to promote their own products.

Did firms use traditional communication devices or an innovative, 360° degree, communication ?

Two examples : 

• Pitch's treasure hunt.

The aim is here… Well what is the aim ? I went on to search for clues, but the internet website is useless (no information telling us what is the treasure hunt all about).

All we understand is that Pitch (mainly brioche type pastries) used the image of Tintin to promote its products.

They have a nicely designed website : http://www.pitch-tintin.com/ , but not interactive at all. You can fill up a form to participate to the “treasure hunt”. A treasure hunt which is merely the possibility (by filling up this form) of wining prices (amongst which a trip to Belgum). But that’s all.

Most shocking of all : Pitch is not even on Facebook ! Even if the entry on social networks is difficult for a brand (between giving too much or not enough liberty to consumers, the right balance is find to hard), taking them into account and using them is vital to create a real relationship between brand and customer.

• Carrefour's "Mille milliards de promos" (translated in English by "billions of blistering promotions"– a word pun on the famous Haddock swear expression "billions of blistering blue barnacles").
This is quite a traditional campaign (disposal of advertisement posters in which characters from the movie are featured). An effort to note was the creation of a dedicated website (http://www.les-aventures-de-tintin.carrefour.fr/ ) to promote the operation. But the content doesn’t enable a full participation of lovers of Carrefour. 

The principle of the operation is the same as Pitch’s: possibility of wining prices. In addition here: the possibility of collecting Tintin figurines available in Stores. But once again, no interactive device (no Smartphone application, and absence from social networks, even if a Facebook share button and a Tweet button have been added at the bottom of the website. 

My conclusions: TINTIN WOULD NOT USE A SMARTPHONE. Tintin-centered campaigns are quite disappointing: lack of innovativeness, lack of use of new technologies (no smartphone application found yet)…

What's even more shocking is the lack of use of 3D, nevertheless one of the arguments for the innovativeness of the new movie !

These campaigns are more the less deceptive that Tintinology (collecting Tintin-based products, and the adventures of Tintin themselves are a symbol of adventure, and of the search for experimentation). 

Know more

For those who are interested on previous ads using Tintin as a promotion argument, see It’s not the first time that Tintin has been used for publicities (see http://pubenstock.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/les-aventures-de-tintin-dans-la-publicite-2/ for examples)

What’s Next ? For a successful 360° communication, wait for my next article “Timberland and CSR : how new technologies are the best way of selling recycled products”
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