advertising for the book will ultimately not be broadcast in train stations – Libération

Friday evening, departure for the weekend. Headphones in your ears, hands in your pockets, you are on the station platform waiting for your train. You look up and there, oh surprise: Jordan Bardella's face is there, large, on an advertising poster promoting his book What I'm looking for. This Monday, October 28, Mediatransports, the advertising agency of the SNCF, finally announces that this vision of horror will not take place: contrary to what was announced in mid-October, there will be no in the stations of France advertising for the book by the president of the National Rally.

The company which manages the advertising panels in SNCF stations and the Paris metro, specified that the visual of the poster infringed “to the principles of neutrality” specific to advertising management. SNCF unions had previously estimated that an advertising campaign “in the service of a far-right political party” had no place in the stations. This decision was immediately denounced by Jordan Bardella who said “unworthy” by this “act of censorship”.

According to documents consulted by LiberationHachette Livre, the parent company of its publisher Fayard and owned by identity billionaire Vincent Bolloré, had negotiated a massive poster campaign with the SNCF advertising agency. It planned advertisements for Jordan Bardella's book in 54 RER stations in the suburbs, on 167 panels, between November 25 and December 1. Then, from December 11 to 17, in thirteen Parisian stations (on 172 panels) and 43 stations in the provinces (242 panels).

SNCF had agreed to broadcast advertisements paid for by Hachette Livre without knowing that they would concern Jordan Bardella. The public company said it had contacted Liberation “embarrassed” by learning the content of the advertisement. The book will be released on November 9.