To stay relevant to the next generation of Francophone and Francophile children, Groupe Média TFO has rebranded with an effort that highlights how educational content can help kids pursue their dreams.

Handled by Juniper Park\TBWA and its Le Parc design arm, the rebranding includes new animations for TFO’s on-screen design, as well as static assets for the French media company’s several sub-brands, which include MiniTFO for kids, FlipTFO for pre-teens, the new adult-focused PlusTFO, the Idello by TFO digital platform and LUV 3D studio.

[iframe_vimeo video = “451587878”]

But the centrepiece of the brand relaunch is a short film called “L’Echo (The Echo),” which Juniper Park\TBWA and its partner agency Tam-Tam\TBWA created with Wonderlust Media. The short is an allegory about education and self-confidence, showing a grandmother talking to her grandson about “the echo” of people in one’s life telling them not to waste their time chasing their dreams. But the film drives at the point of not letting the external voices become “the voice we hear inside of us,” as the grandmother did just that and became an astronaut, despite what other people said.

“L’Echo” highlights TFO’s broader mission and belief that “the stories we tell today, will shape our tomorrow,” which is encapsulated in the brand’s new positioning, “enlightening tomorrow.”

[iframe_vimeo video = “450246457”]

“We are responsible to make sure that our content is well thought [out] to sustain the development of the kids,” says Carole Nkoa, senior director of marketing and communications at Groupe Média TFO. “‘Enlightening Tomorrow’ is about those global competencies we will all need, and all the new generations will need, to adapt easily to this new job market that is deeply changing because of all the digital transformation we’re experiencing.”

Those competencies consist of skills like communication, collaboration, problem resolution and critical thinking, things it also attempts to show through its programming.

For instance, the brand’s “FlipTFO” programming block has “Flip l’algorithme,” which shows viewers “the crazy world of algorithms,” looking to enhance the Francophone youth’s problem resolution and critical thinking skills. “FlipTFO” is also supplemented with an extensive library of online content, told in the format of YouTube videos that are increasingly popular with younger viewers, like comedy videos, tutorials and reviews. TFO’s Idēllo platform, geared towards slightly younger children, has programming like “Boukili,” which accompanies French-speaking children and Francophiles on educational trips around the world, supplemented with an online platform that includes 120 animated books, games and quizzes to enhance learning.

Adapting to new digital learning opportunities has been a priority for TFO. L’Echo shows the grandson watching a video on his tablet, alluding to the digital transformation of education, as TFO looks to appeal to the innately tech-savvy younger generations growing up with such devices. TFO is looking to stay relevant with younger generations, in a democratized media environment where children can get similar programming on YouTube.

Touché Media handled the media buy for the new campaign, which is appearing through paid digital and social.