Angela Natividad's Live & Uncensored!

01 December 2009

more.madame: The Lovechild of Chanel and Le Figaro


With a few helpful tailor's tugs from agency Mediaedge:cia, Chanel Joaillerie (Jewelry) and Figaro Group -- parent company of French publication Le Figaro and related subsidiaries -- have partnered to conceive more.madame. Running from November 21 to December 19, it's toted as the first-ever "digital standalone" -- or hors-série digital.

Part ad, part supplementary miniseries, the work celebrates the contemporary woman: a pristine if idle creature reeking of restrained force, moving like a hot knife through a man's world. Art, games, editorial and videos add colour and context to her tapestry.



Chanel Joaillerie says the objective was to give users a fresh editorial experience, using not just a panoply of media but the talent of new and experienced sound effects experts, designers, artists, composers, and film-makers.

Interestingly, the Figaro editorial team was given the freedom to incorporate any content it considered relevant to the "modern woman" theme -- including use and mention of fashion brands in direct competition with Chanel.

In total there are five themed videos, one launching every Saturday for the next few weeks. Live videos presently include "Mode" (fashion) and "Culture"; "Voyage" (travel), "Video Game" and "Art" are on their way.


After watching a video, you're given the somewhat limited option to share them: clicking on the provided Facebook or Twitter icons, for example, opens the sites in question with a ready-made message and link.

Come on, guys. What makes "embed" so scary?

Banner ads promoting the work are slathered across Madame Figaro, the ladies' arm of Le Figaro, as well as select media like Influencia.net. They look less like banners than media in their own right, but they aren't the widgets they appear to be. Clicking play, in this case, manifests a pop-up of the more.madame subsite -- which is still better than altogether wresting you from the site you're on.


Barring a couple of things mentioned above, the work is otherwise stunning, and the experience is smooth. Impressive that the project's complexity didn't lend the occasional awkward Flash moment. Nice job, ladies and gents. (This also makes a nice educational aside to the Geek Chic Wave I'm currently hosting. Want in? The water's fine!)

Follow the project on Twitter: @madamefigaro. Hat-tip to Influencia.

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