Government lauches foreign languages campaign

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched an integrated marketing campaign to encourage secondary school pupils to take GCSEs in modern foreign languages (MFL). The campaign strategy, aimed at 11 to 14 year olds, was developed by Naked Communications with Farm creating the advertising.

It is based on the proposition that studying MFL allows young people to connect with other cultures within their immediate environment, as well as opening up future opportunities professionally and personally.

The campaign encompasses above-the-line advertising, partnership marketing, PR and online. The TV ads (pictured) will aim to showcase various examples of modern French, Spanish and German youth culture. They feature an indie band, rappers, footballers, a dancer and singer.

Phd content arm Drum has created an advertiser funded series, Je Suis Un Rockstar, to support the campaign. The series will run on the teen-focused T4 strand on Channel 4. Four 30-minute episodes will follow indie band The Wombats on tour around Europe, with three young linguists given the chance to act as their tour “fixer” in one of three European tour locations in Germany, France and Ibiza.

Digital agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine has created a digital campaign which will launch in September.