“Dear friends,
It goes without saying that the following note is secret and must not leave your four offices. It is only intended to serve you and guide your team in the coming weeks.
Our agency, under the many different names it carries, advises the major candidates for the French presidential election. And we can take great pride in this fact. All of this is the fruit of extensive efforts, which have been deployed for many years, to gain the confidence of all these people and those close to them. This is also the result of the extensive work of your advertising, sociologists, specialists in polls, interactive marketing, internet teams, and all the other techniques, constantly renewed, so necessary for your work, which I would remind you the lofty and noble mission: to convince.
For now, the French presidential campaign is unfolding smoothly and perfectly, in accordance with our recommendations and our interests.
As we have required, all the serious candidates are carefully refusing to talk about their record and even less about their programs. We managed to convince them that voters are amnesiac and myopic, that the campaign is just a show for them and that they are not interested in the past or in the future. It was easy then to demonstrate the necessity to come up with a new idea every day, blotting out the idea of the day before. It does not matter much what subject it is, the important thing is for it to be talked about, not to stand still, giving the feeling of unlimited dynamism. Above all, to avoid being accused of routine, of being boring: who wants to spend the next five years with a President who keeps hashing and rehashing the same ideas, for fear of contradicting himself?
This is perhaps contrary to the interests of democracy, which would require candidates to compete in-depth about their visions and their projects. It is not our case and should not become one. Our interest is to sell to both sides a maximum of surveys (at least one per day), qualitative studies (at least three per week). This will allow us not only to generate a comfortable turnover, but also, additional advantage, to relay, day after day, the messages and concerns of our other customers, commercial enterprises, on which our economic welfare depends.
In principle, there is nothing to fear: the tyranny of the new is everywhere in this society, for our greatest benefit. And even if we did not exist (and after all, maybe we do not exist), everything would be probably in the same way. But if I think that it is helpful to write you today, it is so that you stay vigilant, so that you avoid any unintended results, possible during the last days, in case the voters suddenly become more pressing.
No subject should remain a dominant news story for more than 24 hours. It is up to you to offer every day to every campaign team, depending on the outcome of your studies, new and different subjects. It is up to you to create controversy, to test moods, words, gestures, attitudes, smiles and slogans. Everything except projects.
I am counting on you.”