I've always liked French advertising – the good ones anyway –, for their often quirky humour, their double-entendres and their thinly veiled sensuality. What I appreciate most is that they are willing to take chances and sometimes come up with quite unexpected solutions for certain products. Take for example the series of posters and commercials created by Parisian advertising agency BETC Euro RSCG for the Peugeot Partner Tepee car model.

The concept for the ad series – would you rather have a real, practical car or a shiny toy? – is visualised by pitting the Peugeot Tepee against typical car clichés: the bling SUV, the showoff sports model, the oversized limo, and the ego-tripper car. It was devised by the creative team of creative director Rémi Babinet, art director Raphaël Halin and copywriter Benjamin Sanial. Contrary to most car ads the actual car is not shown, but rendered in a three-dimensional linear illustration style. The opponents on the other hand are entirely typographical, words moulded into car shapes, with wheels underneath. The primary colour scheme is fun and striking, and the hand lettered Futura Extra Bold nicely complements the drawn cars.

The posters are good, and the animated commercials are even better, with their silly music and even sillier pay-offs. This is a car brand that doesn't take itself too seriously. They realise that for this model they can afford to get off the beaten path, and I commend them for that. I personally like this series very much. It is original and unexpected, and conveys a lighthearted and friendly atmosphere that fits the no-nonsense type of car. As I belong to the target audience – my cars have to be able to fit a family of five on the one hand and half a rock band on the other hand – I can testify the approach works.

You can watch three commercials in high definition on the Culture Pub website.

Peugeot : Partner Tepee : Much too much

Peugeot : Partner Tepee : Bling bling

Peugeot : Partner Tepee : Moimoimoi