20 year of our Cetelem Mascot
Our Mascot is celebrating its 20th anniversary: discover 20 memorable moments from our employees!
The Cetelem Mascot turns 20! To mark this anniversary, Laura, Pascal, Pascale, Nicolas, Axèle, Grégory, Magalie, Frédéric, Amélie, François, Caroline, Vincent, Marina, Wladimir, Gizela, Antoine, Sébastien, Annabelle, Pierre-Louis, Corinne pay tribute to the Mascot through striking anecdotes and a fun photo shoot.
A big thank you to all for their personal testimonies and happy birthday to the Cetelem Mascot!
20 years of our Cetelem Mascot showcased in 20 testimonies:
Laura Sorel
Risk Operating Officer
‘3 years ago, a colleague gave me his collection of mascots when he retired! Six mascots installed on one of our furniture in our workspace. I was very touched by this gesture and I brought mine back to work to enrich this collection. A few months later, I noticed one morning that the student mascot had disappeared. I posted a wanted notice but never found it. I hope it has simply gone back to school.’
Pascal Marie
Sales Director of the Paris Zone within the France Partnerships Department, Retail Network
‘For my first steps as an actor, I had the immense privilege of wearing the mascot’s costume! It’s not easy to breathe and know where you’re going in it, but what a joy to see how fascinated the BCEF animation teams were when the Mascot appeared in a meeting room! Everyone wanted to touch it, take pictures with it. I was very proud to have contributed to giving a dynamic image of the company and the credit profession to our colleagues.’
Pascale Duflot
IT and Cyber Risk Engineer
‘I took part in a photo contest in which we had to feature the mascot. I’ve been a fan of it since the very beginning and with other fans, we had the idea of modify a photo of the Spice Girls: replacing their faces with ours and the ball that was under their feet with the head of the Mascot. Unfortunately we did not win but won 3rd place. I have incredible memories of it!’
Nicolas Rousseau
Internationale Events Coordination, BCA
‘I remember a meeting in a room overlooking the street with a huge window. At the time, it was equipped with a giant LED wall television on which we broadcast an animated film of the Mascot. As is often the case at the end of school, children came to snack in front of our window and watched the animation on a loop. But that day, they were a little louder than usual and literally threw themselves at the window. Their objective? Kissing the Mascot! With our partner, we smiled and understood the power of attraction of the Mascot.’
Axèle Condy
Reporting Finance Team Leader
‘I remember a remote meeting during which we were commenting on figures. We had a visit from a surprise guest and not just any random guest: the Mascot, who was strolling through the corridors on the occasion of Cetelem France 70th anniversary! Thanks to Teams, everyone was able to see it and say hi! This appearance was like a ray of sunshine! The sympathy we have for for the mascot, relaxed the atmosphere for a few minutes and it did us a lot of good because we were all a little tense.’
Grégory Desfosses
Marketing Digital Officer
‘At a party, I met a man I was convinced I knew without remembering his name. I asked him if he worked at BNP Paribas. To my surprise, he replied that he did not work AT BNP Paribas but FOR BNP Paribas, as an actor! “I play the mascot in TV commercials”, he tells me. You know, the one who sticks post-it notes everywhere or rolls around in the lawn. I understood at that moment how important the mascot was. It must be said that he imitates it well!’
Magalie Pouplier
Software Engineering Referent & Support
‘Twenty years ago, a colleague gave her mascot to my two-year-old daughter! She was sure to please him because I had told her that she loved watching commercials with the green guy! When I offered it to her, my daughter asked me if she had come out of the TV! The mascot became her cuddly toy and all she had to do was look at it when I was at work for her to be reassured. Even when she is over 20 years old, she regularly asks me if the mascot will reappear in TV commercials!’
Frédéric Leblond
IT Tribe Leader
‘When I arrived at the company, I was touched to see many mascots on the desks of some of my colleagues. I did everything I could to get the footballer’s one to give it to my children. I was happy to bring it home but I quickly understood that the Mascot meant nothing to them and that the happiest was me! The Mascot was the first sign of belonging to the company, my new family.’
Amélie Piron
Head of Advertising France, BCA
‘I can still see the two huge coverings that we deployed in the middle of train stations throughout France for the launch of the C’Pay card! The Mascot, smiling to every passenger, was the only thing you could see walking around the station. Many users raised their heads to observe it. The bonhomie of the mascot allowed us to give a positive and sympathetic image for the launch of this product.’
François Paris
DevOps Engineer, IT ADM
‘When the DevOps program was launched, we needed the DSI and production teams to work together. We used the mascot to unite our community and to make multidisciplinary teams understand that we work to serve the profession as a whole and not just for our respective departments. Its logo accompanies us on a daily basis in our assets, serves as a guide and facilitator, especially in our exchanges with countries.’
Caroline Soulié
Chief Customer, Marketing & Innovation Officer
‘I was lucky enough to be part of the working group that created the Mascot! Together with employees and customers, we gave much thought on what would be the best idea to represent and embody credit. Animals, robots, humanoids? In the end, we picked the green guy, that we presented to the teams at the same time as the Shrek movie was released in theaters. We created such a surprise by showing a video in which Shrek was walking, followed by the Mascot. After a long silence, everyone clapped at the end of the video!’
Vincent Pezet
Head of Brand Strategy and Risk Management, BCA
‘A few years ago, at a lawyers’ convention that I was hosting, I realized how much people cared for the Mascot. Some told me that they find the Mascot really touching and how well it embodies our values, to the point that they were themselves willing to defend and advocate these values, such as responsible credit. Others simply asked me for a keyring which I gladly gave them!’
Marina Tan
International Management Control IT, GSL
‘A few months ago, I was looking for a mascot to give to a colleague for her birthday. She has an impressive collection with several mascots and other goodies in the effigy of our green Mascot. I searched on several sites and by chance, I found the plumber’s model on ‘Le Bon Coin’ website! She was over the moon when she opened his gift.’
Vadim Galois
Voice of the Customer Manager
‘I consider the Mascot to be our first child! It was born a few months before the arrival of our eldest daughter and little by little invaded our house: various goodies such as pencil heads or cuddly toys declined in school, plumber or Santa Claus models. My daughter slept with the giant size of the Mascot from an early age until she left to study abroad. It must be said that the Mascot’s smile is really reassuring!’
Gizela Moyal
Customer Relations Advisor
‘I feel a bit like a godmother of the Mascot! I feel like I contributed to its birth by participating in the call for ideas organized to choose between different options to embody the credit industry. I have a special affection for our dear mascot because it embodies the company in which I met my husband. I was lucky enough to have a back-to-back interview with the Mascot for Cetelem’s 70th anniversary. I had the chance to mention how much it had grown up to become a good person.’
Antoine Van De Voorde
Manager PF Data
‘In our family, the Mascot takes an important place and symbolizes the solidarity, solidarity from colleagues and from the company in hard times. The Mascot was there when our youngest child, a few months old, came home after a long hospitalization. My colleagues gave it to me to celebrate its return and our baby immediately adopted it! He gave her a kiss and I think he even tried to eat its head. It was the beginning of an all-consuming love!’
Sébastien Danjean
Expert Credit Risk Analyst
‘At the end of a meeting with my peers from other banks about a topic of identity fraud, I made a joke saying: ‘And yet, I am his spitting image!’, the slogan of one of Cetelem’s advertising campaigns to illustrate with humor the falsification of identity documents. By mimicking the green guy and using his body language, it worked: everyone laughed. Proof that everyone knows the Mascot!’
Annabelle Bricoteau
Skills Development Project Manager, HR Director France
‘Twenty years ago, I attended the Mascot’s launch ceremony! A key moment because the Mascot was going to succeed to an actress known by the general public from Cetelem’s TV commercials! We were all gathered in Paris and the room was plunged into darkness when the Mascot appeared on video, running on a Shrek music. We really didn’t expect this green guy to show up but we found it super happy and nice. The Mascot has been with me since then and I think it embodies our business well.’
Pierre-Louis Rio
Data Change Maker
‘The Mascot, I’ve known her since I was a little boy! I’ve seen her on TV in some pretty funny ads with rather funny slogans. I really like his face! Now that I’m a work-study student, I feel like I see it everywhere: when I arrive at the headquarters, when I connect in the morning… I find that the Mascot is reassuring and that it has that little extra something special that makes you want to come in and work for the company!’
Corinne Chateau
Finance Fronting – Customer Relation
‘During a seminar organized after the merger between Cetelem and UCB, the Mascot was there with us on the dancefloor all night long! Many of us played around her, took her hand. We even played leapfrog. In short, everyone has adopted it!
I remember a great atmosphere that helped us get to know each other better. I’m such a fan of the Mascot that I freed up some space in my library for cuddly toys and goodies!’
