"May I have an iced latte, please?" — A Unique Taste of French Flexibility

What’s a sweltering summer week without iced coffee?

Wandering the streets of Paris, I asked for an iced latte in cafés big and small—usually with a slightly apologetic look on my face—and the responses felt like opening a surprise box every time.

"Starbucks" Coffee Influencer's Version

Some baristas waved me off, pretending they didn’t understand. Some gave me a hot latte alongside a cup of ice. Others pulled out a shaker, gave it a dramatic shake, and even strained the ice shards through a tiny sieve—presenting me with a mystery drink that tasted like coffee-flavored melted gelato.

Iced lattes may not be part of the traditional European coffee canon, but Parisian baristas interpreted my request in their own distinct ways. Much like that, French creatives respond to emerging trends in the global marketing industry with their own lens—innovative, open-minded, and full of character. That’s how they continue to stand out in a crowded international creative scene.

Take Chanel, for example. As a keeper of timeless legacy, Chanel is not going to hand you an iced latte. She’ll be elegantly holding a cigarette and might even roll her eyes at your request.“You want milk? It’s over there. Add it yourself.”The black coffee? Obviously hot.

Iconic Japanese Garden

In fact, the café might even include a full-on Japanese garden.While passionately walking you through the history of the house, they’ll explain how every campaign, even a hundred years later, still honors Coco’s original vision.

They guard their brand image fiercely. As Alex once said, Chanel doesn’t follow trends—they even have the ability to create them. And even then, their sense of freshness and modernity is still always rooted in continuity. They won’t chase fads. Period.

Now over at advertising giant Havas, maybe you’ll get a hot café crème.We pitched real cases in front of seasoned professionals at such a heavyweight agency? Let’s just say—it was intense.

My Captains

Our team was presenting as if we were part of Havas —structured, thorough, and maybe a bit too academic. After all, we were still students, sticking closely to what we’d learned. Then came their work: just three ultra-minimalist slides—clean, precise, unmistakably French. It was what they had actually delivered to a client.

That’s when it clicked: this is how a top agency works. No academic fluff. No overloaded frameworks. Just sharp, focused, elegantly simple, and a laser focus on what truly matters—straight to the pain point of clients.

One stylish French gentleman, brimming with charisma, heard my classmates' wild ideas and dropped a casual: “Maybe... you can do it by yourself.” It just like he handed us a cup of ice—as if to say, "Here’s what I can give you instead." It was witty. And somehow—iconically French.

Pizza Lunch at Orès

At EDG, you’d probably get a café frappé—and maybe even a slice of French pizza on the side. Sure, it’s basically an iced latte… maybe with some syrup, maybe shaken, maybe even with a KitKat thrown in. Why not?

Their flexibility is next level.With “digital” and “group” in the name, they house a constellation of creative talents. We visited both Follow and Orès—the former being a powerhouse in influencer and social media strategy, and the latter offering a distinct flair for brand storytelling and positioning.

Together, they’re like a coffee-fueled creative lab: if you can imagine it, they can probably make it.

Luxurynsight

Then there’s Luxurynsight. Yes—they’ll give you an actual iced latte. Coffee. Milk. Ice. Straw. Done.And they’ll tell you: “Our iced latte is the most affordable in town!”

As a company rooted in AI, they’ve gone far beyond data dashboards. They dive deep into the luxury industry—pricing, strategy, forecasting—using AI to predict trends and monitor global pricing in real time. They've even built a visualized intelligence platform.

With AI in the mix, whatever you need, they’ll find a way to deliver. It’s very much the “yes we can” version of iced coffee.

From brands to agencies to consultancies, every player in France’s marketing ecosystem has their own way of interpreting your “order,” blending culture, workflow, and creative DNA into a response.

They each hold on stubbornly to their principles—yet show incredible flexibility and imagination. Maybe that’s the secret to why French culture and advertising remain relevant and iconic, both in history and in the now.