25.7.08

A white "M"

It seems that there is a regulation concerning the shop (restaurant etc...) signs allowed on the Champs-Elysées. They must be white - or possibly “golden”. This is the reason why you here can find what is supposed to be the only white McDonald's “M” in the world. (The "M" on the wall is golden.)

I wanted to check if the regulations are respected also more in general, and basically I can confirm that this is (more or less) the case. There are some “golden” exceptions to the white, which should be OK. However, I have a doubt concerning some other ones – see the right column. Shall I make a report to the authorities? It’s Friday again. I wish you a very nice weekend!

44 comments:

Shammickite said...

Well, how interesting! I'm glad that there are guidelines for the signs because I would hate the Champs-Elysees to start to resemble some of the Main Streets in USA!

Virginia said...

In my opinion, they wouldn't have to have all those rules if they hadn't let McDonalds there in first place. I have had plenty of hamburgers from McDonalds in my day, but believe me, it doesn't belong on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Stick it in the Charles DeGaulle Airport.

Neva said...

What a cute post of all the signs! I love them! I do not remember all these signs but then they weren't all together were they? very nice...and hey, Virginia...McDonald's and Walmart are the # 1 and # 2 global businesses in the world so .... my question to you...is you've got to be kidding me right?

Olivier said...

comme le chanter si bien Telephone au debut
"Publicité dans la cite
Affiche
Tu t'en fiche, non?"


Tu avais un problème de budget, alors tu te fais sponsorisé ;o)).

Enfin, tu as mis le plus beau de tout les logos : celui du PSG, cette année on est champion (j'y crois chaque année).
Bon Weekend

claude said...

Tu araison, beauvcoup de toutes ces enseignes des Champs sont en blanc et je remarque que celle de Montblanc est en noir. Mes dorées sont peut-être les plus prestigieuses !
Bon WE Peter !

Cergie said...

Ou je me trompe, ou il n'y a pas beaucoup d'enseignes françaises ou même européennes.
Tiens, ma fille est passée à Berlin entre autre) pour ses vacances : Peugeot est toujours sur l'avenue sous les Tilleuls.

hpy said...

LA publicité dans la discrétion - fallait le faire.

krystyna said...

I didn't know about white/ or golden/ McDonald's M.
Thank you Peter for sharing,
and wish you
a wonderful weekend time!

SusuPetal said...

I would suit perfectly on Champs- Elysees, I'm so white in the face!!!!

Have a nice weekend, Peter.

Anonymous said...

tiens je ne connaissais pas cette petite histoire. C'est pas mal quand même de venir chez piteur et qu'il nous raconte des petites histoires avec des petites photos. :-) J'ai vu l'enseigne Nespresso mais je n'ai pas vu George!!!!! Où l'as-tu caché?
What else? hein? hein? hein?
:-))))

Anonymous said...

That is the best looking McDonald sign I have ever seen. I think white deserves more attention than it gets and it gets a lot of attention in your city.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Abraham Lincoln
—Brookville Daily Photo

Maxime said...

Le patron de la "brioche dorée" n'a sans doute pas compris qu'il pouvait avoir droit au "golden" !
Bon WE, Peter.

alice said...

Je choisis Ladurée pour le palais et Dinh Van pour les yeux! Bon week end!

lyliane six said...

Je n'avais jamais remarqué!
mais je n'ai pas besoin de regarder les enseignes je connais l'emplacement des magasins par coeur,il y a un bout de temps que je n'y suis allée m'y promener, la semaine prochaine peut être.
Delphinium: Peter ne veux pas que tu rencontres Georges, il veut garder la promenade sur les champs avec toi, que pour lui tout seul, tu sais il est jaloux.

sonia a. mascaro said...

This regulation concerning the signs allowed on the Champs-Elysées is very interesting. I like seeing the signs. Great post, Peter, as always!
Have a nice weekend as well.

abcd said...

Hi Peter, I am doing well, thanks for your greetings and visits. Have posted a new post on my blog, as per your request. :) :)
Have a nice weekend.

Alain said...

Il y en a quand même qui font de la résistance : le PSG (cher à Olivier), et dans un genre assez différent Montblanc et l'Aeroflot.
J'espère que ce blog est libre de toute publicité...sinon tu as du toucher gros !

HZDP said...

Hi peter,
You took all those white sighs one by one?? Great effort, but I love it, truely something we can't discover if we don't stop by and take a close look. thanks for sharing this "regulation"

Anonymous said...

J'ai bien remarqué qu'il y avait des problèmes à la douane chaque fois que je venais en France, alors si je lis les commentaires de Lyliane, madame la fêtarde du Nord, je vois que tout est de la faute de Mister Piteur Pan. What else Piteur? tu sais que je vais la retrouver la delphinium...

PeterParis said...

ex-shammickite:
Yes, I believe this was exactly the purpose. We should not copy everything!

virginia:
McDondald's has been there for a number of years. I beleive that today they would have been refused. There is now a very tight control on what kind of establsihement has the right to buy or lease here. "H&M" recently received a refusal. Also, it's getting extremely expensive. "Planet Holywood" recently closed.

neva:
See my comments to Virginia: WalMart (who is not present in France) would certainly be refused here!

PeterParis said...

olivier:
Pour PSG tu es bien optimiste! (Oui, j'ai touché le paquet! Je t'offre un verre?)

claude:
C'est étonnant de voir Montblanc en noir; normalement Montblanc s'affiche justement en blanc!

cergie:
Tu trouves quand' même quelques ensignes françaises prestigieuses: Louis Vitton, Cartier, Ladurée, Montblanc, Lacoste, Guerlain...

PeterParis said...

hpy:
Eh oui!

krystyna:
We learn every day!

susupetal:
A disappointing summer in Finland? (Next year will be better!)

PeterParis said...

delphinium:
Georges? Georges qui? :-))

abraham:
Maybe they should make them white everywhere?
Nice weekend to you as well!

maxime:
Très bonne remarque!

PeterParis said...

alice:
Je te suis pour Ladurée et les macarons!

lyliane:
Tout le monde parle de Georges! Quel Georges? :-))

sonia:
Nice weekend to you as well!

PeterParis said...

pink ginger:
At last you are back!!!!

alain:
Pas de pub officiel ici (mais on peut tuojours toucher sous la table)! :-)

zoe:
Yes, one by one! Tough life to be a blogger! :-)

PeterParis said...

georges:
Qui êtes vous donc? Vous avez vos papiers d'identité? ... et pour Delphinium; il faut mériter son amitié!!

Anonymous said...

cher piteur, Delphinium et moi c'est plus que de l'amitié...:-)))

je vous ressers un petit café? et what else?

Kate said...

Dear Peter, It seems that some of the worst of our US culture unfortunately becomes part of world culture, and I mean fast food places like McDonald's! But, I guess it doesn't look too garish in white. Interesting concept which I didn't know until I read your posts. Hope that you're having a great week-end. How're the grandkids??

Anonymous said...

Leave it to you to tell us this, and take all those pictures of signs! I remember our friend Gian-Carlo driving us on the Champs Elysées, and telling us that workers clean the white buildings every night of any graffiti or soil that has accumulated. We were astonished. So now this does not surprise me so much.

PeterParis said...

georges:
M... alors! Bon, j'aime trop le Nespresso pour réfuser!

kate:
Yes, I agree, too much of McDonald's, Starbuck... is too much! The grandkids are doing fine, thanks! Will see them tomorrow!

ruth:
Paris is fairly well cleaned nowadays!

Anonymous said...

Ah, that' good. If the authorities didn't control that you would see terrible signs. So the character of that street is kept expensive and luxurious.

Here, they are trying to control that wherever it's possible. Imagine a historical building with terrible advertisement.

Anonymous said...

The boards look very beautiful & different.

Just one question.. Any particular reason for doing it ?

Cuckoo

Noushy Syah said...

Hi Peter..
Gosh,you are so observant! I don't even realise it!...however, the white M doesn't make so much different with the yellow M.

...in the taste precisely:)

Happy weekend!

Thérèse said...

A signaler que les McDo sont en general branches wifi ce qui rend bien service quand on est dans la campagne francaise! Il y a toujours un McDonald's pas loin... ou se brancher pour rechercher des infos et visiter les blogueurs en catimini.
Bon mais rien a voir avec cet episode "enseignes" fort interessant.

Ash said...

How interesting! And what a delightful montage. I feel like I could use some retail therapy now :-)

Mona said...

That is an interesting fact I was never aware of. I wouldn't have noticed it had you not told me! :)

Ming the Merciless said...

How interesting!! I guess the Champs Elysées regulations trump the McDonald rule for yellow signage. :-)

PeterParis said...

april:
Yes, in some cases this kind of control is good!

cuckoo:
I believe the only reason is to keem th place look "decent"!

noushy:
I winder how long the "M" will remain here?. Champs Elysées will probably end up with different kinds of luxoury shops only.

PeterParis said...

therese:
On commence à trouver le wifi un peu partout maintenant. (Peut-être un peu moins en province.)

ash:
The retail therapy is missing over there?

mona:
To be honest, I was made aware of it by a friend!

PeterParis said...

ming:
Well understood! :-))

Olivier said...

juste en passant (ayant eut quelques problèmes de droit a l'image ce weekend , j'ai fait des recherches) tu n'as pas le droit de mettre des photos de marque sans leur accord...et oui...De toute façon dans peu de temps, on ne pourra faire que des autoportraits (et encore si on se signe une autorisation ;o)) )

Anonymous said...

The French have such good taste. I wish that was a rule in London.

PeterParis said...

olivier:
Dur, dur la vie d'un bloggeur!

pen:
London is also beautiful!!

Mervat said...

Peter, I was so taken with the rest of the Champs, especially on the 'green' long weekend that I completely disregarded the big 'M' - wish I had noticed it now. I guess it 'pales' in comparison ;)

Mervat