Progress You Barely Hear

From Renault’s “Quiet Overtake” to auto-generated Shorts and commerce-ready TikTok pins, subtle shifts are reshaping how brands move and sell.

Author

Javier García
December 06, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Introduction

Welcome to another exciting week!

Table of Contents

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Best Ad of the Week

Renault – “The Quiet Overtake” (2025 Electric Vehicle Campaign)

Renault’s “The Quiet Overtake” uses silence as its main creative device. The ad follows two cars driving through a small French village at dawn: a traditional petrol car making its way noisily, and an electric Renault passing it quietly. As the EV glides ahead, the camera shifts to show the reactions of locals—a baker preparing croissants, an elderly couple opening their shutters, a child feeding a cat—none of whom notice the overtake at all. The final line appears: “Progress you barely hear.”

Key marketing lessons

• Contrast as communication: The ad doesn’t rely on technical specs to show the benefits of electric driving. It lets silence make the case.
• Shift focus from speed to serenity: Instead of portraying EVs as futuristic performance machines, Renault positions them as peaceful and considerate.
• Everyday realism builds credibility: The small-town morning scenes feel familiar and genuine, grounding the message in daily life.
• Human-centric storytelling: The reactions—or lack of reactions—of people in the village reinforce the emotional benefit: less disturbance, more calm.
• A tagline that reframes innovation: “Progress you barely hear” turns quietness into a brand advantage rather than a limitation.

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Weekly Tip

Keep Your Message Front-Loaded

Place your strongest idea or benefit at the start, where attention is highest. Everything after should support that point.

• Open with the main insight, not the context
• Use following lines to expand, not introduce
• Cut any slow build-up that dilutes impact

Front-loading ensures your message lands even with quick readers.

Weekly Challenge

Carousel Clarity Challenge

This week, improve the way you structure multi-slide posts:

• Create a carousel that follows a simple pattern: hook, value, value, value, takeaway
• Keep each slide focused on a single sentence or idea
• Post it at a time when your audience is usually active
• Check swipe-through rate and saves to measure clarity

Clear structure makes carousels easier to follow—and easier to save.

Submissions + Feedback

Hope you enjoyed today’s post, if you know someone who may be interested, feel free to send it to them.

Also, if you want me to cover any specific subject on the next issue or share some feedback, feel free to reply to this email.

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