A communication and influence consultancy, between Africa and France
Cabinet 86 is a digital communication and influence consultancy founded in 2021 by Benjamin Gateau. From Paris and Abidjan, we advise institutions, companies and their executives on what is said about them and the image their audiences take away.
What we do
We work in three fields that feed into one another: strategic monitoring, reputation management and influence communication.
Monitoring comes first. Before we advise, we listen: press, social media, search engines, forums, answers from generative AI. We look for weak signals, narratives that are taking hold and the players driving them.
Reputation is what we work on. It is built for an organisation as for an executive: search, personal profiles, public speaking, crisis response. We protect it when it is under attack and we build it when it does not yet exist.
Influence is how we act: content, editorial calendars, ecosystem engagement and spokesperson training, to establish your credibility with your audiences.
These three fields come together in countering information manipulation: detecting a coordinated campaign, understanding how it works and responding with facts.
Where they meet: countering information manipulation.
Our conviction
“What is said matters less than what is believed.” This line from Henry Kissinger sums up our work. A reputation cannot be decreed in a press release; it takes shape in the minds of those who read, share, comment and decide. Our job is to understand how that belief is formed, then act on the signals that feed it.
At Cabinet 86, analysis and action are carried out by the same people.
Our method: capture, analyse, build
Three stages, always in the same order, for every assignment in France or in Africa.
Capture signals before others do
We continuously monitor our clients’ information environment, in French and in English, in digital sources and on the ground. Open source intelligence (OSINT) techniques let us spot early what would become a problem if left unanswered.
Analyse what is said about you
Our consultants put every mention in context: who is speaking, to which audience, with what real reach and in what balance of power. Our ecosystem maps identify the amplifiers, the opponents and the undecided.
Build the strategy and roll it out
The analysis leads to a plan: key messages, channels, timetable, spokespeople, indicators. We roll it out with your teams or on their behalf, and we measure it.
The founder
Benjamin Gateau founded Cabinet 86 in 2021, after fifteen years in agencies in Paris, including Havas Worldwide Paris, Havas Paris, No Com and LeCab. There he advised large groups, institutions and executives on their reputation and digital communication. He built Cabinet 86 around a simple idea: a growing share of reputation issues play out between Europe and Africa, and they demand the same rigour on both sides.
The team
Benjamin Gateau, founder : strategy, executive reputation, client relations.
Rémi Barra, consulting director : account management, influence communication, crisis management.
Haby Tall, project director : running assignments, coordinating production.
Alban Lipp, social media and content manager : account management, content creation, creative monitoring.
Marie Goullioud, head of business development : partner relations and new mandates.
Our offices: Paris and Abidjan
The firm is based at 16 rue de l’Arcade in Paris and in Cocody Angré, Abidjan. These two offices give us a daily reading of the two media landscapes our clients operate in. We work regularly in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, Morocco and Madagascar, and with French and European organisations active on the continent.
Those who trust us
Major French groups (luxury, banking, energy, infrastructure, healthcare, services), mining and industrial programmes in West Africa, public institutions, investment funds, organisers of major pan-African business events and executives in a personal capacity. The full list of references is on the home page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cabinet 86?
Cabinet 86 is a consultancy specialising in communication, digital influence and online reputation, founded in 2021 by Benjamin Gateau. It advises institutions, companies and executives in France and in Africa.
Where is Cabinet 86 based?
The firm has two offices: at 16 rue de l’Arcade in Paris, France, and in Cocody Angré in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
What is the difference between Cabinet 86 and a traditional communication agency?
Cabinet 86 starts with monitoring and analysis before anything is said in public. The same consultants observe, analyse and advise, whereas a traditional agency often separates content production from understanding the environment.
Who does Cabinet 86 work for?
For major French and international groups, industrial and mining programmes in West Africa, public institutions, investment funds, organisers of pan-African business events and executives in a personal capacity.
Which African countries do you work in?
Mainly Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, Morocco and Madagascar, and wherever our French and European clients operate on the continent.
How does a collaboration start?
With a 45-minute conversation to understand what is at stake, followed in most cases by an online reputation audit or an ecosystem study, which forms the basis of our recommendation.