A spokesman for the French Embassy denied its international rollout was linked to countries’ domestic policies.
Richard Exon, founder of ad agency Joint, said the ads were a “timely reminder that international relations are heading into tougher, less consensus driven times”.
He added: “Everyone competes with everyone, all of the time. Labour needs to deliver its promise to be ‘the most pro-business government ever’ sharpish so we can compete on equal terms and from a position of strength.”
Greg Silverman, global director of brand economics at Interbrand, added: “Country branding like Choose France is likely to grow in investment and importance for the foreseeable future.
“The notion that globalised trade has been good for all has been the dominant idea since the Second World War. However, globalisation is under scrutiny as policies that favour localisation and ‘nation first’ are on the rise.
“It will be an interesting challenge for governments to brand themselves, but the stakes are too high for them to pass on the requirement to do so.”
It is not the first time a foreign country has sought to capitalise on political uncertainty in the UK through advertising.
In 2016, Germany’s Free Democratic Party deployed a mobile advertising van in central London urging British start-ups to relocate following the Brexit referendum. The tongue-in-cheek poster said: “Keep calm and move to Berlin.”
The French campaign has featured billboard adverts in key locations including airports, business districts and diplomatic buildings around the world, as well as online.
The campaign has also featured at international trade fairs, culminating in the “Choose France” summit at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
France attracted a record €15bn (£12.6bn) of investment at this year’s event, including a €4bn pledge by Microsoft to expand its artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure in the country.
The French Embassy said: “The communication campaign ‘Make it iconic. Choose France’ seeks to promote France’s attractiveness internationally. Several high-profile figures and places are shown, each in their own way embodying bold stories and attitudes, and together urging us to experience, embrace and share the boldness that makes France what it is. The figures provide a gender-balanced representation of various fields of excellence: gastronomy, fashion, science, sport, entrepreneurship and art.
“Planning for the campaign’s international roll-out began several months ago, ahead of the French edition of the international Choose France summit, to be held in Paris at the beginning of next year. The campaign was launched in October 2023. It is continuing in 2024, spreading progressively to new countries.
“The campaign can be seen in 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, and is totally unrelated to those countries’ domestic policy agendas.”
The Treasury has been contacted for comment.