On October 5th, 2050NOW published its first video on YouTube. It is dedicated to the history of panda conservation. Until now, you only offered short videos. Why are you now offering longer formats?
These new formats primarily allow us to diversify our offer. They also enable adding nuance and complexity, which is especially relevant for ecological transition topics, which often tend toward emotion and binary viewpoints. Moreover, a major advantage of these longer formats, compared to platforms like TikTok, is that they allow giving a voice to people — particularly scientists — whose analyses cannot be summarized in just a few seconds. We will offer three clearly distinct formats: narrative and reports. The first narrative section is called “Success Story.” The second offers an environmental approach through the video game “Minecraft,” aiming to use a popular culture object to better understand complex climate issues. The last will offer reports, with the goal of meeting those who adapt and create solutions.
By being present on multiple platforms, what kind of audience are you trying to reach?
On YouTube, we are targeting those who no longer watch TV — namely people under 35. More broadly, we aim at 17- to 40-year-olds. We were actually surprised to find that on vertical platforms, especially TikTok, we reached a broader audience, ranging from 18 to 40 years old. This shows these platforms are gaining popularity.
With the multiplication of media specializing in climate issues, why launch 2050NOW? And how does it distinguish itself from others?
The media landscape, especially on environmental topics, is indeed very saturated. However, many of these media focus on denunciation and feelings. Their approaches are effective and necessary, but few highlight concrete solutions. That’s exactly where we come in, with the following triptych: understanding, solutions, action. By crossing several studies, we discovered that 14 million French people felt “caught” between guilt-inducing activist discourse and the discouraging greenwashing of companies. We then realized there was room for a solution-oriented approach. It’s enough to provide these millions of people with keys to understanding, share solutions, and encourage them to act. We are convinced that this is how we can create progress in a world whose planetary limits we now understand.
What are 2050NOW’s goals?
In terms of audience, we already exceeded, as early as August, our target of 10,000 subscribers per platform, initially set for December. Financially, the goal is to break even within five years by monetizing this audience through three main conversion pillars that constitute the media’s economic model.
Which ones?
The first is the job board in our free newsletter. It currently includes four job offers from companies and sectors with impact. Our goal is that by 2025, companies will pay to post their job offers. The second is inspired by the “infopreneur” model: micro-learning in the form of paid videos. Thanks to the popularity of our social media videos, we will offer deeper dives into topics through paid training focused on “consumption, work, health” themes. The third pillar relies on GreenUnivers newsletters, a B2C media specializing in the energy transition sector, which we acquired and integrated into the 2050NOW structure. The plan is to create more growth by developing new newsletters, notably a paid newsletter for a professional audience, expected by the end of the year.
Offering training implies encouraging action. How does 2050NOW position itself regarding engagement?
2050NOW defines itself as an engaged media without being militant. We believe individual freedom must happen within respect for the common good, in a global and collective framework. We aim to stay close to science and business. The challenge is to reconcile ecology and economy, notably through “La Maison,” an activity supporting companies in their green transformations. Since companies are a large part of the ecological transition problem, they are consequently a large part of the solution.
What exactly are the missions of these two structures?
2050NOW operates as an ecosystem, where on one side, the media targets the general public, and on the other, “La Maison” targets companies. Formerly Netexplo, “La Maison” is a knowledge center and accelerator for sustainable business transformation. Both the media and “La Maison” are financially autonomous and aim to support individuals or companies towards ecological transition.
How do you ensure editorial independence of the media from “La Maison”?
To avoid any suspicion of greenwashing, we have no advertisements and no branded content. Additionally, we have established a scientific council of 12 diverse profiles, working in science or engineering in France and abroad. This council meets to review 2050NOW’s editorial content. For example, recently, the editorial team had lunch with an economist who shared expertise and feedback on our content. We also intend to become a mission-driven company, committing to social and environmental goals. This status is verified by an external entity certifying the company’s respect for its commitments.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve encountered since launching the media?
2050NOW is the third media I’ve launched, and my experience helps in prioritizing. But the main challenge was building a community from scratch. This was a key part of the brief as part of the Le Parisien-Les Échos group. The goal was to reach a new audience without duplicating those of other media brands. We succeeded by involving micro-influencers, content creators without necessarily large followings but perfectly aligned with our values.
As a veteran in media launches, what is your management approach at 2050NOW?
For Vincent Giret, our CEO, and myself, it is crucial to develop a healthy work environment. This starts by fairly paying our collaborators, formalizing contracts for regular contributors, and strictly respecting working hours. Young journalists we work with stress this, and rightly so.
All this with reasonable resources. We are far from the size of large video newsrooms like Brut, Le Monde, or Le Parisien. The challenge is to place the right resources in the right place, balancing free content that builds notoriety and paid content that sustains our economic model.
What are the major next steps for 2050NOW?
With the recent launches of the free newsletter and the YouTube channel, in addition to short videos, we now have our three main pillars that need development and consolidation. However, it will take some time before declaring success. Although our launch was a success in audience terms, it will take around two years to build and stabilize our community. The real challenge will be to become a significant player in the information market.
By Alix Fortin.
