Concentrated on the world of tech, the media group Humanoid, editor of the Numerama and Frandroid websites, is tackling a new editorial sphere: the female press. He announced this Thursday the acquisition of a French pureplayer well known to young internet users, Madmoizelle. " We wanted to diversify the group outside of tech by making acquisitions, " explains Ulrich Rozier, co-founder of Humanoid. This strategy was made possible by a fundraiser completed in September 2019 with the Lille fund Re-sources.
Madmoizelle also has Lille roots. Founded in 2005 in the northern metropolis, this site with a dozen employees has created over the years a loyal community and committed to its feminist line committed for 15-30 year olds. Its founder, Fabrice Florent, leaves the company to make way for a new management. Marine Normand, content and communication manager of Gaité Lyrique and co-founder of the women's website Retard Magazine, becomes general manager of the site. The editorial management goes to Mélanie Wanga, co-founder of the newsletter and the feminist podcast Quelle de meuf, and of the podcast on black pop culture Le Tchip.
Madmoizelle has 6 million visits per month, a figure stable for three years. " This site has great potential and can double or even triple its audience, " says Ulrich Rozier. The ambition is to make Madmoizelle " the reference female web media in France for young women, " says Mélanie Wanga. “ Madmoizelle has been at the forefront of feminist issues from the start of the 2010s. He must continue to be, by being very inclusive. "
Priority to societal issues
The model assumed is that of the American Teen Vogue (Condé Nast), which went from a light publication on beauty and romantic relationships to a magazine committed to the empowerment of young girls of all origins. “ We have to adapt this concept to French culture. But the idea is to focus on societal issues , ”continues Mélanie Wanga. The new management intends to be in tune with the aspirations of the younger generation, more politicized, and who no longer necessarily recognizes themselves in women's magazines and the standards of beauty they disseminate. " Editorial quality and seriousness are not repellents to audiences, " said Marie Turcan, editor in chief of Numerama. " Madmoizelle talks to women about real life, " adds Marine Normand.
Humanoid will build on the successful transformation of Numerama, which it acquired in 2015, to help Madmoizelle to develop its audiences. But the group will also learn from the newcomer. " Madmoizelle is powerful on events with its karaoke evenings which bring together more than 1000 people, its stand-up evenings, masterclasses, cinema screenings ... They know how to fill rooms ", underlines Marine Normand. The events are however put on hold with the health crisis.
The site has an e-commerce activity with the Madmoizelle box. " They also do podcasts, videos, and are present on social networks where Humanoid is absent, such as Snapchat, " adds Marie Turcan. So much know-how that can benefit the other sites of the group. Humanoid also wishes to rely on the strong Madmoizelle community to design paid offers. " Why not launch a club, which will offer additional services or content, " says Marine Normand. No question, however, of placing the articles on the site under a paywall.
