Ultra popular, the pornographic site has become in a few years a brand present on multiple media, and on Friday launched its print magazine. Feedback on a 100% made in France success.
“One shot” or a sustainable project? “We’ll see,” Thierry replies calmly. Thierry is Jacquie and Michel’s com manager, who launched his first print magazine on Friday.
For those who don’t know, (or pretend they don’t), this is porn. Pure and hard. The idea? Amateurs filmed by pros: the baker, the pharmacist, the manager of the local SME … Everyone is there, literally and figuratively. Straightforward porn, in a way.
At stake? A brand generating millions of euros in profits. From a web page created almost by chance to a real phenomenon, a look back at a French success story.
From National Education to the creation of a porn site
The story begins in 1999, when the internet stammers and VHS tapes are still being traded under wraps. Michel, a teacher in Toulouse, takes advantage of an observation internship to learn about computers. And create a site dedicated to sharing travel photos. A few days later, a photo of a completely naked couple was posted there. These French traveling to the United States had no idea that they had just laid the foundation stone of a real empire.
Because in front of his screen, Michel pinches himself: audience statistics are exploding. He therefore decides to continue his momentum, and invites those who wish to share their daring photos. The mayonnaise sets, and dozens of pictures soon arrive every day: JacquieetMichel.net is born.
The progression is steady, so much so that in 2005, Michel left the National Education to devote himself full time. And take the opportunity, by the way, to register the Jacquie et Michel brand.
“Thank you Jacquie and Michel”
Two years later, the first videos appear. Of low quality, they have met with only mixed success. Michel then decides to call on a seasoned director, with the same outline: no professional actors, a somewhat rudimentary style, and raw dialogues. The concept hits the mark, and the JacquieetMichelTV site is a hit.
2011 will mark a turning point in the adventure. On a shoot, an amateur releases an innocuous “Thank you Jacquie et Michel”. The sentence clicks in Michel’s mind. In the early days, the latter mostly asks actresses to repeat it in the middle of scenes, in order to leave a digital imprint when the videos get hacked and land on other sites. Then decides to make a real trademark of it, seeing that the craze goes beyond the borders of the small world of X. Supporters seize it in football or rugby stadiums, songs flourish on YouTube… and attendance of the site explodes.
So much so that Michel’s small business, which in the process hired around fifteen people, began to diversify its activities. Dating site, “Live show” … and even virtual reality. The brand itself is developing through the sale of derivative products (T-shirts bearing the “Merci Jacquie et Michel” logo, all kinds of goodies, beer brands, etc.).
Between 3 and 4 million euros in profits
The result: a turnover of 12 million euros in 2015, the year in which the first physical store of what is now a group with multiple branches opened. With 3-4 million in profits, the operation is profitable, although the video site is not the heart of J & amp; M’s business.
It was in order to continue this strategy of being present on all media that Jacquie and Michel landed on newsstands on Friday September 30th. And even if the paper press is a sector in great difficulty, “we are convinced of being able to be profitable in this segment”, assures Thierry. Proof of the hope aroused by the project: the first magazine was printed in 60,000 copies.
At the same time, the company is preparing to move upmarket, with high-budget videos and professional actors, via its JacquieetMichelElite site. And will attempt in October a breakthrough on the American market, yet ultra competitive. What will (perhaps) delight the defenders of “made in France”.
Article published on 01/10/2016 on bfmbusiness.