Paris (AFP)

By increasing the use of influencers on social networks, the executive hopes to reach a young target who is more reluctant to traditional media, to deliver them health instructions and testimonies of understanding in the face of the crisis.

The challenge of 10 million views launched by Emmanuel Macron to youtubers McFly and Carlito for a clip calling to respect the anti-Covid 19 barrier gestures will have been taken up in three days: their video "I remember", posted on Sunday morning, crossed the bar on Tuesday night.

These two thirties, who can boast of at least six million subscribers, obtained in return that the Head of State lends himself with them to a "competition of anecdotes" in a future video of the tandem filmed in France. 'Elysium.

"The President of the Republic will obviously keep the commitment he made to them," said government spokesman Gabriel Attal.

Behind the schoolboy bet, initiated by Emmanuel Macron himself, filming himself with his smartphone, hides an increasingly well-established digital strategy.

One year before the presidential election, the executive is looking for effective channels of communication with young people hit hard by the consequences of the crisis.

Emmanuel Macron gave a lengthy interview in December to online media Brut, then continued Q&A on Snapchat.

Jean Castex, alerted by his services, asked at the end of January to call the Youtubeur Gaspard G. who relayed the discomfort of the students in his videos.

Or, and above all, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has set up since November a weekly Sunday evening meeting for discussions with influencers on Instagram.

"The Covid crisis is an accelerator of the need for governments to go to more media," said Mr. Attal to AFP.

"No snobbery that holds", therefore, for Mr. Attal, who chatted from his office or his living room, generally in casual dress, with the leading figures of social networks: EnjoyPhoenix, Tibo in Shape, Neo .... Au menu of this hour of interview, direct questions from the subscribers of these stars, relating to the health situation, the reopening of universities or even restrictions.

"It is above all young people who speak to young people," he summarizes, referring to enticing audiences of up to "500,000 views".

The advantage of Mr. Attal, aged 31, is not to mismatch in the picture, for example being able to evoke his favorite games console.

- "Without filter" from the Elysée -

For influencers, who live for a lot of partnerships with brands, no remuneration.

“But the context also plays: they know that they have a responsibility and can play a positive role with their community. It depoliticizes the issue,” notes an advisor from Matignon.

EmmaCakeCup thinks "great that Gabriel calls on influencers whose subscribers do not necessarily watch television, the orations".

Aged 24, this influencer "mainly followed by a female audience between 18 and 25" enjoyed the exercise even if it was also accompanied by a "wave of hatred", between insults ("lackeys", "collabo") and a few "death threats".

"This is a good way to make young people aware of the decisions that are taken," Youtubeur Fahd El told AFP for his part.

The irruption of politics remains residual in this ecosystem, despite a rise in importance on certain platforms such as Twitch.

It is also on this network that Mr. Attal launches Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. a new broadcast live from the Elysee Palace, called "Without filter", by answering questions from young people, influencers or not, for more than one hour.

Others try their hand at the Clubhouse social network, organized around vocal discussion rooms, like Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari or Senator Nathalie Goulet, head of the UDI list for the regional in Normandy, who is campaigning there on evening with "a young audience with a lot of questions".

Because with the approach of the presidential campaign, all suspect that "the digital will play a preponderant role", especially in a health context possibly still tense.

"The meetings will never really be over," hopes an adviser to the executive.

"But to bring up 25 coaches of retirees to hold an overheated meeting, it will be necessary to assume behind", if it turns into a cluster, he slips again.

© 2021 AFP