"2050 Investors": tune in to a megatrend

15/05/2022

Discover the podcast that provides insightful analyses of current trends that affect the economy, the planet, markets and you.

Online, they compete with kittens or TikTok influencers’ videos. With more than 120 million listeners in the United States1, podcasts continue to conquer new audiences and the trend is exponential. In a society overloaded with images, listening has become popular and creative.

In June 2021, Societe Generale decided to give investigative podcasts a go and created “2050 Investors”, a series about tomorrow's economic and market megatrends, ahead of 2050's global sustainability targets as defined by the Paris Agreement. In each episode of “2050 Investors”, Kokou Agbo Bloua, Head of Economic, Cross-Asset and Quantitative Research at Societe Generale, leads an investigation on a megatrend such as smart cities, the mobility of tomorrow, artificial intelligence or inflation.

A few episodes later, this podcast has found its audience: colleagues, friends, clients, and finally curious listeners who are keen to discover Kokou Agbo Bloua’s  perceptive and singular tone. «I was surprised by the enthusiastic comments from listeners» says Kokou Agbo Bloua. Indeed, ratings on Apple Podcast give the podcast five out of five stars and many users leave comments such as “I love the way Kokou mixes data and facts with humour”, “Captivating”, “Very relevant”, “A smart and fun way to learn more”. Kokou adds: «Today, my clients are the ones who suggest the next themes to address». With this new and original format, produced by Radio K7 Creative, a specialist podcast creation agency, Societe Generale promotes its experts and calls on guests that are public figures in the world of industry, successful authors and even Nobel Prize winners.

The podcast format is actually not as recent as it seems. In the beginning, podcasts were linked to the launch of… Apple’s iPod. The word podcast comes from the contraction of iPod and broadcaster. For information or entertainment, we downloaded and listened to mp3 formats, without Internet connection – the good old days. In recent years, podcasts have come back strong to compete directly with conventional media. And according to Chartable, there are now more than two new podcasts per minute in the world2!

With “2050 Investors”, Societe Generale has developed an innovative tool to enrich its relationship with its clients. Podcasts create proximity and one of their main selling points is that listeners can choose when to listen – an ease of use that fits in nicely with todays’ new consumerism trends. Podcasts also give the freedom to listen to content in the shower, while driving or during a morning run. Following Kokou Agbo Bloua in his investigations lasts about twenty minutes, which is both short and long enough to bring strong insights on the topics at hand. Podcasts also create an immersive experience and speak directly to our intimacy and emotions. “Some listeners contact me and feel that they know me, which makes our exchanges easier,” says Kokou.

In addition, Kokou Agbo Bloua approaches each topic from an environmental, social and governance (ESG) perspective. The content he develops is impactful and underscores Societe Generale’s commitments in the energy transition and the alignment of its activities with the Paris agreement. In a world where environmental and social issues are paramount, the banking sector, as the main funder and supporter of the economy, commits to play a major role in the fight against global warming in order to support a just and inclusive energy transition.

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Listen to 2050 Investors on all streaming platforms: Apple Podcast, Spotify, Deezer, Google Podcast, Tune In, Podcast Addict, Stitcher and Pocket Cast.

1. https://www.statista.com/topics/3170/podcasting/#topicHeader__wrapper 
2. In 2020