National Geographic started out as an academic journal and quickly grew to a household magazine. They are a great example of an organization that centered itself around their brand rather than their product and grew into a society that focuses on using the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of the world. As the world changes and we see a shift towards digital media, National Geographic has announced that their magazines won’t be available on newsstands within the year. In this post I will explore how they stay relevant in this fast changing environment.
Integrated Marketing Communication
In order to stay relevant and communicate their message effectively they need to focus on Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). This suggests that the brand communicates to the consumer in everything that it does. Klopper and North (2011) suggest that IMC can be divided into three levels; products and services, formal advertising and word-of-mouth.
Level 1: National Geographic's Products and Services
For a brand like National Geographic, who rely heavily on storytelling to build emotional relationships, it is important that they connect and resonate with their stakeholders. They use various digital and social media platforms to communicate that they are a global non-profit that funds the best and brightest individuals around the world dedicated to their mission.
They have utilized all social media platforms to communicate their goal of protecting the wonders of the world. They have effectively created a dialogue between themselves and their consumers, which as Egan (2007:1) states is important for the brand to improve its relationships. National Geographic are very active online and have multiple accounts that each communicate a different theme, allowing them to stay connected to a wide array of people. They target each platform and account to a researched audience to effectively communicate their brand messages.
Level 2: Their use of Formal Advertising
This level of communication is more formal and focuses on advertising, PR, design, promotion and sales. According to Evans and Moutinho (1999:199) the main goal of marketing is to add value to a brand for both the consumer and the organization. Value is gained by the organization because of brand awareness that results from marketing communications; and through these communications consumers can engage with the brand.
Through digital media, National Geographic have partnered with some of the worlds biggest brands in an attempt to raise awareness for their cause. An example of this is their ‘Heroes of the Ocean’ campaign, where they partnered with Rolex to release a documentary about ocean conservation. This content is shared through their various digital platforms and creates an emotional response that resonates with their consumers resulting in re-shares. The use of brand partnership allows these campaigns to reach a far wider audience.
Level 3: Word-of-Mouth Communication
National Geographics effective use of digital platforms have allowed them to resonate with their consumers. This is essential as all these media activations are shared by their consumers which helps to spread their message. This can be seen through their ‘Photocamp’ - an initiative started in 2003 to ‘give youth a voice’. They hosted live webinar workshops for young talents from underprivileged communities, where some of their most successful photographers taught and inspired young photographers. In doing so National Geographic have focused on an inside-out approach to spreading their marketing message. They promote these campaigns online which then gets shared via social media platforms effectively communicating their brand message further across multiple digital platforms.
Klopper and North (2011:183) suggest that it’s equally important to focus on internal marketing and the people involved in the brand as it is to focus on external marketing. National Geographic do this effectively by using brand ambassadors to communicate their messages. These ambassadors are the photographers and storytellers who work with them in creating all their digital content. They give these micro-influencers access to their social accounts to share their message across the multiple digital platforms, reaching their social communities they have strong relationships with.
National Geographic have effectively shifted the value of their product to the value of the brand and the message that brand communicates to their consumer. This is effectively communicated across a wide array of platforms with effective use of modern digital media. Their message of protected the world is effectively communicated through their integrated marketing communication and elicits an emotion response within their consumer that drives the relationship between them. National Geographic are a modern brand for a modern world.
References
Egan, J. 2007. Marketing Communications. London: Thomson Learning.
Evans, M. & Moutinho, L. 1999. Contemporary Issues in Marketing. London: Macmillan.
Get Smarter. 2023. Supporting brands through marketing communication (module six). Available on GetSmarter portal.
Klopper, H.B. & North, E. 2011. Brand Management. Pearson: Cape Town.
National Geographic Website (2023) - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/
National Geographic Society Website (2023) - https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/
Social Insider Website (2021) - https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/national-geographic-social-media-strategy/
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