Recode Decode: How Nat Geo uses Instagram to stay relevant
Decoder with Nilay Patel · with Courteney Monroe, Rachel Webber, and Susan Goldberg · June 27, 2018 · 55 min
Summary
This episode explores how National Geographic, a 130-year-old brand, leverages Instagram to maintain relevance and engage a massive audience. It highlights their cross-functional approach to storytelling across TV, print, and digital, emphasizing Instagram's critical role in their digital strategy. Ecommerce operators can learn about building a strong brand presence on social media and adapting content for different platforms to drive engagement.
Key takeaways
National Geographic's success on Instagram (89M followers in 2018) is attributed to a dedicated strategy focusing on visual storytelling and adapting content for the platform rather than simply repurposing existing media.
Cross-departmental collaboration from day one, involving TV, digital, and magazine teams, is crucial for creating cohesive and impactful storytelling across all media channels.
Investing in platform-specific strategies, such as optimizing visual assets and understanding audience behavior on Instagram, is more effective than a generic social media presence.
Leadership diversity can be a significant factor in driving innovation and strategic direction, as evidenced by National Geographic's high percentage of female executives.
Continuously evolving content to address representation and cultural relevance, like featuring more female photographers, is key to maintaining audience engagement and brand integrity over time.
National Geographic executives Courteney Monroe, Rachel Webber and Susan Goldberg talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the 130-year-old media company is staying relevant in the digital age. Monroe oversees its global network of TV channels, Webber leads the digital team and Goldberg edits the magazine, but they say all their teams work together on big stories from Day One, figuring out how to make them "work" across all different media. The most important digital channel for Nat Geo is Instagram, where its nearly 89 million followers make it the largest non-celebrity account; Webber talks about why it's been so successful there and how it's working to make sure that female photographers get represented more fairly in its posts. The trio also talk about the bigger challenges of media competition in 2018 and how unusual it is that eight of their company's top 11 executives are female.
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National Geographic's success on Instagram (89M followers in 2018) is attributed to a dedicated strategy focusing on visual storytelling and adapting content for the platform rather than simply repurposing existing media.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Cross-departmental collaboration from day one, involving TV, digital, and magazine teams, is crucial for creating cohesive and impactful storytelling across all media channels.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Investing in platform-specific strategies, such as optimizing visual assets and understanding audience behavior on Instagram, is more effective than a generic social media presence.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Leadership diversity can be a significant factor in driving innovation and strategic direction, as evidenced by National Geographic's high percentage of female executives.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Continuously evolving content to address representation and cultural relevance, like featuring more female photographers, is key to maintaining audience engagement and brand integrity over time.
