FIPP member profile: National Geographic
ORIGINS OF THE SPECIES For 126 years National Geographic magazine has been the cornerstone of National Geographic Society’s membership and mission. The first
issue of the magazine was published in October 1888, and sent out to about 200 charter members of the Society. It was envisioned as a scholarly journal that would educate members on the latest advances in geographic knowledge. In 1905, magazine editor Gilbert Grosvenor needed to fill 11 empty pages for his latest issue. He opened an envelope that contained photographs from a Russian Geographical Society expedition to the then mysterious capital of Tibet. Grosvenor published them – and got a great response from readers. From then on, pictures were a compelling tool for reader engagement. Through its documentation of culture, wildlife, science and exploration, National Geographic has created a virtual window on the world, and circulation has grown to hundreds to millions. Today, the magazine alone reaches more than 60 million people each month.
digital presence and create opportunities to reach readers with engaging, culturally relevant content, across multiple platforms. We aim to work even closer with our partners to maintain editorial guidelines and the integrity of our magazines, and further challenge them to find stories that are meaningful to their readers.
Who is your typical reader? For the most part, the magazine’s readership slightly skews toward educated males, though age and overall demographics vary by region. Naturally, one trait common to all our readers is curiosity. They come to National Geographic because they want to learn more about the world around them. It’s not about learning the names of things – it’s an entire way of thinking about and being in the world. That’s why we evolved the mission of National Geographic to include “inspiring people to care about the planet”.
What’s been your best-selling edition? The Titanic issue (April 2012). Explorer-in- Residence Bob Ballard found the sunken ship, and our innovations in photography and film brought the power of that human story to the world. Stories on archaeology, history and science tend to be top sellers.
National Grographic’s iPad edition launched in 2011, and its iPhone edition in October 2012.
story in that country’s local-language edition. Initiatives such as these take the broad appeal of photography to a new level of engagement. We have had a lot of success with National Geographic Kids-branded sticker collections, published with our partner, Panini, and available in five languages.
which is published in three languages – French, Spanish and Italian. We have book publishing partnerships in over 50 countries, and work with them to create local photography contests, academies and exhibitions for their regions. Through our Channel partners, we create dynamic partnerships such as “Mission: Cover Shot”, a televised competition by our publishing partner in India, ACK, that gives contestants the chance to have their images featured in a cover
TIMELINE
1888 First issue of National Geographic magazine
1905 11 pages of photos of Lhasa in Tibet, representing a new form of visual storytelling
1906 George Shiras III’s pioneering flash photographs of animals at night; two board members resign in disgust over magazine turning into a “picture book”.
1926 Staff photographer Charles Martin and scientist W.H. Longley make first natural-colour underwater pictures.
1930 First published natural- colour aerial photographs.
1952 First of many undersea articles by Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
1959 Colour photographs appearing regularly on covers.
fipp.com 1962 First all-colour issue.
1975 National Geographic World launches (later rebranded National Geographic Kids).
1984 National Geographic Traveler launched
1995 Japanese edition launches as the first local-language edition
1996 Society launches website 1997 National Geographic
Channels International launched
1998 First local language edition of National Geogramphic Kids launches in Japan
2001 National Geographic for Kids (now National Geographic Explorer) magazine debuts in 50,000 U.S. classrooms.
2002 First local language edition of National Geographic Traveler launches in China
2011 iPad version launched
April 2012 Titanic 100-year anniversary issue published, its best-selling issue
October 2012 iPhone version launched
January 2013 Society celebrates its 125th
anniversary. October 2013 125th anniversary issue: “The Power of Photography”
What is the philosophy behind your brand? The mission of National Geographic is to inspire people to care about the planet, and to carry that educational component through everything we do.
What are your plans for the title? Our priority is to continue to invest in our
One of your favourite stories? I love the story behind “The Tallest Trees”. The shoot was for a cover story of the October 2009 issue, and photographer Nick Nichols wanted to create the first ever seamless photograph of a redwood tree. Working with technicians and researchers, Nick and his team created a robotic camera system to shoot a series of images that were edited down to create an 84-composite image of this 300-foot tall tree. It was a wonderful collaboration, and served as a gatefold for our magazine. It also inspired a documentary and multiple behind- the-scenes featurettes on our website.
Terry Adamson is executive vice president of the National Geographic Society.
issue 82_2014 | Magazine World |45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64