National Geographic Becomes the Most Followed Brand on Instagram

In the winter of 1888, the National Geographic Society was established by a group of academics interested in travel. They have lived a long, successful life now having accumulated almost 7 millions memberships. Yet, this number looks terribly pathetic compared to the 100 million Instagram follower count they reached just last week. The National Geographic has become the first brand to surpass this astronomical number… so how did they accomplish this?

I came across the article “National Geographic Just Became the First Brand to Top100 Million Instagram Followers” and found some answers. The National Geographic Instagram was created in 2012, and while their employees and photographers shied away from posting initially, they now give them credit for the account’s wild success. Nat Geo believes that, “…giving them complete control over the account and allowing them to post directly to the feed has helped Nat Geo ‘cultivate an entirely different level of authenticity’” (Cohen).

One of their photographers, Aaron Huey, explained that their magazine holds them back quantitatively because they are only given a certain amount of space to exhibit their work. On Instagram, however, the brand is able to tell a multitude of stories in a much shorter period of time.

Another way in which Nat Geo has found success is by integrating advertisements in the most subtle way possible — so natural that it seems they are meant to be there. They execute this by briefly mentioning the name of the product or brand within a caption that reflects their usual tone of voice. The advertisements are not centered around the product being advertised, but instead focused on the product the followers wanted in the first place — nature.

After utilizing a more fluid approach to advertising integration, brands will see higher success rates. Because Nat Geo’s Instagram is consistent with the values and qualities of the brand (authenticity & nature), they have been able to attract a massive following, as well as increase their social ad campaign revenue by 80% within the last year. If you are reaching for high brand loyalty, a large social following, and stunning photography, look no further than Nat Geo.

References:

Cohen, D., & Cohen, D. (2019, February 19). National Geographic Just Became the First Brand to Top 100 Million Instagram Followers. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/digital/national-geographic-just-became-the-first-brand-to-top-100-million-instagram-followers/