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National Geographic partners up for new digital venture

The new network will focus on science, adventure and culture content.

National Geographic is partnering with multiple digital publishers and documentarians to create a digital network focused on science, adventure and culture content.

The digital network, called The National Geographic Further Community, at launch will have three digital publishing partners Mashable, theSkimm and Atlas Obscura as well as video- and photojournalists that frequently work with the company. The idea: Nat Geo will work with these partners to create editorial and sponsored content, which can be distributed across the networks digital and social channels. The network was set to be unveiled at Nat Geos upfront presentation to advertisers in New York Wednesday evening.

We want to solidify a platform that enables us to tell high-quality, multi-platform stories around travel, culture, science, innovation and wildlife, and to do it in a way that creates a powerful marketing channel for our brand partners, said Rachel Webber, evp of digital products for National Geographic Partners.

Nat Geo has a four-person team dedicated to Further Community, which will be responsible for partnership development, production management and operations. This team will work with Nat Geos video, audience development, product and sales teams to develop new content and ad programs.

On the sales side, Further Community will be pitched by Nat Geos 12-person sales team with additional assistance from parent company Fox Networks Group. Nat Geo has also partnered with marketing and tech companies such as Fox Advanced Ad Products, Unruly and Storyful, which will help sell and market editorial and sponsored videos created by Nat Geo and its Further Community partners.

As for content, every type of format is on the table, said Webber. This includes formats created for Facebook Live, Snapchat Discover (where Nat Geo has a channel), Instagram and Instagram Stories, virtual reality and 360-degree videos, and even good old text-based articles and essays.

Further Communitys distribution reach is rather large. Nat Geo alone is anchored by more than 75 million followers on Instagram, and has more than 280 million social followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Publishing partners Mashable (40 million social followers), theSkimm (5 million followers) and Atlas Obscura (1.4 million followers) add more reach. The networks roster of filmmakers and journalists, which includes climber Cory Richards and veteran AP reporter David Guttenfelder, bring social followings of their own.

While Nat Geo will be in charge of Further Community, the company will be in constant contact with its publishing partners and journalists on what content to create and how it should be distributed, said Webber. For instance, a written piece could appear in theSkimms newsletter, which would be promoted on both Nat Geo and theSkimms social channels. Or, Nat Geo and Mashable could collaborate on a video series, which could be distributed on either companys social and digital platforms.

For us, [partnering with theSkimm, Atlas Obscura and Mashable] is to kickoff our ability to tap into niche communities, whether its female millennials, people who love travel and discovery, or those that are interested in technology and culture, said Webber.

With its roster of adventure-seeking filmmakers and journalists, this is a chance for Nat Geo and Further Community to stand out from the social clutter. For instance, Nat Geo is already working with climber Cory Richards on a content package that includes Facebook Live broadcasts and videos and photos for Snapchat Discover and Instagram Stories as he scales Mount Everest.

The only way we are going to cut through the noise is by finding unique perspectives with these influencers that we work with, said Webber. Thats going to be much more meaningful than a barrage of content for contents sake.

Written by Sahil Patel, 19 April, 2017, published on digiday.com. Read the full article here

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