If you haven’t tuned in to National Geographic magazine’s coverage of the Everest story, you’re missing a pivotal moment in publishing evolution. As one of the early pursuers of digital magazines, National Geographic has not been shy about trying new things or pushing the next realm of what they can offer to subscribers. With separate groups responsible for creating rich content such as video, photography, detailed graphics, and deep story content—each focused on specific channels for print, web, and digital—learning to plan cohesively across the content groups has been the challenge and, in this case, is the emerging success.
The Background
Funded expeditions are at the core of National Geographic’s mission, and in the past year, the concept of following a historical Mount Everest climb began to emerge. The opportunity of the Everest story has been evolving for quite some time, as is the case with much of Nat Geo’s content. It began in traditional fashion, with a photographer assigned to an idea that usually would be intended for print first. Photography, stories, and video can take years to develop. The question this story helped to raise was how to publish it and when—what channel would own it. But it became clear, given the quickly shifting direction of publishing at Nat Geo, that the story needed to be carried in a mix that leveraged all channels that would best appeal to and engage the reader at multiple levels.
This story became the opportunity to push publishing to new heights. National Geographic magazine has started to harness content in the making, and rather than having the final print content be the start of the story reveal, it can now be the culmination. So many publishers are still caught up in the fear of cannibalizing their print content and as a result are missing the mark, and the opportunity, to leverage their content and broaden their audience. Nat Geo’s example is a glimpse into how to use the power of digital to attract new readers and leverage all media channels at an immersive level that’s never been possible before.
The Opportunity
For Everest, the core concept came from the recognition that so much happens in the experience of developing a story that readers never get to see or hear. Until digital, this experience was essentially locked up within the halls of the golden enterprise. Content development for print and online has traditionally been very separate and siloed, as with many publishers today. Sure, the usual exchange and pickup of content occurred for web, but for the most part, the planning and creative processes were separate. The move to digital, and specifically tablet, offered a bridge for content to fill in the gap between print and online. Online can provide immediate, current content. Print can provide extensive, visual, timeless content. Digital magazines can do both, and leverage and enhance the print and online experiences. Few publishers have had the revelation that the digital magazine can be a “return to” experience because content is dynamic. Most are still treating the digital magazine as a replica, and really not truly leveraging the device.
For National Geographic, the content objective for Everest was to transform the monthly content experience into a daily experience. There’s tremendous appeal to readers for a real-time experience that can be captured in this way. The goal was to leverage the best of the wide-open web with a curated tablet experience that was valued, and to be able to merge and bring those together into one experience. The web experience still has great value and is very much needed in this model. It’s what captures a reader’s attention, pulling them in to want to know more, leading them to the tablet and print experiences, and with that the paywall for content they want more of and have to have.
Since April, a National Geographic/The North Face team headed by acclaimed mountaineer Conrad Anker has been covered through audio and video on the National Geographic website and in a special daily section of the magazine’s monthly app (May and June editions). Last week, they organized the world’s highest Google+ Hangout, the first time the general public was able to connect face-to-face with climbers on Mount Everest.
The May and June editions of National Geographic magazine for iPad are providing exclusive real-time updates from the expedition to summit Mount Everest. Readers can follow the experience through dispatches, photos and video from the mountain in the iPad edition of the magazine and online in the On Everest Field Test blog.
This exclusive real-time coverage is a first for both the National Geographic magazine app and the first time that a publisher is providing real-time updates on a tablet edition. The project is another first for National Geographic, in that Everest is the inaugural subject being showcased on their Instagram account (@NatGeo), which is being used to share photos of the expedition and the climbers’ progress with their community.
How did they do it?
- Looking out to see what story opportunities could fit this new model.
- Forging into new technologies early to feel more comfortable with the opportunities and risks.
- Assessing across all groups for how content could be prepared in more real-time mode, pushing conventional models.
- Daily meetings between all content groups to review the latest content and where/how to best leverage it.
- Breaking out of the issue structure and working in more flexible, nimble ways.
- Thinking and reacting daily, using agile work methods.
- Pushing leading edge technologies to do even more.
The Result
While the experience has been challenging, disruptive and chaotic, and not without risk, it’s also been invigorating and has broken down internal barriers that are decades old. It’s one of the benefits that we all know can come from disruption and chaos. The main takeaway: Interested readers now pick up their iPads several times per week to read Nat Geo’s updated content.
Melissa Wiley, Director of Electronic Publishing, shared her thoughts: “On Everest has been a unique experience so far in tablet publishing. This live event has pushed our team to answer the questions of how, why, and where in daily digital publishing. We’ve seen terrific feedback from our readers and the wonderful comments and engagement tell us that something is working. National Geographic magazine is no longer a once-a-month experience. On Everest has allowed us to prove that there is interest for daily publishing, to hear real voices from the field.”
The unique success in all of this is how National Geographic has managed to blend the content experience for their readers to leverage the best of each delivery model, but also in how they’ve aggressively changed their internal thinking and processes to embrace these opportunities. Every publisher has an opportunity in front of them to really think differently about how they both prepare and deliver content. Shaking up the status quo is key.
If you missed the story, the Nat Geo/The North Face team reached the summit this past Friday at 3:48 p.m. EST.
An exciting culmination to a very different journey!
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Posted by: Margot Knorr Mancini
