Nat Geo Seeks Explorer Wannabes

Cable World, Sept 15, 2003

Byline: SHIRLEY BRADY

National Geographic Channel is urging viewers and affiliates to don hiking boots and become explorers this fall. In April, the network's first integrated programming and marketing stunt, Culture Shock Week, scoped new territory that is being further mined in its second stunt, Be the Explorer Week, Sept. 29-Oct.4.

Martin and Chris Kratt - the hosts of Kratt Brothers: Be The Creature, a 13-part series that debuts on NGC Oct. 5 - co-host the week-long event. They'll take viewers on an adventure from deserts to jungles to the depths of the Atlantic in a two-hour block each night from 8-10 p.m.

As one of the fastest-growing channels - launched in 10 million homes in January 2001 and now in 44 million - the network's mission is to translate that growth into ratings and more growth.

"We've embarked on a stunt week strategy to help reinforce our brand positioning of exploration, adventure and daring types of programming genres," says Steve Schiffman, the network's EVP marketing and new media.

The theme of exploration has consistently tested well among the network's target demographics, so the week of programming was reinforced with marketing elements crafted by Schiffman, including an online charity contest on eBay to benefit the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration. Visitors can bid on maps, manuscripts and devices and equipment used in the field by National Geographic's own explorers in an historic auction that wraps Oct. 2.

Through a Be The Explorer Challenge trivia contest on nationalgeographic.com, viewers can answer questions pegged to each night's programming and win the chance to go on a rafting adventure down the Colorado River. Daily prizes include mountain bikes, digital cameras, GPS equipment, and other gear in the contest that launches today.

NGC marketing partner America Online is promoting both marketing campaigns. AOL members can access exclusive video clips and other content from BTE Week and can link directly to the Challenge and eBay auction.

The network is also supporting the event with a targeted media buy in nine markets: St. Louis, Raleigh, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Nashville, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Birmingham and Atlanta. Besides traditional media the effort is being augmented through guerrilla marketing. "Explorer Squads" will visit each market and hit high traffic areas. Dressed in scuba and safari gear, they'll hand out premiums.

To further promote the week of programming, which ranges from Into the Great Pyramid and Africa Extreme to SuperCroc and Snake Hunter, Schiffman worked closely with his colleagues at Fox Cable Networks, the co-owner of the network with National Geographic Television & Film.

Bruce Lefkowitz, EVP of ad sales for Fox Cable Entertainment, presented BTE Week in this year's upfront, which saw NGC's volume double over last year and its CPMs increase in the low double digits. The result was two blue-chip advertisers, Nissan and Intel, signing as official sponsors. "The whole concept of a rugged, family adventure is perfect for a car like a Nissan Pathfinder," says Lefkowitz. "People are really seeing us as an alternative to the rapidly shrinking upscale niche."

Fox Cable Networks Group SVP of affiliate marketing Janice Arouh has explored a similar theme with affiliates, highlighting the network's desirability among affluent, influential, early adopters as a way to drive operators' high-speed Internet products, customer acquisition and local ad sales.

"To date, we've had 43% participation of the overall National Geographic Channel subscriber base," says Arouh. "This Be The Explorer theme connects our local advertisers to a blue-chip brand that they can't get anywhere else and enables our distributors to put their messages in front of the best and most desirable audience in the market."

The affiliate campaign includes running taggable spots on NGC's competitors Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, A&E, CNN and History Channel.

THE NEXT QUESTION:

*Will targeting the BTE campaign at Nat Geo's network rivals for adventure-loving, upscale viewers not only boost affiliates' revenues but ratings for the programming?