National Geographic Ranked Top Social Brand in 2017 by Shareablee

National Geographic was also named the Top Brand on Instagram in 2017 (with approximately 1.5 billion actions), holding first place since 2014. In fact, National Geographic’s video of a jaguar pulling a small crocodile called a “caiman” out of a river in December was the top Instagram video by any brand for the year, with 1.7 million actions. Additionally, the brand had the No. 3 Instagram post with more than 2.2 million actions.

“At a time when traditional media brands are struggling to keep pace with today’s evolving media landscape, National Geographic continues to find new ways to innovate and adhere to the current digital appeal in order to best reach and speak to global audiences,” said Tania Yuki, Founder and CEO of Shareablee. “The brand stays relevant among consumers of all demographics by way of dynamic, 360 storytelling, immersive brand experiences and a social media presence that rivals top celebrities.”

National Geographic currently hails as the most followed media brand across social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with more than 420 million followers globally – resulting in 7.6 billion content engagements each month. Additionally, they are the most widely distributed television channel in the world – reaching 487 million television households in 172 countries and 43 languages every month. Most recently, National Geographic today was named the first-ever Media Company of the Year by the Webby Awards (and took home an impressive 26 wins overall).

The brand has set itself apart digitally by prioritizing visual experiences, creating dialogues with their audiences across all platforms, and leaning into a principle of turning their yellow border into a portal for digital content experiences produced with their community of Explorers, photographers, journalists, immersive storytellers, and contributors. Photographers, for example, are given direct access to National Geographic’s Instagram account, enabling them to upload photos, stories, or go live in real-time while they’re on assignment or in the field.

“We are a brand that was founded with the mission of helping people better understand the world around them. That means creating opportunities for people to discover new places, cultures, and experiences that are sometimes out of reach,” said Jonathan Hunt, SVP of Digital Content and Audience Development for National Geographic Partners. “Our followers can go on live daily safaris in Kenya via Facebook, participate in Reddit AMAs with National Geographic Explorers such as Bob Ballard (who discovered the shipwreck of the Titanic), or explore the most awe-inspiring locations around the globe on Instagram. Hence, our success is not only the product of strategy and being data-informed with our content and programming, it is also about deliberately bringing to life our brand’s mission in every digital experience we create.”

The ranking came in Shareablee’s recently published eBook, “The State of Social Media in the U.S. in 2017.” Shareablee’s eBook explores the platforms, categories, brands and content steering the growth of the social web and unpacks the key drivers of engagement for marketers.

In 2017, Shareablee found that social engagement for the average U.S. brand grew 20% year over year across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Twitter and Instagram captured a majority of the growth in engagement, both increasing by 34%. Video content continued to grow across the social web, the number of video posts from brands increased by 36% and engagement with those videos also grew by 77%.

For more information on Shareablee’s findings and rankings, or to download the eBook, please visit here.

About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers…and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.