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One year after announcing its expanded joint venture with 21st Century Fox, comes word of a new global tagline, “Further,” for the National Geographic brand.
Coinciding with its upcoming documentary on climate change, Before the Flood, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, on Sunday, Oct. 30; and the Monday, Nov. 14 premiere of event series Mars, from executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, which debuts globally one day earlier, “Further,” as described, embraces the company’s purpose as a content destination for science, exploration and adventure.
Included in the rebranding is every aspect of the National Geographic brand: the global channels in 171 countries; the magazine, a staple since its first issue in 1888; nationalgeographic.com; all of the company’s social and digital platforms; and the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. While National Geographic is adding a tagline, it’s retaining its iconic yellow rectangle, which is as much a symbol of its brand as of the magazine with which it all started.
“This rebrand is an extension all across the National Geographic partners and across the National Geographic society,” said Declan Moore, CEO, National Geographic Partners, at a presentation to the press at the One World Observatory in New York City, high in the sky on the 102nd floor.
“As one of the world’s most trusted and enduring brands, we are mindful of our audience’s trust in and affinity for our iconic yellow border and its 128-year history,” Moore said.
“What really began as an exercise to simply overhaul the feel of the television network has now become a comprehensive rebrand of every single National Geographic touchpoint across all National Geographic partners, as well as the National Geographic society,” added Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Global Television Networks. “Visually we wanted a look that was sophisticated and modern and was elevated, and we looked for a brand tagline that could define us and really serve as our moral star.”
Working with New York City-based creative agency Gretel, National Geographic wanted to address three goals in the rebrand. The first was to ensure it would work globally. Second was that it felt audacious and premium, which Monroe describes as two of the “hallmarks” of the strategy behind the message. And the final goal was for it to represent a transformational change, which is the overall message behind the “Further” tagline.
As part of the rebranding, the network also is dropping the word “Channel” from its name. Starting Nov. 14 with the launch of Mars, it will now be known simply as National Geographic. Enhancing the campaign will be a new on-air look, brand IDs, brand animations and talent IDs, including Jason Silva (Brain Games, Origins), Neil deGrasse Tyson (Star Talk) and Richard Bacon (Explore).
“By definition, ‘Further’ never ends; it knows no bounds. It conveys to our viewers, our readers, our advertisers and our creators that we embody a relentless pursuit to go deeper, to push boundaries and to be pioneering in everything that we do,” said Monroe.
Effective in early 2017, the rebrand will include a “Further” section in National Geographic magazine and a “Further” web series.
“Our aim at National Geographic has always been to tell the most important stories of our time,” concluded Moore. “And we feel that “Further” fully embodies our brand.”
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