NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS

National Geographic is a brand that has been has been around since 1888. With a mission to

increase and diffuse geographic knowledge" the brand has been successful in expanding its

reach (influence) over the years. Forty million people read National Geographic's flagship

magazine, and 148 countries receive the brands cable television channel. Even more people

are touched by National Geographic through its other magazines, such as Adventure

National Geographic Kids, and Traveler videos books; and other media. In 1975, National

Geographic expanded its reach to man' kids by starting World, a non-fiction magazine for

children. The kids-targeted magazine maintained close ties with the flagship magazine, but

the content was redesigned to entertain the young

World magazine enjoyed tremendous success for almost two decades after its market entry.

However, after it began to face stiff competition from explosive growth in various other

media targeted towards kids. New TV shows magazines and various internet sites.

Recognizing the influence of buying power of children these new outlets begin to cater

much more effectively to the youth market’s changing taste and preferences. World was

missing out on these changes and needed a makeover. In an attempt to rejuvenate World,

managers in charge of it commissioned a number of qualitative and quantitative studies

focusing on children's opinions.

In conducting these studies, National Geographic had to modify its conventional research

methods, which had been developed for use with adults rather than children. For instance,

parental permission had to be obtained, and research instruments had-to be carefully

pretested to ensure quality and clarity for children. Because children are very literal,

abstract ideas do network well for them. When using focus groups, the moderator must be

aware about the group think is more prevalent among young children than among adults

important to separate children by age and gender. When males and females are present in

the same room males will dominate the conversation. If older and younger children are

placed in the same focus group, the younger children mimic the viewpoints of the older

children.

Based on insights from the research studies, the kids' magazine's name was changed from

World to National Geographic Kids. In addition the magazine's content and appearance

were modified by introducing and more intriguing font, and including more interesting

pictures. The articles in the reformulated magazines are now geared to topics that kids

wants to read about, such as pop culture, animals and anything fun and exciting. After the

launch of the new national Geographic Kids, paid subscription rocketed to over 1 million. It

is the fastest growing kids magazine, with a total readership of 4 million.

To maintain the tremendous success of National Geographic Kids, National Geographic

continues to conduct a variety of studies to track trends in and preferences of the youth

market. After the release of each issue, a questionnaire with a $1 incentive and a letter from

the editor in chief are sent to a random sample of 800 subscriber homes. This survey delves

into readers' reactions to the cover, articles, and advertisements.

National Geographic Kids has also utilized kids' online capabilities by developing an online

panel of 500 kids. Visuals are sent to the panel via regular mail to ensure the quality of the

prints. The participants’ then log on to rate the ideas and content presented in the visuals.

The results of the online survey are reviewed by editors and used as a guideline for editorial

content selection. Each year the panel is reviewed.

Nationwide studies are also conducted to help understand the tween market and ever

changing taste and trends. For instance National Geographic Kids in conjunction with the

NFO World group, conducts national survey of 1300 children ranging in age from 6 to 14.

The goal is to gain a better understanding of their attitude on a host of issues including

learning, school, and life in general. Synthesizing and publicizing insights from these surveys

help position national Geographic Kids as an expert in the field and create s free positive

press.

CASE QUESTIONS:-

1. Was the research conducted by National Geographic to regain its position in the kids

market exploratory or conclusive? Was the research approach appropriate? Why or why

not?

2. What types of marketing research are being used by National Geographic to maintain

their kids oriented focus? Are these exploratory or conclusive methods?

3. Critically evaluate the appropriateness of the research studies being conduced by national

Geographic for testing new magazine contents and for tracking new trends. What changes

or additional approaches if any, would you recommend?