PR Video Case Study

The National Geographic Society’s mission is to “inspire people to care about the planet.” It is known to be one of the largest non-profit organizations that concentrates on science and education. Through its documentaries, photographs, magazines and campaigns, they bring awareness to geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. They started the “My Wonderful World” campaign in an attempt to increase global knowledge among young people, whether at school, at home, or in their community. Their related video advertises just that.

It starts out by questioning viewers, engaging them and catching their attention right away. Catch words are used such as “economic powers,” “children,” and “world.” This already provides an understanding of National Geographic’s desire for children to be globally aware now to be better prepared adults. The planet Earth is centered and slowly becomes the eye of a child, meaning that is where it all starts. Then, while a soothing yet serious voice talks about the campaign, an array of landscapes, people, and situations are displayed. The video is a simple montage, yet is an appropriate choice as it exemplifies National Geographic’s picture expertise. It also shows they use that said expertise to accomplish something worthwhile. The message of making education a priority is constantly portrayed in the video, and targets children, parents, educators, and supporters of education. It has been effective, as 80,000 people already joined the campaign, and this ad has won two prestigious media industry awards: the Aurora Award and the Cine Golden Eagle. The video ends with child, to conclude that children’s knowledge is the answer to our future. The last image of a spinning globe in a fingerprint pattern symbolizes global connectivity and is an encouragement to maintain it.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is an organization committed to promoting mutual understanding, and it sponsors National Geographic in their campaign. One of their own programs is the Fulbright, which provides scholarships to graduating college seniors, graduates, young professionals and artists to study, research, or teach abroad. Not only do they experience immersion in a foreign country, they also gain awareness of their own from abroad. Thus, they become citizens of the world and are better prepared to face its future social, educational, and cultural changes.

Their official video portrays their goals and motivates viewers to take part in the Fulbright. Similarly to National Geographic’s video, Fulbright’s starts with a globe, which becomes a constant symbol throughout. It is constructed as a chronology, starting with its creation by James William Fulbright who got the idea after exploring Europe and meeting different people. It qualifies the program as fostering global understanding in response to global issues. It lists involvement areas such as the environment, food, health, and education to target people with various interests. It also lists alumni’s post-Fulbright activities as scientists, educators, artists, and business-related to again appeal to people with different aspirations. Towards the end, the Fulbright logo is zoomed in as if staring at the viewers, and the words “peaceful prosperous world” leave them with hopeful thoughts that will give encourage them to take action.

This video is business-casual, thus making it effective and attractive. The content is less formal yet complete. Every key component is circled, referring back to the globe’s shape and demonstrating consistency and unity (it is perhaps a hypnotic strategy…). The graphics are simple and to the point, the goal being to connect to more people. While National Geographic's video is more appealing to the eye and shows the viewers the world's endless wonders and opportunities, the Fulbright's is more practical and ignites the viewers to get involved. 

Ben & Jerry's Social Media Strategy Case Study

Along with Starbucks coffee and Trident gum, another staple in a young adult’s life such as mine is Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. We are young enough to still get away with having some Chunky Monkey for dessert, and old enough to pick flavors such as Rum Raisin and White Russian. A study found that marketers’ target audiences are becoming more interested in online content rather than traditional media. They are known as Gen C, and their main attribute is that they strive for engaging conversations within their digital lifestyles. In the case of Ben & Jerry’s, Gen C should be satisfied as they got it right throughout their social media platforms.

With over seven million likes on their Facebook page, Ben & Jerry’s is clearly the most “liked” among its fellow ice cream competitors. They use their page for new wacky flavors announcements, free ice cream giveaways, and events information. They talk directly to their followers, which allows two-ways interactions and constructive feedback. Also, as social responsibility is built into Ben & Jerry’s mission statement and is an important part of their brand, they incorporate it in their social media. For example, they actively celebrate the month of October, not just because it is my birthday month, but because it is fair trade month.  This lets the customers (especially the activists at heart) know that Ben & Jerry’s cares that the global economy is serving people, and not the other way around. They sometimes target specific demographics, such as college students during the Ben & Jerry’s Fairtrade photo contest (in which Rollins got fifth place!), and gays and lesbians with their Hubby Hubby and Apple-y Ever After flavors.

If we take a look at Ben & Jerry’s Twitter presence, it is again in the lead with an average of 18 retweets and over 100,000 followers. On this platform, the primary aim is to engage with the followers. The Tweets ask them questions, the statuses update them by the medium of humorous stories, and that results in followers’ feedbacks and ideas. Ben & Jerry’s also demonstrates flexibility and versatility, therefore it wouldn’t be unusual to see a tweet supporting the Read for the Record program, followed by one committing to buying fair trade, and one offering free ice cream (#OMGFreeBenJerrys). Throughout their tweets, their messages are consistent and genuine, which shows that they stay true to themselves and do not try to dupe their followers.

Lastly, Ben & Jerry’s recently launched their “City Churned Flavors” campaign, aiming for the residents of New York, Washington D.C., Portland, San Francisco and Seattle to come together and create a unique flavor representing their city. Thus, this appeals to people with a sense of community and humor. While I applaud Ben & Jerry’s for continuously coming up with new ways of involving its customers in the creation of innovative flavors, it has to make sure to keep its professionalism and not become too informal with its audience (Schweddy Balls flavor and Wanna Spoon? App).  

Via their social media, Ben & Jerry’s is able to appeal to many demographics. Whether you are a child (lucky you, you don’t need to justify yourself), a health-conscious mother, an environmentalist, a farmer, or even a cow (props to you for reading my post), Ben & Jerry’s has a flavor waiting for you. The question is what are you waiting for?