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.