Visitors to the National Geographic exhibit at Grand Central Terminal SBU Alumn John Cordero, CASB past-President, is 2nd from left in photo above Click on photos to enlarge

National Geographic Promotional Director
Calls SBU Alumnus
John Cordero
"The African Rock"
for the tremendous job he did putting their first
exhibition, "Africa", in Grand Central Terminal
and seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors!

Alumnus John Cordero, Class of 1998, just finished up one of the most exciting and successful marketing projects he has ever worked on. National Geographic did a single subject issue for September, 'Africa'. It was the first time since 1943 that its cover did not have a photo. Editor Chris John felt that no one photograph could represent all that Africa was.

But to celebrate the issue, they wanted to put together an incredible viewing masterpiece and Grand Central Terminal (GCT) was chosen for 'Experience Africa'. As the Account Director for Grand Central Marketing (GCM and no relationship to GCT) - that is what John did. It was seen by hundreds of thousands, all to rave reviews. They took images from the issue and blew them up into 10' by 15' prints, they had a live web cam from a wildlife watering hole, Mike Fay, George Steinmetz and other photographers came out and talked about their work. They had everything! The worldwide publisher said it was "outstanding" and the Editor in Chief said, "this is what the magazine is all about."

Grand Central Terminal management was so impressed they offered to let it stay another week for FREE but unfortunately National Geographic couldn't raise the funds for all the rest of it so quickly. 

It is why when it was all over the Promotion Services Director for National Geographic called John "The African Rock." 

Below are a few articles on the event from different sources that will tell you all about the amazing things they did. 

Another sponsor was Lenovo, which also has an alumnus relationship to Stony Brook through their VP, Meng Lin. (See Lenovo - SBU connection in this story: http://www.aa2sbu.org/aaezine/articles/vol9/CEAS.html ) Lenovo provided all of the laptops for the entire exhibit and they also supplied all the NG researchers working on the issue in Africa for two years with their laptops too.

John did the first double show sellouts of China Night as a senior at Stony Brook. He was a rock then too! If you want John to be your rock - he's at john @ grandcentralmarketing.com  (We couldn't resist John!)

A Baboon Photo from Exhibit, Found on Web:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycarthur/41420536/

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
PRESENTS “EXPERIENCE AFRICA ”

Exhibition will Celebrate Magazine’s
Unusual September Issue, Africa 2005

WHAT:  National Geographic magazine will transform Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal into an African experience to celebrate the magazine’s rare single-topic September issue, devoted entirely to Africa .  The centerpiece will be a photography exhibit featuring larger-than-life images from noted National Geographic magazine photographers that will take visitors on a virtual tour of Africa . The five-day event will also feature activities that will allow guests to experience Africa 's many rich and varied cultures, including:

·        Appearances by famed National Geographic photographers

·        A jumbo screen, live broadcast of African wildlife from the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana

·        Interactive experiences

·        Sponsor exhibits and special offers

·        Sweepstakes drawings including a six-day safari to Botswana and South Africa , and a 13-day trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar

For more information on Experience Africa, visit http://www.ngm.com/experienceafrica

WHEN:         Tuesday, September 6^th through Saturday, September 10^th
                     8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
WHERE:        Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal
                    42^nd Street and Park Avenue
                     Subway: 4, 5, 6, 7, S to Grand Central Terminal
COST:            Free

From September 6-10, National Geographic magazine will transform Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal into an African experience to celebrate the magazine’s rare single-topic September issue, devoted entirely to Africa. The centerpiece will be a photography exhibit featuring larger-than-life images from noted National Geographic magazine photographers that will take visitors on a virtual tour of Africa. The five-day event will also feature activities that will allow guests to experience Africa's many rich and varied cultures, including appearances by famed National Geographic photographers; a jumbo screen, live broadcast of African wildlife from the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana; interactive experiences; sponsor exhibits and special offers; and sweepstakes drawings including a six-day safari to Botswana and South Africa, and a 13-day trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar. For more information on Experience Africa, visit www.ngm.com/experienceafrica.

Other exhibit attractions include WildCam Africa, a live webcast of wildlife at Pete's Pond, a remote watering hole on Botswana's Mashatu Game Reserve. On a large screen, visitors may see African elephants lingering over a cooling drink of water as warthogs wallow in the mud on the pond's banks and monkeys, well, monkey around. (In September, the pond is busiest from about 10 a.m. to noon, Eastern Time.)

Lunchtime visitors can take in both the sights and sounds of Africa throughout the week. National Geographic wildlife photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols, whose work is featured in the exhibit, will present his new photography book, "The Last Place On Earth," about his 12 years of documenting Africa's spectacular wildlife and terrain. Mike Fay, an intrepid explorer and conservationist at the National Geographic Society, will present Africa Megaflyover, dispatches and photos of the 15 months he spent flying a small plane across Africa to discover where wild Africa survives and encourage conservation efforts.

Drumstruck, an engaging 11-member African drum troupe, will entertain with synchronized drumming and dancing routines, some inviting audience participation. There'll be South African wine tastings, as well a cordial tasting of an African liqueur made from the fruit of the exotic marula tree.

Visitors to the exhibit can register to win a 13-day National Geographic Expedition trip for two to Tanzania, including the spice island of Zanzibar. Winners will go on wildlife safaris in the Serengeti and other Tanzanian game parks and view the million-strong annual wildebeest migration. They'll also meet with famed anthropologist Meave Leakey on a visit to Olduvai Gorge. (You can also register online to win the trip at ngm.com/experienceafrica.)

___________________________

The Washington, DC-based magazine launched the exhibition to make a bold statement about the publication and to showcase the special issue, which excludes a cover photo. This is the second time since 1943 that National Geographic hasn't used a cover photo.

The exhibition, a first for the publication, also marks the first hurrah by the magazine's new editor, Chris Johns, a National Geographic photographer who took over as editor in January.

"We wanted to do something that would bring the brand of National Geographic to life in a way that has never been done before," said Sue McKeon, marketing director for National Geographic Magazine. "We want to cultivate a new National Geographic enthusiast."

As part of its marketing campaign, National Geographic sent out 500,000 to 1 million direct mail pieces and e-mail blasts notifying consumers about the event. The effort reflects the magazine's most concerted focus on experiential marketing to date, McKeon said.

"If you experience something first hand, if you get to touch and feel and have a sensory type of experience, chances are you might be inspired to become a reader if you aren't already," she said.

Exhibit sponsors include BP, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lenovo and South African Airways. As part of the exhibit, BP will distribute information about its work with HIV and AIDS awareness in Africa. Lenovo, which recently bought out the IBM Thinkpad division, will offer hands-on demonstrations of its technology.

New York City-based Grand Central Marketing handles.

"National Geographic's 'Africa' issue is a landmark in the history of the magazine and we wanted to create an event that would reflect its significance," said Matthew Glass, chairman and CEO of Grand Central Marketing, in a statement. "Our goal with Experience Africa was to bring the magazine's pages to life and let people leave...with a greater appreciation of Africa's environment, cultures and natural beauty."

National Geographic is extending the exhibition via a sweepstakes touting a grand-prize trip to Africa. Consumers can enter the sweeps online at NGM.com/experienceafrica or on site at the exhibit. The sweeps is open to consumers 18 and older and runs through Oct.17. Internet materials support.

The tour runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sept. 10. TV spots and Internet materials support.

___________________________

An event at New York's Grand Central Terminal last week illustrates this new approach under Chris Johns, a photographer who was named National Geographic's editor-in-chief Jan. 1.

Displayed in the station's cavernous Vanderbilt Hall were interactive kiosks, huge photographs and large-screen streaming video. The event celebrated Africa, a continent that commandeered National Geographic's entire September issue that was two years in the making.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters walked past the exhibit, many examining the contents and familiarizing themselves with the magazine's longstanding commitment to Africa.

"We were bringing the entire Africa issue to life," said Sean Flanagan, New York-based vice president and worldwide publisher of National Geographic's English editions. "Our goal is to help consumers understand and participate with the brand."

The issue's cover shows a small map of Africa and copy above that reads, "Africa: Whatever you thought, think again." Inside are articles on aerial views of the continent, Nairobi, oil, AIDS, Congo's pygmies, Zambia and man's threat to Africa's great animals.

"The reason we did Africa is because this magnificent place is a million places and a fascination which is seldom understood," Johns said. "What we're trying to do is have African voices tell the story of Africa, knowing that our readers would find this terribly engaging, entertaining and, let's face it, important."

Sponsorships from National Geographic print advertisers neatly dovetailed with the single-topic issue and the New York event. For instance, oil giant BP was the energy sponsor, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. was the health sponsor. Lenova supplied the technology, and South African Airways sponsored the entertainment and sweepstakes.

The advertisers seemed apropos. BP is making strides in conservation through viable energy development that hopefully protects the African environment. Bristol-Myers Squibb is working on drugs to eradicate key diseases affecting Africa.

Also, Lenova supplied National Geographic researchers camping in Africa with computers for their work. And South African Airways is offering sweepstakes participants on www.ngm.com/africa the chance to win a 13-day National Geographic expedition for two to the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.

"All four of these companies were interested because of the very authentic way they could integrate with the subject," said Claudia Malley, New York-based vice president and U.S. publisher at National Geographic. "From a brand perspective, this is a platform of experiencing the brand that we're going to be building out into 2006 and 2007. We don't have specifics, but we believe it's the right way to get consumers interacting with the brand and its reporters, photographers and writers."

Expanding on its Africa theme, National Geographic will host a Q&A with Wangari Mathai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of Kenya's Green Belt Movement. New York's 92nd Street Y hosts the event Sept. 14 in an auditorium capable of seating 2,000. Gate fee is $25. Another event at New York University will juxtapose three Africa specialist academics with three National Geographic photographers, including Johns.

Despite competition from television and the Internet, National Geographic has held its spot as one of the leading magazines nationwide. Year-over-year U.S. circulation at 5.25 million is off only 0.7 percent. Worldwide circulation of English editions is up 1.8 percent to 6.6 million.

Given its mass circulation, of which only 3 percent is newsstand and the rest subscription, National Geographic comprises a cluster of special-interest groups based on its four competencies: photography, corporate social responsibility, culture and environment. The magazine's demographics show its audience's median age is 44 with annual household income of $62,000. Fifty-two percent of its readers are male.

Like most magazines' readers, even National Geographic's are time-starved. This intensifies efforts to appeal editorially with a mix of shorter and longer articles, plus the usual staple of eye-catching photos.

"Because of such a keen competition for people's time, we have to be a magazine that's a great five- or 10-minute read or if you want to sit down and read over the span of a day or right away spend 2 1/2 hours with it," Johns said.

Circulation is renewed and regenerated through numerous tactics including direct mail and online marketing. The site at www.ngm.com soon will gain more prominence as the magazine's home. All told, National Geographic taps a database of 44 million names to ensure people buy its product.

National Geographic is one of the few major national magazines so finely segmented to appeal closely to its readers' interests. There are 16 demographic and geographic editions nationwide and 33 worldwide. Local editions include the gold for upper-income readers, the family version and a business edition.

New or returning advertisers this year include Audi, IBM Corp., American Express Co., Procter & Gamble Co. and the National Energy Institute. GlaxoSmithKline is running a new corporate campaign that juxtaposes with the magazine's "Good Companies, Good Work" effort.

Equally important, National Geographic has kept Japanese electronics and office equipment maker Canon -- its longest continuing advertiser -- which next year celebrates 25 years of advertising with the publication.

Such accomplishments matter even to a venerable publication like National Geographic, particularly in a hardscrabble environment where advertisers need as much pampering as readers.

"Our September issue is our largest September issue ever, and we're in the midst of our second-best year ever," Flanagan said. "What's happening is that we're bringing on new business accounts. Our staple, core advertisers haven't been spending as much. I think you'll find that trend across the industry."

Mickey Alam Khan covers Internet marketing campaigns and e-commerce, agency news as well as circulation for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters