Last summer, National Geographic brought viewers into shark-infested waters with the SharkFest programming event. The programming lineup included Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory, where wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory dives into shark hotspots to capture the raw power and beauty of great whites on film, and Jaws at 50: The Definitive Inside Story, a documentary about the blockbuster film that defined Hollywood and its effects on the perception of sharks.
The organic social campaign had 3 key goals:
Excite our core natural history fan base while intriguing new audiences.
Eventize SharkFest as a must-watch staple.
Inspire audiences around shark conservation efforts.
After a deep dive analysis of our prior social performance, we discovered that audiences consistently were more likely to share posts that showcased unique or weird animal behaviors. With this insight, we launched SharkFest by prioritizing highly shareable content built to spark conversations in group chats and feeds of new audiences, not just our core base. We continuously looked for opportunities to inject lesser-known facts into digestible formats such as a playful “Your Zodiac, Your Shark” carousel and a rarely seen video showcasing shark reproduction. This approach helped us make complex science facts accessible and engaging, while building awareness for SharkFest as a whole.
With SharkFest awareness established, we shifted our campaign to focus on deeper engagement, highlighting stunning footage from the two programming specials alongside shark conservation efforts. To amplify our message, we tapped into timely pop culture moments like the Jaws 50th anniversary and shared exclusive show footage, including a rarely seen moment with a southern right whale mom and her calves. Each piece of content was crafted to encourage meaningful interactions, sparking conversation and curiosity. One standout asset revealed the unexpected dark side of Jaws, exploring how the film fueled widespread fear for the species and inviting audiences to reconsider their perceptions. Overall, the organic campaign positioned SharkFest not only as a leader in conservation messaging across social media, but also as a source of inspiration and excitement.
We ignited authentic excitement and curiosity about one of the ocean’s most iconic species.
By combining educational storytelling, visually striking content, and trending formats, we showcased shark conservation and unique animal behaviors in innovative ways. The organic social media strategy Across National Geographic’s social accounts, the organic campaign drove:
Over 104M impressions
Over 47M video views
Over 2.4M engagements
