Nat Geo Target Audience

National Geographic, with its iconic yellow-lined cover, is perhaps one of the most well-known magazines in the world. Although many may find the magazine recognizable, National Geographic has a target audience in mind when designing every aspect of the magazine. A careful observation of the October 2015 issue of National Geographic reveals a snapshot of the audience that the magazine intends to reach: wealthy, older, well-educated liberals.

The wealth of the Nat Geo audience is clear from the moment one touches an issue and glances at the cover. The tooth of the paper, glossy and smooth, belies the expense at which each issue is produced. Of course, the $5.99 price of the magazine, a tad pricier than Cosmo or People, is also telling of the

A number of ads are targeted toward people over 50, like those featuring an older man who needs Trulicity for his diabetes, or the Prevnar ad that explicitly targets adults over 65. There also seems to be an expectation that readers may be retirees. There are ads for Nat Geo excursions that could hardly be feasible for those who are still in the workforce, and the long-form articles articles imply that their stickiness is suited for those with a decent amount of time on their hands. Of course, the most telling evidence about the age of Nat Geo’s desired audience is the page 18 reference to the lifestyle of Greta Garbo, which many younger people wouldn’t be expected to

The diction of the articles, even when covering complex scientific subjects, naturally avoids complex jargon, but expects a level of intelligence from readers. A page 12 brief references vestigial structures, assuming that readers have a decent enough grasp on evolutionary biology to understand the term. The “Mystery Man” article featured advanced diction (“doyens,” “sine qua non”) that I’ll admit is beyond my vocabulary, but it seems that the author expects readers to have an impressive lexicon. In addition to being well-educated, Nat Geo expects that readers must generally have liberal political leanings, as the articles “Solitary, Until It’s Amorous,” “Lost City” and “Sea Wolves” appeal to conservationists and those who are wary of the environmental consequences of big