Building a Globally Engaged Community with National Geographic
With over 800 million followers across their socials(!), National Geographic is a bonafide powerhouse in the world of media. Since their first published issue over 100 years ago, Nat Geo has blended a passion for nature and conservation with a deep understanding of their follower base to capture curiosity and inspire action.
Tulani André is the VP of Social Media at the company, and she has been using her passion for community building to not just grow the following of National Geographic, but also to tell stories directly to the audience and help them to engage with their content, whether that’s offering advice on how to maintain a healthy diet or sharing videos about the daily lives of penguins in the arctic. Tulani shares how the synergy between Nat Geo’s socials on different platforms contributes to their success, and also why building a loyal, active community can be more impactful than pure follower numbers.
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Breaking news via social media with V Spehar
V Spehar has redefined what it means to engage with social media, using platforms to create authentic, community-driven conversations around news and culture. Whether it's their viral TikTok videos delivering concise, informative updates with a dash of humour, or their commitment to amplifying diverse voices and perspectives, everything V does feels refreshingly real.
V's journey on social media took off when they began using it as a tool to break down complex issues into accessible, bite-sized content. As the host of Under the Desk News, V seamlessly blends advocacy with levity, earning trust with a loyal audience that looks to them for both information and a sense of community.
In this episode, we sit down with V Spehar to dive into how they use social media to cut through the noise, build authentic connections, and cultivate a space where followers feel informed and empowered. V shares their insights on how to keep the non-stop news cycle relevant to their audiences, and how the pandemic has changed creator culture.
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Pushing Boundaries and Challenging the Norm with Oatly
Oatly have changed the game in plant based milk, whilst redefining what it means to market their products with authenticity, humour and boldness. Whether it’s their tongue in cheek ads like ‘It’s like milk, but made for humans’ or their innovative approach to turning controversies into opportunities - everything they do is anything but conventional!
Sarah Sutton, Global Media Director at Oatly has been overseeing their unique approach and ethos since she joined the company in 2021. She joined at the time when they just spent 90% of their marketing budget at that year's Super Bowl, in which they ran an old advert of their CEO singing “wow, no cow”.
Sarah chats to us about how Oatly believe their product is the purpose and so wrap their brand messaging around this. This enables Oatly to be seen as disruptors and that enables Sarah to choose humour and creativity, above all else, when creating content. When talking about social media in general, she believes that if you are on the right side of history and doing the right thing as a brand, then the community will step in and fight battles for you.
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Saving dogs’ lives through social media with Niall Harbison
If you’re ever having a bad day, the Happy Doggo socials are where you need to be.
With over 1.5 million followers across platforms, this animal welfare charity aims to fix the global street dog problem by raising awareness of the issue and promoting the success stories of the dogs they rescue.
Its founder, Niall Harbison, founded the charity in 2021 after a near-death experience, and has gone on to utilise social media in gathering support for important causes which is making a substantial global impact.
Niall chats to us about the importance of authenticity in brand marketing, and the legacy he hopes to leave in the animal welfare community.
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The Secrets Behind Patagonia’s Globally Successful Social Strategy with Lauren Henshaw
Patagonia is a global brand known not only for their leading outdoor fashion lines, but also for their focus on authenticity when connecting with their customers.
Lauren Henshaw, Community & Digital Impact Manager at Patagonia, has been overseeing their social media in Europe and has had huge success in building environmental activism and outdoor communities through socials.
Lauren chats to us about how to build a pathway to action through social channels, how to define engagement across platforms, and how to earn the trust of your audience by building safe communities to interact with.
Social media is a place for everyone - how can you possibly stand out and be noticed? With a new episode every two weeks, Sprout Social’s Cat Anderson will chat with some of social media’s most inspiring and unique businesses, organisations and individuals to reveal how they have achieved success on social media.
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