You get some amazing presenters at iMedia. Tonight our dinner time presenter was Bod Mason of National Geographic. Over the course of an hour he shared stories, photos, and video of his many adventures. To say, that he’s been just about everywhere would be an understatement. In the last year alone he traveled to all 7 continents. Not bad, huh?

During a critical point in the presentation he paused and shared the secret of why National Geographic continues to be a leader in the industry.  After all – anyone can travel to Africa with great photography gear and a guide.  Other magazine employ top notch photographers to places like Antartica, but they just don’t rival National Geographic.  So, why is it that National Geographic remains at the top of heap?

Simple – they focus on telling great stories that have great content.  You need BOTH.  Having a great photo, with no story is only half of the equation.  To me that’s the key to making a great ad.  When the visuals are impactful and the story compelling; people want to watch.  They want to spend some time with you.  Hell, they’ll pay to spend time with you.

If I’ve taken anything away from this summit, it’s that as marketers we need to tell great stories and offer great content if we want our audience to actively participate and engage with our brands and products.