The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has taken an innovative approach to engaging with younger audiences through the creation of a graphic novel, “NATO 2099”.
Published this year, 75 years after NATO’s founding, and set 75 years into the future, “NATO 2099” projects a future that envisions brewing conflicts and takes readers on a journey to the moon with its heroine.
This adventure story was written by 35 science fiction authors from across NATO Alliance countries. It imagines what the organisation might look like in the year 2099, tackling themes such as climate change, artificial intelligence, and space as a new military domain.
Why a Graphic Novel?
The choice of a graphic novel format is a deliberate attempt to humanise an organisation typically seen as an austere political-military alliance, says Max Nielsen, Commandant of the NATO Defense College. He notes that science fiction is a genre that excels at imagining future possibilities and innovations, and the creation of “NATO 2099” leverages the predictive power of science fiction to inspire and prepare for future challenges.
By using this medium, NATO aims to make itself more accessible, especially to younger audiences who may not be familiar with it – or see it purely in the military sense – while also appealing to older audiences through its high-quality presentation. The graphic novel format captures the imagination of readers and conveys complex themes in an engaging and easy-to-understand manner.
Reaching Gen Z: The Role of Social Media and Influencer Marketing
NATO’s intent to target Gen Z audiences is evident in its efforts to engage with them through social media and influencer marketing.
A detailed report by Bloomberg Law via Time magazine describes how the organisation invited 16 content creators from countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and France with followings on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms to attend its summit in Washington from 9-11 July. Another 10 influencers from the United States came at the invitation of the U.S. Defense and State departments.
The group of nearly 30 young influencers has a worldwide audience of around 40 million across social media channels, according to the State Department.
The move is an acknowledgement that traditional media outlets, which offered wall-to-wall coverage of the summit, may not be reaching Generation Z, says Bloomberg.
This approach recognizes the importance of social media in shaping the narrative around NATO and its role in global security. By leveraging the predictive power of science fiction and the engaging format of a graphic novel, NATO aims to make itself more relatable to younger audiences.
Other than an announcement about the launch of the graphic novel on X, I’ve seen little social messaging about “NATO 2099”, or any visible activity on TikTok, Instagram, or other platforms that could be from social influencers, so perhaps any campaign has yet to lift off. The hashtag #NATO2099 on X has limited content so far and none that you could say was from social influencers.
“NATO 2099” is an innovative approach to engaging Gen Z audiences and communicating the importance and relevance of the NATO Alliance in a rapidly changing world. By using a graphic novel format and leveraging social media and influencer marketing, NATO is taking steps to build its appeal to, and storytelling by, younger generations.
It’s worth noting, too, that “NATO 2099” aligns with NATO’s broader public diplomacy goals, aiming to build a multigenerational coalition of supporters by making its mission and operations more transparent and relatable.
One thing I do wish for is an actual copy of “NATO 2099” – you can only read it online. I did ask NATO via Threads if there is a copy, even a PDF, but they didn’t reply. Take a look at the graphic novel on the web and see how the story and its format appeal to you: https://www.ndc.nato.int/nato2099/
Podcast Discussion
The graphic novel itself is a primary discussion topic in the July monthly episode 420 of the For Immediate Release podcast that Shel Holtz and I jointly host, published yesterday. We talked at some length about the graphic novel and what it might mean for NATO to achieve wider understanding and engagement with Gen Z.
You can listen to the episode right here; if you don’t see the embedded audio player below, listen on the episode show notes page on the podcast website. Consider taking in our discussion on all the wide-ranging topics in this episode – 80 minutes of great content!
