National Geographic Aquarium products are real and they are already on the shelves of the local Petsmart. NatGeo is well known for its magazine and endeavors of exploration all over the world so you can imagine our surprise when we saw National Geographic’s name on aquarium filters and filter pads during a random walkthrough of the national pet store chain.
The first National Geographic aquarium products we saw were these replaceable canister filter pads and a little further down we saw NatGeo’s name on what appears to be Eheim’s Ecco line of canister filters. A quick survey of the aquatics section revealed that a whole array of aquarium products are being sold with the National Geographic brand including sand and substrate, fish food, a power filter and even an LED light!
Of course National Geographic isn’t actually making any of these products, it’s easy to tell who’s products are being private labelled, and the branding even extends into the reptile and small animal products. We are still surprised that the higher-ups at National Geographic agreed to license their name for the branding of a Petsmart exclusive line of aquarium and animal products because you’d think they have their hands full “exploring” all over the world.
This is where National Geographic’s nonprofit status comes in as it is using this opportunity with Petsmart to do some good. National Geographic’s net proceeds will support the conservation of animals and their habitats. Pets play an important role in inspiring people to learn about animals and their natural environments,” said Terry Garcia, executive vice president of National Geographic Mission Programs and president of Licensing. The statement above is precisely what we aquarists try to communicate when our hobby and lifestyle is under fire so it’s really nice to see National Geographic sees the keeping of pets in the same light as we do.
