Media Used

ANYTHING GOES

It's not just radio, TV and print advertising anymore.

Today's advertiser faces a world where just about anything goes, and the different types of media that can be used to relay messages to the public is astounding. Newer ways of advertising are always appearing, such as the world wide web, on the Internet.

EXTREMELY FOCUSED

The type of media used in aerospace education in Washington seems to fall along strong links to print resources and other more informal but nonetheless effective advertising methods. The general lack of radio and television advertising in the ind ustry signals a definite small budget for most aerospace education advertisers. AE professionals must use their money wisely, and aggressively utilize public relations as the key to fill in the gaps. What little actual advertising is produced is extremely focused and narrowly targeted. This is not a market for generalization.

USING THE NET

NASA invests heavily in communication technology for its advertising purposes, especially at the teacher level. The space agency has an extensive network of world wide web servers, gopher sites, FTP locations and computer bulletin board services around the country all connected to the Internet. This is a useful and intelligent way to use NASA's vast computing resources-most educators have better access to online services than the general public. The highlight of the agency's ostentatious online pres ence is SpaceLink. SpaceLink is a world wide web server that focuses all aerospace education information into one resource center. There are categories for curriculum, education seminars, classroom activities, general NASA news, and hot topics of the day. There are also a special sections that only teachers can access, where support groups and conference information is presented.

.PDF POPULAR

NASA has been one of the early adopters of Adobe's portable document format (.pdf). This computer format was developed by Adobe, a well known illustration and publishing software company, to confront the many different types of computer systems in existence. The .pdf file can be read on a number of platforms including Windows, Windows 95, Macintosh, and UNIX variants. The .pdf is ideal for publishing brochures and distributing them electronically, since all of the different computer platforms will be able to read the files and keep the formatting of the design intact. Adobe offers the viewer program free of charge, and encourages its distribution. The program that creates the files is a viable commercial product. NASA has found that Adobe .pdf fil es are a reliable and competent way to transmit publications throughout the NASA network.

E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS

NASA also maintains an e-mailing lists that sends out e-mail press releases to specific target audiences based on list subscriptions. This list is maintained by NASA headquarters in Washington DC, and is mainly focused on general events. Nonethel ess it is a valuable tool for the aerospace education department's public relations to get information out to the general public if needed. Below is an actual copy of a recent release:

From NASANews@luna.osf.hq.nasa.gov Wed Feb 21 14:57:23 1996
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 14:19:04 -0500 
From: NASA HQ Public Affairs Office 
To: press-release-edu2@mercury.hq.nasa.gov
Subject: Students to Make Observations Using Hubble Space Telescope 
 
Don Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC               February 21, 1996
(Phone:  202/358-1547)
 
Tammy Jones
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(Phone:  301/286-5566)
 
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD
(Phone:  410/338-4514)
 
RELEASE:  96-34
 
STUDENTS TO MAKE OBSERVATIONS USING HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE 
 
     Students in grades K-l2, working alongside some of 
America's foremost astronomers, will have a chance this 
spring to help do real science observations using NASA's 
Hubble Space Telescope.  The resulting observations will be 
featured in a live, interactive telecast on NASA TV and 
public television in March and April . . . 
 
[EDITED FOR SPACE]
 
     . . ."Live from the Hubble Space Telescope" is part of the 
ongoing Passport To Knowledge series.  The series provides 
low- or no-cost access to "real science, real scientists, 
real locations, real-time" by using integrated multimedia 
components - print, on-line and live video. 
 
      Passport To Knowledge is supported by NASA, the Space 
Telescope Science Institute, the National Science Foundation 
and public television. 
 
For more information, access the project's home page on the 
World Wide Web at: 
 
        http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/livefrom/hst.html
 
or send e-mail to: 
 
        listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov
 
        and in the message body write:
 
        subscribe updates-hst
 
        An  information hotline is available on 1-800-626-LIVE 
(626-5483) or (908)273-4108. 
 
                        -end-
 
NASA press releases and other information are available 
automatically by  sending an Internet electronic mail message 
to domo@hq.nasa.gov.  In the body of the message (not the 
subject line) users should type the words "subscribe
press-release" (no quotes).  The system will reply with a 
confirmation via E-mail of each subscription.  A second 
automatic message will include additional information on the 
service.  NASA releases also are available via CompuServe 
using the command GO NASA.

Eschewing general advertising tactics such as television and radio, NASA opts for very strategic postal mailing lists to district offices and school principals. In the San Francisco Bay area, The NASA Ames Research Center AE department has had su ccess with such lists (Hull).

Electronic forms of communication and media are not the only solution, of course, and many other aerospace education organizations find that this is certainly the truth.

WORD OF MOUTH

At the Northwest Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In, where a special Kid's Day is sponsored, word of mouth and personal contact is often times the best media available. Leanne Currier, Kid's Day Chairman for the 1995 event says that the old f ashioned way of calling people on the phone was most effective. "I got more response by following up and calling on the phone than I did with just paper" (Currier). The plan for Kid's Day centered around one direct mailing that was sent out a month in advance. After the paper flyer was sent out, phone calls were initiated to incite participation from the target audience.

Barbara Lawrence, Fly-In Marketing Director, echoes Currier's feelings on personal contact. Lawrence says that establishing relationships with local youth groups such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, YMCAs, home school groups, and individual pri vate schools is important, as the Fly-In event is held during the summer-no local area schools are in session (Lawrence).

PRINT METHODS

The Museum of Flight uses mostly print methods to reach its audience. The education department produces one brochure to education programs the museum offers every year. The Museum advertises in the Seattle Times or the Seattle P-I rarely. But whe n advertising this way becomes beneficial, it is usually in conjunction with the opening of a new exhibit or a big event, such as the summer airshow "The Emerald City Flight Fest" (Moyce). The museum depends heavily on good public rela tions practices to get into the newspapers. Usually this is in the form of a short text description in the "to do" community section of the weekend papers. Occasionally the papers will pick up on a new exhibit or program, and will run a feature story in pla ce of a simple text entry.

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Created: Tuesday, March 05, 1996, 6:25:57 PM Last Updated: Tuesday, March 05, 1996, 6:25:57 PM