Phase III?

Under the leadership and guidance of Frank "Rocketman" Uroda, our community has stepped forward in an attempted to "save rocketry"

We are presently at the time where we will begin to see our "return on investment". The measures of our success will be both tangible and intangible. Our national organizations should be able to report to us any unusual increases in membership. Our clubs will be able to tell us about new guests and members. Finally and hopefully, we'll see new faces on our fields.

Our proposed next step is the Popular Mechanics campaign. If I understand Frank correctly, this is expected to cost between $50,000-$60,000. Truly, a good deal for almost 10 million exposures.

May I offer a proposal for "Phase III"? What would your club do with a $5,000 grant for outreach? How about:

- Low-cost/free significant instruction and build sessions through your local college.

- Professional quality displays at your local science museum and air shows.

- Free reloads and hardware while "training" newcomers.

- Carry out a local advertising campaign, improve your launch area, or conduct specific public events.

- Conduct "train the trainer" classes geared toward educating teachers (k-12 and college) and youth program leaders on the benefits of rocket science.

- Open and prepare your field for low-cost "field trip" for grade schools.

- Sponsor TARC teams.

- Buy and equip a trailer and promotional items for long-term exposure and outreach at local events.

These are only examples. Some may be good, some not. What could your club do to double its membership? Would money help? The intention of Franks campaign is to make the targeted audience interested and enthused enough to join our community. Could your club drive the issue home with its current program and resources?

May I propose that in Phase III, we have a true "grass-roots" effort to raise and distribute $60,000 in grants. Awards could be a made to

12 clubs in the maximum amount of $5,000. I would anticipate a program where a request for proposal is sent to recognized rocket clubs soliciting ideas. An independent panel of leaders would then make the determination on which efforts will produce the biggest return on investment.

Are there any projections or goals for this effort in total? I submit this to the group only as an idea. I thought about it for about a day, and ran it by a couple of people. Any thoughts?

- DanB President, NARScouts "Ready, Pilot One"

Reply to
DanB
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The ones I didn't snip are good examples Probably in priority order too. My opinion is based on prior first hand experience too.

It might be more effective to just maintain the display ads as they become more effective over time. The new membership support could be used to forward the programs you listed "indirectly".

Nope.

I would add duplicate what DARS is doing successfully.

Reply to
Jerry Irvine

I still question the idea of running ads in PM, PS, etc. Previous results with those magazines (ok, over a decade ago) was less than spectacular. RocketVision showed us how you can spend a LOT of money on ads in a space magazine for very small return. IMHO, they advertized themselves right out of business.

I've seen some ads for rocket stuff in magazines like "Air and Space" and the NSS magazine. I'd check with those advertizers and see what their ROI was before plopping down $50K on print ads.

We should also survey folks and find out what ads got them [back] in the hobby. For me it was 40 years ago, and an Estes ad in Boys Life. But I'm not sure that would be a good choice today. I honestly can't think of a better medium today than the Internet. But I'll be damned if I want to see my money used for pop-up advertizing.

Not sure college is the right venue for this, but we've offered park districts free staff for such classes and been ignored.

That would be useful in the right places. Planetariums, space exhibits, and the like would be my prime targets.

I think this is a place where the manufacturers and vendors should step in. AT has done so at many launches, ofering free L1 and L2 motors.

This may be the best idea of all.

A bit more difficult since the school day conflicts with the work day. And school activities vanish right at the best flying time of the year. Unless of course we can come to them, thus turning the school field into a new flying field.

They should be out raising their own funds. That's part of the "challenge".

NIRA had the money for one of these, but the stumbling block has always been a place to store it. And enough dedicated volunteers with a trailer hitch to drag it out to the launch.

I think this effort succeeded because it was specific, short term, and a limited oportunity. THe legal fund was like that the first year, but I'd bet that recent contributions have been significantly less. Without a clear goal, I don't see fund raising succeeding like it did last month.

Find one specific target, figure out what $$$ it takes to make it happen, and run with that.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

kaplow snipped-for-privacy@encompasserve.org.TRABoD (Bob Kaplow) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@eisner.encompasserve.org:

How about an insert in some Sci-Fi or space-themed Nintendo/XBox/Sega game?

len.

Reply to
Leonard Fehskens

I don't think game players or other couch potatoes are our target market.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

Yes, I think (opinion) that we should go back to doing what was done int the old days. We submit articles to popular science on the how-to of rocketry or unique plans or kit reviews and such. you wanna bet that a kit review of a

3x scale mars lander might get published? or plans for a model rocket using electronic telemetry? or a how-to on building a level 3 rocket?

cripes, back in the old days pictures of that stuff ended up on the front page! maybe today we cant get popular science or popular mechanics, but if you look at the newstands there are a few more technical magazines we could hit.

more rocket rellated articles, more references to rocket vendors and associations, more money into the hobby, more advertising dollars into the magazines.

thats how a lot of the computer stuff took off (altair)

Reply to
tater schuld

I forgot to add that if the articles are interesting and entertaining, they promote the hobby without paying advertising fees. there are plenty of people on here that have done great articles that should think about submitting them to the magazines.

Reply to
Tater Schuld

Now there's an idea that I think would fly!

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

phase 3.5 should be Tshirts on the front with the logo: "I supported "(in script) and then below it saverocketry.org.... on the back

formatting link
with rocket challenge below it....

shockie B)

Reply to
shockwaveriderz

I see t-shirts :(

My simple suggestion was a single large visible URL everywhere there is a surface. Rockets, bodies, tents, RV's, even launch pads.

I suggest usrockets.com

Reply to
Jerry Irvine

Just so we don't start putting all those "as seen on TV" red logos on everything. IMHO that's just a logo that means "this product is overpriced"...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

Plus the same logo has been used since the 60's :)

After the Estes Wal-Mart thread I thinkit is fair to say EVERY rocket product is "overpriced" from a "cost perspective" and "underpriced" from an industry strength and success perspective.

Reply to
Jerry Irvine

Bob, I would consider you one of the best canidates for submitting an article. care to consider it?

Reply to
tater schuld

Actually, I'd vote for Peter Alway. Besides, he could use the income from the articles.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

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