Planetarium Promotion 101:
An Introduction to Marketing for the Planetarium Professional
Christopher S. Reed
CSR Media
12106 West 75th Lane
Arvada, Colorado 80005-5306
Chris_Reed@prodigy.net
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of planetarium
operation in this day in age, is gaining the attention of potential visitors.
With such a plethora of "alternative" entertainment options, the
planetarium is often thought of as being "old-news" and operating
with relatively old technology, as compared to other options available for
the average seeker of weekend entertainment. More "modern" entertainment
venues such as large-format projection technology, motion simulator rides,
virtual-reality simulators, and even the simple improvement of Hollywood
feature films, all played a part in the limitation of growth potential in
the planetarium industry today.
While many do consider the planetarium to be a
more laid-back and educational form of entertainment, as opposed to the
latest feature film, many consider it to be just as entertaining not to
mention interesting, as these other entertainment options that are available
today. It is my belief, that if promoted in a similar fashion to that of
other, large-budget entertainment, the planetarium can once again establish
itself as an excellent form of entertainment, education, and interest. Just
because most facilities are operating on a limited budget does not mean
that the options for promotion are eliminated. In the world of media today,
there are hundreds of ways by which you, your staff, and more importantly,
your facility, can obtain the media attention necessary to build your visitor
base.
I have written this article as a broadcast professional
and an interested party in the planetarium industry who is attempting to
aid you in promoting your facility through the same channels that the larger-budget
operations do. The nice thing about promotion and advertising is that it
has the ability to be effective on a small budget as well as a large budget,
so regardless of your financial resources, you can still wage an effective
promotions campaign. Whether it's a specific campaign to spread the word
of a particular show or a general planetarium awareness campaign, the following
tips and ideas should help you effectively develop a promotional plan and
execute the plan for maximum exposure.
The Difference Between Promotion and Advertising
Both promotion and advertising programs are designed
with the same goal in mind. However, there are large differences between
the two:
Promotion typically
involves free mentions or associative mentions that bring the name or likeness
of the planetarium in with other related context. An example of promotion
would be the writing of an astronomy article by a planetarium staffer for
a local newspaper, or an interview with the local TV station on the next
big comet. Promotional activities typically incur little or no cost, and
provide a good source of in-context name recognition. Promotion usually
results in a mutual gain between both parties involved. To use the above
example, the newspaper receives an article to print, and the planetarium
receives a promotional mention.
Advertisingis
generally more commercial, and includes paid mentions of any form. Examples
of advertising include paid placements in newspapers, radio, or television.
Advertising is more aggressive than promotion and typically presents more
of a "call to action" than promotional activities. An advertisement
may say "Visit the ABC Planetarium" whereas promotion may simply
mention the planetarium, and provide a telephone number or address.
Because both promotion and advertising work towards
the same goal, it is important for any campaign to incorporate the use of
both. Promotion provides a more "community relations" angle to
your campaign, and advertising provides a more "commercial" overtone.
By combining these two, your end product will be a well-rounded campaign.
General Fundamentals of Advertising and Promotion
When promoting the planetarium, like any other
business, it's important to keep in mind some basic fundamentals of advertising
and promotion. Each of the following rules should be kept in mind during
the planning and implementation stages of your campaign.
1. Target advertising and promotional activities
to specific audiences. There is no point in promoting the planetarium to
a group of people who are unlikely to visit in the first place.
2. Coordinationis perhaps one of
the most important aspects of marketing. You can't expect a good return
on any campaign if it includes only one form of media. For example, don't
expect high success rates if you only place radio advertisements. The definition
of an advertising campaign is a collaboration of advertising and
promotion working together. The key to any marketing is repetition, and
by placing ads and promotional materials that repeat the message, your campaign
is more likely to be successful.
3. Demonstrate appropriate timing. You may
want to implement a planned marketing campaign right before a big celestial
event, such as a comet, or rare planet viewing, or a space related event
such as a well publicized shuttle mission, or the recent launch of the Cassini
space probe. Such placement will result in targeting those who already have
a curiosity towards the planetarium due to existing media coverage.
4. Don't become discouraged when your promotional
campaign doesn't yield results immediately. Like all aspects of marketing,
these things take time, and any well planned campaign will almost always
be successful. Just be patient.
5. Record your results. This is perhaps
one of the most important items to keep in mind. Track how well your efforts
are working by asking visitors where they heard of the planetarium. Keep
track of where you've placed mentions, advertisements, what TV and radio
stations you've been mentioned on and track where your primary visitor base
is coming from. This will help you target your resources when developing
future campaigns.
Promotion: Press Releases
One of the cheapest and most effective methods
of promoting your planetarium is to write and submit a press release. Press
releases are specially written announcements made to the local media outlets
to spread the word of a particular event. The key with press releases is
they must be timely and contain some sort of material that can be considered
newsworthy. Prime examples would be the opening of a new show, the selling
of a locally-produced show-kit to other facilities, or a special show to
feature an upcoming astronomical event such as the appearance of a comet.
Press releases should begin with a headline, followed
by the words "For Immediate Release," the date, and a contact
name and telephone number where the members of the press may call to obtain
further information. Releases should never be more than four or five paragraphs
and should contain the "5 W's," who, what, where, when, and why,
in the first paragraph. The subsequent paragraphs should contain more background
information on the headline. Simply put, start specific and then generalize.
If you are submitting a press release to general
media (i.e. the daily newspaper, television stations, etc.), then write
the release to contain the information that the general public either wants
or needs regarding your headline. If you plan to submit the release to other
organizations, perhaps the local astronomy club, then change the headline,
and the focus of the release to contain more information on astronomical
principles relating to your overall release topic. When a feature film is
released, about ten or fifteen releases are produced, each focusing on a
different aspect of the program. Here are some examples of various release
headlines for a hypothetical new show on Saturn:
1. "Saturn Show Lands at ABC Planetarium"
general release
2. "New Saturn Show Presents Findings of Possible
Life on Planet" science release
3. "Students Learn of Great Ringed Planet
in New Show" student/education release
4. "John Doe Narrates New Show on Saturn"
production related release
After writing several releases that cover the same
basic information, but with a different angle, determine which media outlets
should receive the releases. Be sure to target all possible media outlets
and don't forget school newspapers, school-district parent newsletters,
parenting newsletters and magazines, etc. Also be sure to get the word out
to individual schools, day-care centers, and other organizations that may
be able to provide you with a strong audience.
Press releases are not designed to be published
directly. Generally the basic information will be published, or a reporter
from the media organization will call to follow up, and develop a story
based upon the release. Always ask the reporter, or ask when you make your
follow up call, to repeat the information they have to verify its accuracy.
Be available to take calls from media contacts, keep a list of who responded
and who didn't, and build a strong media-contacts list for future promotional
activities.
Here are some more general rules for writing a
release:
1. Write your release on letterhead.
2. Begin with specifics and then generalize.
3. If your release is two pages, place a "../"
at the bottom of your first page, flush right.
4. Do not staple the pages of a release.
5. End your release with "# # #", centered
at the bottom of the last page.
6. Send releases to the attention of the News Director
or Assignment Editor.
7. Send releases to every media outlet,
regardless of whether you think they'll respond to it.
8. Always follow up with a telephone call
to verify that the release was received.
Promotion: Interviews
Like the press release, providing interviews to
local media outlets can be a major source of promotion for your facility.
Interviews are typically requested by media outlets prior to or during some
sort of big astronomic or space related event, such as the recent Comet
Hale-Bopp or the Cassini space probe launch. Unlike press releases, media
interviews provide a specific person of the staff with the opportunity to
promote the planetarium through their knowledge and expertise on a specific
topic.
There are many types of interviews as there are
many methods by which they are conducted. Most electronic media, such as
radio and television will actually come to your facility and speak with
a principal member of the staff (i.e. chief astronomer, etc.) with respect
to the topic of the story. Often the interview that you give will be edited
down into a single sound-byte of five to ten seconds, whereas other times,
a station may conduct a live interview that may last a minute or longer.
Other interviews require that the staff member travel to the media outlet,
limiting the amount of exposure for the planetarium but still offering the
community a glimpse into what your planetarium has to offer.
Print interviews are typically less formal and
offer comparable amounts of exposure for your facility. Usually a reporter
and/or a photographer from the periodical will visit your facility and take
meticulous notes with respect to your statements and may even take a few
photographs for potential publication.
Regardless of the type of interview you give, here
are some basic rules to follow:
1. Make sure the reporter has your full name, title,
and institution name and has it spelled correctly for use on any captions
or credit lines.
2. Speak clearly and concisely to the reporter
and avoid using complex scientific terms or examples - remember your audience.
3. Give the reporter a copy of your planetarium
brochure and/or current show schedule. Be sure this material is up-to-date
and has a current address and telephone number.
4. If your interview is for television, dress neatly
and professionally.
5. Thank the reporter for asking you to participate
and offer to provide your assistance again should the need arise.
Promotion: Community Calendars
Almost every major media outlet in the country
offers some sort of "community calendar" feature which highlights
current events and happenings within the community. Such features often
appear in weekend sections of newspapers, and on morning programs of radio
and television stations. Typically, the media outlets offer lists of musicals,
plays, lectures, sporting events, carnivals, festivals, and other cultural
activities in these sections. Seldom, though, do you find planetaria listed
in such features - primarily because the media is unaware as to their existence
as an entertainment venue. The media cannot publicize something if they
do not know it is there. Such listings are designed for one-time events,
such as planetarium show openings, star-gazing opportunities, etc.
Unfortunately, there are no right or wrong ways
to submit an item to a "community calendar" feature. The best
way to get your shows listed is to simply contact your local media outlets
and inquire about such features. When you call, ask for the Public Affairs
director who will be able to tell you the process by which you can submit
your event. Be sure to do this six to eight weeks before a given event,
as most stations require that each entry be channeled through a review process
to determine its merit. Many stations require that you submit specific information,
but generally it's a good idea to send them the following:
1. Name of the event.
2. Date(s) of the event.
3. Time(s) of the event.
4. Contact telephone number.
5. Address
6. A brief description of the event.
Though small, "community calendar" mentions
can be powerful and often are seen by very large audiences.
Advertising: Electronic Media
At this point we begin to move into the advertising
options which are available to planetaria at relatively low costs. Unlike
methods of promotion, which attempt to raise public awareness, most advertising
blatantly attempts to "bring in" the visitors to your facility.
Advertising can usually incorporate more information and have a more "call
to action" type mood or attitude, as compared to promotion methods.
As you might expect, the cost of including advertising in a campaign is
greater than that of a promotions effort. This is not only due to the relatively
high cost of ad placement, but also the costs that lie within advertisement
development as television and radio production often must be handled by
third-party service bureaus.
Though expensive, advertising is often a very effective
"backup" or "reinforcement" media that can be used in
coordination with promotional efforts elsewhere. Unlike methods of promotion,
however, advertising must create a sense of urgency in the mind of the listener
or viewer, that is, a reason to come to the planetarium now. It is
for this reason that advertising often works best when a new show starts
at your facility or you are introducing a major new exhibit. With a combination
of free promotional mentions and several advertisement placements your campaign
is almost guaranteed to increase your visitor base.
Because of the changing nature of the electronic
media industry, I have elected not to devote a great deal of time to explaining
the specific details of broadcast advertising. The following outlines key
points to remember when placing advertising on radio and television and
guidelines to keep in mind. If you are interested in learning more about
radio advertising, you may contact The Interep Radio Store, 100 Park Avenue,
New York, NY 10017, or The Radio Advertising Bureau, 304 Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 10010. For information about television advertising, contact
your local television stations or cable operators.
Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind
when developing an electronic media campaign:
1. Have your advertisements professionally produced
if you cannot do so yourself. Do not compromise the integrity of your campaign
with poorly produced spots.
2. If you have not caught the attention of the
audience within the first five to ten seconds, your advertisement has failed.
3. Repetition is key. Expect to run your advertising
frequently. Many stations offer package deals which give you a certain number
of spots per week.
4. Mention the name of your facility or show at
least four times in a thirty second spot.
5. If you are creating television spots, ask yourself:
Can the viewer still understand the spot without hearing it? What about
without seeing it? Many times people mute the television during commercial
breaks or simply hear the commercial from a neighboring room.
6. Never accept the station rate card at
their face value. Stations are always open to negotiations. Also
inquire about unsold airtime deals.
7. Target your advertising to one or two key radio
stations and network affiliated television stations. With radio, make sure
that the station targets the same demographic as your visitor base. It doesn't
make much sense advertising a planetarium or science center on the teenager's
radio station.
8. Do your homework. Know about advertising and
ratings terms before you meet with a media advertising representative.
Advertising: Print Media
Print display advertising is often less expensive,
but equally effective as electronic media advertising. Unlike electronic
media, it is easy to create your own advertising materials for print purposes
and thereby avoid the high costs of graphic artists. Newspapers (and magazines,
typically) charge for display advertising (as opposed to classified advertising)
by the column inch, and their rates are usually part of their media kit
which is available to potential advertisers upon request. Be sure to ask
for a copy of the media kit before meeting with a sales representative as
this will give you the "inside scoop" regarding their publication,
if you are not already familiar with it.
The following are some guidelines to follow when
designing a print media campaign:
1. The top of your advertisement should have a
bold or easy-to-read heading which draws the reader to your ad. If possible,
use color. Red and blue are most effective.
2. Write your copy as if writing to a single person
as opposed to a group.
3. Be sure to include your name, address, directions,
or other pertinent contact information in your advertisement. It sounds
simple, but you would be surprised at the number of people who don't put
this seemingly basic information in.
4. Try to have your advertisement placed on the
right hand side of the page and as close to the front of the paper as possible.
5. Include your logo or some sort of graphic, if
space permits. The lower left or right hand corner is the best position
for this. Do not compromise copy for the logo, however.
6. Limit the number of typefaces you use. Too many
becomes distracting to the reader.
7. Avoid using all capital letters; this too is
distracting.
8. Once again, repetition is key. Run your ad as
many times as finances allow. The more frequently people see your ad, the
more likely they are to respond to it.
In Closing
This article was designed to provide planetarium
professionals with an introduction to some of the promotion and marketing
options that are available to those with relatively limited budgets. It
is by no means a complete list, and should be used as a "starting point"
of sorts from which to build your own customized marketing campaign. The
planetarium is such a unique venue for entertainment and education, and
should be promoted as such. With the right targeting and a well-implemented
media campaign, the planetarium live up to its potential and become a popular
entertainment venue once again.
Chris Reed is the President of CSR Media in
Denver, a broadcast consultancy firm based in Denver, Colorado. In addition
to broadcast services, CSR Media also provides extensive marketing and show
development services to the planetarium community.
Reproduced from the Planetarian, Vol. 27, #3, April 1998. Copyright
1998 International Planetarium Society. For permission to reproduce please
contact Executive Editor, Sharon Shanks.
