X-Message-Number: 23750
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 18:22:54 -0800
Subject: Re: FDGD
From: Kennita Watson <>

> "Fred C. Moulton" <> wrote:
> Kennita wrote:
>> This brings up something I've been thinking about.  While I am an
>> Alcor member, I am going to FDGD not to promote Alcor, but to
>> promote cryonics as a whole....

> I am less concerned about a generic booth saying "Cryonics Information"
> than I am one with the Alcor logo on it.

Glad to hear it.
>
>> Someplace quiet enough to talk would be good.  A place to fill
>> out forms would be even better.
>
> You may want to be careful.  I am not sure what you mean by "forms",
> but appearing to be too pushy can have a negative impact.

Sorry -- I wasn't clear.  I could better have said "signup
sheets" -- just a place people can write down their name,
address, and email if they want more information.
> ...
>> Who are the persons who shape opinions in the context of cryonics?
>> What are they likely to see and hear?  Are there few enough of them
>> that we would want to target them directly?  Who would already know?
> ...
> For example the Phoenix/Tucson areas probably have several science and
> technology (NOT religion or lifestyle or misc) journalists who
> work for the top media in the area.  Pick about six.  Invite them in 
> for
> "Select Media" event, ...
> For a larger group look into the meetings professional writers and
> journalists.  For example, the National Association of Science Writers
> ...

Does Alcor have anyone to work on PR for them?  Since
they're in the area, wouldn't it make sense for them to
put something like these together?  They may already
know local journalists.  While I'm gearing up for FDGD,
I won't have time to work on these.  Anybody interested,
feel free; otherwise, this will go into my files for
possible future projects.
>
> Are these the specific groups we should focus on? No. Not necessarily.
> I just mention them as examples of the kind of thinking that needs to
> be done.  Learn who will be writing print stories, who will be doing
> radio and TV and find out their professional organizations.  PR
> like most things, takes hard work to be done well.  A database
> of organizations and contacts needs to be developed with a long range
> (years, not months) plan.

Seems to me Alcor needs a trained professional on it full-time.
Theoretically there's a certain number of members or number of
patients or number of patients per year that would support such
a person.  Does Alcor know how many that is?  And is it a
catch-22, where if we don't have the PR person, we will never
get to that size?
>
> I hope and expect that Alcor and the other cryonics associations have
> already long ago began work on this type of PR work.

Not that I've heard about.
> ...

> Marketing is important.  It is more complex than many people realize.
>
If it were simple companies wouldn't spend so much money on it.
Thanks for the ideas, Fred!  Most of them go into my files for
future reference, unless someone goes with them.  If anyone is
inspired to call Alcor and find out what they're doing in this
arena and report back, that would be great.

Live long and prosper,
Kennita
--
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
none but ourselves can free our minds.
           -- Bob Marley, "Redemption Song"

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