Hey "Go Gliding" campaign....got a question

The promo is a great idea, nice graphics and all. Love the ASH-25 pic.........just one question. Why did you use a picture from Australia? Not a slam on Australian soaring, but isn't the intent to promote U.S. Soaring and get people's butts in gliders here? No suitable American scenes, pictures of planes with a "N" number?

Gary Adams - GB

On May 3, 8:17*pm, Gary Adams wrote:
The promo is a great idea, nice graphics and all. Love the ASH-25 pic.........just one question. Why did you use a picture from Australia? Not a slam on Australian soaring, but isn't the intent to promote U.S. Soaring and get people's butts in gliders here? No suitable American scenes, pictures of planes with a "N" number?

Gary Adams - GB

Bob DeLeon will have to answer that - he chose the graphics. However,
I think he made a great choice. The non-pilot viewer wouldn't
understand what an "N" number is anyway.

Some have mentioned the graphics are "too loud" but I think it has to
be to work. Soaring is fighting for its life and this campaign must
work - we may not get another chance. Put a bumper sticker on your
car and the graphic on your trailer. No matter how old it is, it'll
look better with the graphic.

Bill Daniels

On Thursday, May 3, 2012 8:17:40 PM UTC-6, Gary Adams wrote:
The promo is a great idea, nice graphics and all. Love the ASH-25 pic.........just one question. Why did you use a picture from Australia? Not a slam on Australian soaring, but isn't the intent to promote U.S. Soaring and get people's butts in gliders here? No suitable American scenes, pictures of planes with a "N" number?

Gary Adams - GB

Put your LGG bumper sticker on the daily driver yet? Your chapter should have received a bunch by now. More available upon request.

Frank Whiteley

On Thursday, May 3, 2012 10:17:40 PM UTC-4, Gary Adams wrote:
The promo is a great idea, nice graphics and all. Love the ASH-25 pic.........just one question. Why did you use a picture from Australia? Not a slam on Australian soaring, but isn't the intent to promote U.S. Soaring and get people's butts in gliders here? No suitable American scenes, pictures of planes with a "N" number?

Gary Adams - GB

I guess I was trying to be a little subtle or tactful.......re-read it minus the first 2 sentences. So what if the "Joe Public" doesn't know a bout N numbers.....that wasn't my point. Commercial operators and clubs do know. Just saying we've got some recognizable, spectacular views in this country that might work as well as say................a book cover.

Gary Adams GB

On May 4, 3:57*am, gotovkotzepkoi gotovkotzepkoi.
wrote:
Get real. Other than the feel good factor of the people wearing the
stickers this campaign is a waste of time. The sport needs to appeal to
more primal instincts. Remember the scene in Cool Hand Luke where the
women is washing the car? Well, how about the glider version: she's
washing the canopy....The young men will be knocking the doors of your
club down. Sorry to any ladies out there who might be offended by this
brazen idea.

--
gotovkotzepkoi

I hate to admit it but he's right. Sexiness sells. That's why all the
ads these days feature female youth.
These (expensive) TV ads are fine tuned by focus groups to provide
maximum interest in minimum time.
This is probably one of your wive's top complaints (ads, movies,
etc.). I know it is for mine.
You might also notice the increased use of coffee cups in all
commercials. They're there just to catch
your brain via your coffee "additiction".
Old guys in funny hats just don't get much interest in this world no
matter what they are doing.
It's quite an unfortunate situation.
My feeling is that it takes a special kind of interest to want to fly
gliders. Those that have this innate desire will seek
us out. The rest of the world is clueless. Let them be.

On May 4, 10:41*am, soartech wrote:
On May 4, 3:57*am, gotovkotzepkoi gotovkotzepkoi.

wrote:
Get real. Other than the feel good factor of the people wearing the
stickers this campaign is a waste of time. The sport needs to appeal to
more primal instincts. Remember the scene in Cool Hand Luke where the
women is washing the car? Well, how about the glider version: she's
washing the canopy....The young men will be knocking the doors of your
club down. Sorry to any ladies out there who might be offended by this
brazen idea.

--
gotovkotzepkoi

I hate to admit it but he's right. Sexiness sells. That's why all the
ads these days feature female youth.
These (expensive) TV ads are fine tuned by focus groups to provide
maximum interest in minimum time.
This is probably one of your wive's top complaints (ads, movies,
etc.). I know it is for mine.
You might also notice the increased use of coffee cups in all
commercials. They're there just to catch
your brain via your coffee "additiction".
Old guys in funny hats just don't get much interest in this world no
matter what they are doing.
It's quite an unfortunate situation.
My feeling is that it takes a special kind of interest to want to fly
gliders. Those that have this innate desire will seek
us out. The rest of the world is clueless. Let them be.

My theory is that roughly .1% of the population has the "Glider
Gene". If simply exposed to what soaring is about, they will
obsessively pursue the sport. Spending serious money on mass
advertizing to reach that tiny demographic isn't reasonable or
affordable. We have to be smart in how we spend scarce resources on
promotion.

Bumper stickers and trailer graphics as well as Facebook and Twitter
campaigns are affordable and, hopefully, will reach enough of the
genetically afflicted population to get the sport growing again. .1%
= 300,000 potential glider pilots in the US which is a bit more than
our 200 training gliders and 400 working instructors can handle.

Hi, Bob DeLeon here…creator of Let's Go Gliding. There is but one
objective to the campaign: AWARENESS.

Our sport has resided way off the radar in comparison to the other
recreational choices. So LGG is designed to elevate the awareness of
this choice. This objective needs to look: exciting, adventurous,
challenging, and the opportunity to be involved with a great group of
people who love the sport. That's why I made the choices in how it's
designed and what it says. That was the creative brief driving the
imagery and words.

Yea, it would have been fun to have imagery like the Cool Hand Luke
scene previously described. But that would have been dis-ingeniune to
what soaring really is. It would be a "hook" that once swallowed would
have cut off a lot of support (female) and been regarded as fake to
those who are the target audience.

AWARENESS of this sport--and what it offers-- is the key. The more
people see the campaign, the more they'll sense that the guy sporting
the bumper sticker or showing the brochure will be a source to get
their questions answered. And if not a person, then the web address
(LetsGoGliding.com) will be the other source to influence their
thinking and impressions.

It's not likely that in the next two years we'll see a growth in the
sport that will be ascending, but if worked enthusiastically by those
who fly gliders, with the SSA's backing, we can arrest the descent of
declining numbers and hold the line on those flying. Adding in numbers
right now is that objective. Otherwise, the sport will slide into a
category that will effect manufacturers of gliders and glider
equipment, the ability of some clubs to remain active, and the value
of your used glider. Trust me: no business or entity wants decline.
You want some kind of growth. And getting active with a supported
marketing campaign that puts a "cool" and inviting spotlight on the
sport is the answer.

And as previously stated, this campaign is going to need unbridled
support from the soaring community. With this year's World Gliding
Championship being held in the U.S. we have a superb chance to arrest
the descent of glider pilot numbers in the U.S.

Awareness is good. So I suppose trailer stickers are ok. But I
have the sinking feeling, that like most things the SSA does, they
won't do any good, and are more designed to justify the SSA staff
and fill up some space in soaring magazine. If I saw a big trailer
with a sticker "lets go cave diving" it would not cause me to
contact my local cave diving club. I already know that cave diving
exists, and I don't care. I don't have the passion for it, like most
people feel about flying. The passion has to be there, and it won't
be magically created by trailer stickers or coffee mugs or
whatever. Those unfortunate people who do have the passion for
gliding.....they are destined to spend a lot of time and money, and
will already be bugging their parents, visiting airports, and on the
internet looking for local gliding clubs. We could tear off all the
trailer stickers, paint them in camouflage and string barbed wire
around the airport, and they'd still sneak in. All we can really do,
is make sure those new people can easily find us, and welcome
them when they come.


At 15:42 06 May 2012, Bob D wrote:
Hi, Bob DeLeon here=85creator of Let's Go Gliding. There is but
one
objective to the campaign: AWARENESS.

Our sport has resided way off the radar in comparison to the
other
recreational choices. So LGG is designed to elevate the
awareness of
this choice. This objective needs to look: exciting, adventurous,
challenging, and the opportunity to be involved with a great
group of
people who love the sport. That's why I made the choices in how
it's
designed and what it says. That was the creative brief driving
the
imagery and words.

Yea, it would have been fun to have imagery like the Cool Hand
Luke
scene previously described. But that would have been dis-
ingeniune to
what soaring really is. It would be a "hook" that once swallowed
would
have cut off a lot of support (female) and been regarded as fake
to
those who are the target audience.

AWARENESS of this sport--and what it offers-- is the key. The
more
people see the campaign, the more they'll sense that the guy
sporting
the bumper sticker or showing the brochure will be a source to
get
their questions answered. And if not a person, then the web
address
(LetsGoGliding.com) will be the other source to influence their
thinking and impressions.

It's not likely that in the next two years we'll see a growth in the
sport that will be ascending, but if worked enthusiastically by
those
who fly gliders, with the SSA's backing, we can arrest the
descent of
declining numbers and hold the line on those flying. Adding in
numbers
right now is that objective. Otherwise, the sport will slide into a
category that will effect manufacturers of gliders and glider
equipment, the ability of some clubs to remain active, and the
value
of your used glider. Trust me: no business or entity wants
decline.
You want some kind of growth. And getting active with a
supported
marketing campaign that puts a "cool" and inviting spotlight on
the
sport is the answer.

And as previously stated, this campaign is going to need
unbridled
support from the soaring community. With this year's World
Gliding
Championship being held in the U.S. we have a superb chance to
arrest
the descent of glider pilot numbers in the U.S.

I took my trailer to the gliderport this weekend and it was the first chance I had to look at the Let's Go Gliding! stickers from a distance. From over 100 feet away the lettering is still clear and the colors are eye catching. Of course I have young eyes.

Making sure people can find us is the whole point of Let's Go Gliding. The website www.letsgogliding.com funnels people directly to the SSA's "Where to Fly" applet.

I'm pretty sure I have the "glider gene" that Bill talks about but I was completely oblivious to it until I actually got a flight in a glider and was able to climb. I had read about the exploits of a glider pilot in the newspaper and thought he was a crazed lunatic for flying cross country with no engine and landing out. I had just started airplane training at the time because I thought I wanted to be a professional pilot (talk about crazy!). From there it was an intersting sequence of events that led to that lunatic taking me for my first ride after I helped pull his glider out of a field. We gained a few hundred feet and the rest is history.

Sexy?

What could possibly be more sexy than flying around in a machine
that, from the side, looks like a giant sperm?