Attracting the kids

"Jim Beckman" wrote in message
...
And are those honestly the type you want to entice
into gliding? Or are they inclined to get as much
from a club as they can, and contribute as little as
possible?

I will never forget the look on my daughter's face the first time she got a
close look at a 2-33. It wasn't pretty! (neither the look nor the 2-33) She
had been flying Cezznas and decided on gliders because she would soon be old
enough to solo a glider. After her first flight, we heard no more about the
2-33 being ugly, it was just an aircraft to be mastered.

Yes, she not only soloed it, she got her license and moments later took her
(then) non-pilot father for one of his first glider rides. I was stoic, but
mildly nervous. I, more than anyone, knew that my daughter was not perfect. It
was some ten years later before I finally soloed, also in a 2-33.

Vaughn

THIS is how you do a good advert - next GP in New Zealand.

http://www.r2.co.nz/20060623/promo-mbr.asx

and show the kids!

bagger
(getting tired of explaining that wings are supposed to flap like that)

bagmaker wrote:
THIS is how you do a good advert - next GP in New Zealand.

http://www.r2.co.nz/20060623/promo-mbr.asx

and show the kids!

bagger
(getting tired of explaining that wings are supposed to flap like that)





I'm not knocking this new filmography - it is spectacular, beautiful and
revolutionary, but I wouldn't show it to the mother of one of the Boy
Scouts I take on a gliding camp out each year. They already think
gliding is very dangerous. This promo tends to reinforce that idea. The
people developing this are trying to turn soaring into a media sport on
a par with Formula One, NASCAR etc. for $$$. So they have to emphasize
the idea the pilots could get killed by getting smashed on those rocks
while doing this in order to make it seem exciting and attract the
audiences the sponsors want. The audiences haven't really changed much
since the days of the Roman Coliseum. They want there to actually be a
signficant chance of somebody getting killed or maimed at least every
second or third time they watch, or it will be boring.

It's horses for courses. That film does what it aims to do - promote
Air Sports' gliding GP format and technology - very well. You'd be
bonkers to show it to the mum of a scout just taking up gliding, or
any other newbie in fact - what's any of that film got to do with what
you or I do at our clubs at the weekend? However, show some TV execs
that film and it may well lead to them bidding for the coverage rights
for any future GPs.

I hope people keep making good quality films about gliding but really
consider who their target audience is.


Dan

To Dan and Bagger and et al:

I agree the video from NZ was GREAT...for the more experienced pilot
or the glider pilot looking to "enhance" his experience by adding
competition. Or the crew on the ground that want to "see" what their
pilot is doing. It was also a GREAT video to promote the marketing
value of soaring...(can you believe anyone ever thought to do that in
the first place...Soaring is the most under-marketed sport I have ever
seen in my life! - even curling, bull-riding, and Scrabble
tournaments do better than soaring!)


But I agree with Dan, that you have to "gear" the attention to the
right audience. Mike Robison showed me a video he made with Mark
Maughmer back in 2001, and it was incredible, but SCARY...lots of low
dives and sweeps. The older teens loved it, the ones who didn't know
anything about soaring were mildly impressed, but no way were they
going to try that!

if you don't have a clear idea of the age group you want to attract,
you aren't doing much but wasting the money you are willing to spend.
micki

I think I WOULD show it to the boy scouts, but I'll keep it
away from their Mums. BTW, it's really spectacular, but even
with the commentary, and being a soaring pilot, I still have
a hard time figuring out what kind of lift they are using to stay up.
Just from watching the movie it's kind of hard to tell much of the
time. It would be nice to have some type of computer graphic overlay
that shows the wind direction possibly. I guess even with the new
technology, it would still be
impossible to know where the thermals are and overlay those
as well?

MickiMinner wrote:
To Dan and Bagger and et al:

I agree the video from NZ was GREAT...for the more experienced pilot
or the glider pilot looking to "enhance" his experience by adding
competition. Or the crew on the ground that want to "see" what their
pilot is doing. It was also a GREAT video to promote the marketing
value of soaring...(can you believe anyone ever thought to do that in
the first place...Soaring is the most under-marketed sport I have ever
seen in my life! - even curling, bull-riding, and Scrabble
tournaments do better than soaring!)


But I agree with Dan, that you have to "gear" the attention to the
right audience. Mike Robison showed me a video he made with Mark
Maughmer back in 2001, and it was incredible, but SCARY...lots of low
dives and sweeps. The older teens loved it, the ones who didn't know
anything about soaring were mildly impressed, but no way were they
going to try that!

if you don't have a clear idea of the age group you want to attract,
you aren't doing much but wasting the money you are willing to spend.
micki