# Presentation: 116777

## a strategic positioning company

**Brand Equity and Message Concept Development**

## We need to understand what people ‘know’ and feel and NASA because that is the basis of their ‘attitude’.

Attitude and the emotion people associate with NASA is what makes up NASA’s ‘brand equity’.

- Attitude and the emotion people associate with NASA is what makes up NASA’s ‘brand equity’.

## What people ‘know’ is found in something called declarative memory, which has two parts:
Semantic memory, which is your world of knowledge not bound to any particular event.
Episodic memory, which contains representation of specific personal experiences that occurred at a particular time.

- Semantic memory, which is your world of knowledge not bound to any particular event.
- Episodic memory, which contains representation of specific personal experiences that occurred at a particular time.

## New Messages

- Declarative Memory

- Non-declarative Emotional Memory

- What we ‘know we know’

- ‘Unconscious feeling’

## Effective messages tap into existing memories, eliciting positive emotions associated with them, building upon both.

## What Do People Know About NASA?

## 
‘Space’				57%
Space shuttle/rockets		19%
Astronauts			  5%

Expensive/wasted of money	  4%

- ‘Space’				57%
- Space shuttle/rockets		19%
- Astronauts			  5%
- Expensive/wasted of money	  4%

**Primary Cognitive Associations in Memory**

## Non-declarative Emotional Memory

- Positive emotional associations		33%
- Excitement/awe					17%
- Good/happy					6%
- Pride						4%
- Negative emotional associations		9%
- Sadness/sorrow					6%
- Fear/anger					2%

## Semantic Memory

- Most Important Thing NASA Does
- Space exploration			45%
- Research				24%
- Technology				  9%
- Security/defense			  4%
- Psychological benefit			  2%
- Earth science				  1%
- No idea					15%

## Semantic Memory

- Problems Associated with NASA
- None					31%
- Expensive				 8%
- Waste of money				 7%
- Cost					 6%
- Lack of funding				 8%
- Political meddling				 5%
- Tragedies				17%
- Old equipment				 7%
- Need to be certain it is safe		 5%

## Semantic Memory

- Familiarity with NASA Activities Other then the Space Program
- 19% feel NASA is only involved with the space program.
- On average, people feel about three-quarters of what NASA does is involved with the space program.
- But, only 6% feel they are familiar with the other things NASA does.

## Semantic Memory

- Other Things NASA Does
- (among those not saying 100% space program)
- Earth science		10%
- Educational programs	 9%
- Security/defense		 7%
- Aerospace research		 7%
- Medicine			 6%
- Satellite technology		 4%
- Not sure			42%

## Episodic Memory

- Very First Memory of NASA
- Walking on the Moon		39%
- Specific destination			21%
- Space travel				13%
- Shuttle/rocket			10%
- Name of mission or spacecraft	  9%
- Astronauts				  9%
- Specific disaster			17%

## Episodic Memory

- Very First Memory of NASA
- 						_Under 35_	_35+_
- 	Walking on moon			   16%		47%
- 	Specific destination			     6%		26%
- 	Space travel			     8%		14%
- 	Shuttle/rocket			    17%	  8%
- 	Name of mission or spacecraft	      5%	  9%
- 	Astronauts				      4%	 11%
- 	Specific disaster			    39%	 10%

## Episodic Memory

- Emotions Elicited by Memory
- Positive emotional association		58%
- Excitement/awe				31%
- Pride					23%
- Happy					  8%
- Negative emotional association		21%
- Sadness/sorrow				  9%
- Fear					  5%

## Episodic Memory

- 				_Under 35_	 _35+_
- Positive Emotional Association	    44%	 63%
- Excitement/awe			    23%	 35%
- Pride				      4%	 28%
- Happy				    12%	   7%
- Negative Emotional Association	    32%	 17%
- Sadness/sorrow			    23%	   8%
- Fear  				      3%	   6%

## What Are People’s Opinions About NASA and the Space Program?

## 80% overall interest in the space program (39% very interested).
84% feel NASA is doing a good job (33% excellent).
80% feel it is important that U.S. and NASA be ‘number 1’ in space (48% extremely important).

- 84% feel NASA is doing a good job (33% excellent).
- 80% feel it is important that U.S. and NASA be ‘number 1’ in space (48% extremely important).

## 75% feel personal life is better because of NASA’s work (35% much better).
86% feel the country is better off because of NASA’s work (46% much better off).

- 86% feel the country is better off because of NASA’s work (46% much better off).

## Positioning NASA

***Who*** is NASA for?
- What ***is*** it?
- What does it ***offer***?

## Who is NASA for?

- The Public				60%
- (America 30%)
- (The whole world 28%)
- Government			18%
- Scientists and engineers		15%

## Almost half (42%) respond with only the name (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and half of them only got it partially correct.

Some talk about space programs (24%) others exploration and research (16%); 7% do not know.

- Some talk about space programs (24%) others exploration and research (16%); 7% do not know.

**What is NASA?**

## What does NASA offer?

- Personal Benefits from NASA
- Space Exploration			20%
- Specific consumer product		13%
- New technology			11%
- Medicine				  8%
- Communication			  6%
- Earth Science				  4%
- Psychological				  4%
- Security/defense			  3%
- Don’t know				12%
- Nothing				17%

## What does NASA offer?

- Country Benefits from NASA
- Psychological				15%
- Space exploration			12%
- New technology			12%
- Security/Defense			12%
- Astronaut knowledge			11%
- Medicine				  7%
- Jobs/economy			  7%
- Communications			  5%
- Earth Science			  5%
- Don’t know				10%
- Nothing  				  6%

## Evidence for Lack of Specific Knowledge

- First thoughts about NASA are very general, and not elaborated.
- Most people can only think of one or perhaps two needs NASA fulfills.
- Asked what NASA is, many respond only with the name, and those that don’t are vague and do not elaborate.
- People can only think of one benefit from the work NASA does, and there is no consensus.

## Why Is This?

## How Well People Understand What NASA Does

- Extremely Well		  6%
- Somewhat			61%
- Not very well		27%
- Not at all			  6%

## How NASA Communicates Its Activities

- Currently does a good job		17%
- Does only a fair job		51%
- Does a poor job			30%

## What is Brand Attitude?

- Your attitude toward something is the sum of everything you believe about it weighted by how important those things are to you.

- A

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-   = 1

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- belief

- importance

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## We Looked at 12 NASA Benefit Claims

- Benefits general aviation safety and security
- Helps lead to medical advances
- Leads to a better quality of life
- Involves exploring Earth
- Advances knowledge
- Increases understanding of Earth
- Increases understanding of mankind
- Aids national security
- Is on the cutting edge
- Involves exploring space
- Benefits people’s lives
- Increases our understanding of the universe

## What is Essential for NASA to do?

- Advance knowledge			  	 67%
- Benefit general aviation			   	 62%
- Aid national security			   	 60%
- Increase our understanding of Earth	   	 58%
- Increase our understanding of the Universe 	 57%

- With the exception of increase our understanding of mankind (41%), all other benefits are seen as essential for NASA by about half of the public.

## What Does NASA Definitely Deliver?

- Exploring space			68%
- Advances knowledge		63%
- Increases our understanding	61%
- 	of the universe

## Overall, NASA is seen as doing at least an ok job in delivering all 12 benefits.

On average, only 8% feel NASA really does not do a good job delivering these benefits.

- On average, only 8% feel NASA really does not do a good job delivering these benefits.

## NASA’s overall brand attitude is somewhat less than ‘ideal’ (49 vs. 62) leaving room for potential growth.

This potential is evident when we look at those who feel NASA is doing an excellent job, where NASA’s brand attitude does approach its ideal (72 vs. 76).

- This potential is evident when we look at those who feel NASA is doing an excellent job, where NASA’s brand attitude does approach its ideal (72 vs. 76).

## Importance and Delivery of Pride

- 48% essential
- 40% desirable
- 12% not really important

- 50% definitely deliver
- 39% do an ok job
- 10% really don’t deliver

## Importance and Delivery of Excitement

- 37% essential
- 49% desirable
- 13% not really important

- 34% definitely deliver
- 50% do an ok job
- 14% really don’t deliver

## NASA’s Brand Equity is Driven By:

- 					**Essential****	****         Definitely  ****	****	****	****	****	****	****          Delivers**
- Advances knowledge		    67%		     63%
- Increase our understanding	    57%		     61%
-   of the universe

## NASA’s Brand Equity is Supported By:

- 					**Essential****	****	****Definitely ****	****	****	****	****	****	****	**** Delivers**
- Increases our understanding	     58%		      52%
-   of the Earth
- Is on the cutting edge		     52%		      51%
- Involves exploring space	     47%		      68%
- Makes us feel a sense of pride    48%		      50%

## NASA’s Brand Equity Can be Built by Increasing Perceived Delivery as:

- 					**Essential****	****Definitely ****	****	****	****	****	****	****	****  Delivers**
- Benefits general aviation	    62%	      50%
-   safety and security
- Aid national security		    60%	      48%
- Helps lead to medical advances  52%	      43%
- Involves exploring Earth	     52%	      43%

## It May Also be Aided by Increasing People’s Understanding of How NASA Helps Benefit Their Lives

- 					**Essential****	****Definitely ****	****	****	****	****	****	****	**** Delivers**
- Leads to a better quality 	     48%	     31%
-   of life
- Benefits people’s lives		     46%	     30%

## Further Evidence of Weak Knowledge Base

- With the exception of space exploration, none of these important benefit claims are immediately associated with NASA in semantic memory.
- When specifically asked about benefits, again we found very few people mentioning any of these important benefits.

## When brought to people’s attention, based upon their expectations (not their knowledge) they see these benefit claims as important and are willing to accept that NASA is likely to deliver them.

## But to sustain the positive brand attitude and build equity, this must be reinforced by transferring these beliefs to semantic memory as salient knowledge and that is the job of NASA’s communications.

## Evaluating Message Concepts

- General Areas Covered:
- NASA funding
- Exploring space is a part of man’s destiny
- Exploring space is important to our lives here on Earth
- Both men and robots are needed in space
- Exploring space one step at a time

## Message Concept Ratings

| Interested in what is being said | 79% | 76% | 74% |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Important to me | 80% | 73% | 70% |
| Consistent with what I feel NASA is all about or should be involved with today | 79% | 79% | 76% |
| Helps explain NASA to me | 56% | 51% | 43% |
| (Does an excellent job) | (18%) | (14%) | (8%) |

- Strongest Concepts

- Middle Third

- Lower Third

## Both Men and Robots are Needed in Space

- Strongest Message Concept:
- While humans need robot explorers to blaze the trail, humans experiencing space first-hand tell us what it really means and how it will affect us
- Strong positive understand of core message, with orientation to the human component
- Relatively high negative association in memory, but unrelated to any specific association

## Both Men and Robots are Needed in Space

- We need the robots in space to tell us what is there and what it is like, but we need human in space to tell us what it means and how it feels
- While doing a good job, it is somewhat less ‘human’ oriented
- Likely a function of indirect rather than direct personal reference
- To tell us what it means and how it feels
- Tells us what it means and how it will affect us

## Both Men and Robots are Needed in Space

- When a robot lands on Mars, it expands our knowledge, when a man lands on Mars, it expands our knowledge of what it is to be human
- Reference to Mars minimizes communication of robot vs. human message
- High level of negative associations in memory (40%), driven by a relatively high level of disagreement with the message (17%)

## Stronger messages elicit more positive associations in memory.

Stronger messages are more likely to be seen as communicating something positive about NASA.

Stronger messages encourage more elaboration.

- Stronger messages are more likely to be seen as communicating something positive about NASA.
- Stronger messages encourage more elaboration.

**Characteristics of Strong Messages**

## Stronger messages are more likely to be very consistent with what people feel NASA is all about, or should be involved with today.

As a result, the stronger messages either are seen as more likely causing no change in their current opinion or attitude about NASA, or to make it more positive.

- As a result, the stronger messages either are seen as more likely causing no change in their current opinion or attitude about NASA, or to make it more positive.

**Characteristics of Strong Messages**

## Stronger messages are seen as ‘explaining’ things more specifically, or as more ‘emotional’.

Stronger messages have a clear benefit focus enabling elaboration beyond the core message.

- Stronger messages have a clear benefit focus enabling elaboration beyond the core message.

**Characteristics of Strong Messages**

## Stronger messages place the reader in an exciting role, involving them personally, creating more positive processing.

**Characteristics of Strong Messages**

## Strong Personal Identity:
...NASA spearheads our thrust into new technologies
...we go into space to discover answers
...humans experiencing space first-hand

Weaker Personal Identity:
...we spend only $16.2 billion on NASA
...a calculated step in seeking how we can improve    	ourselves

- ...NASA spearheads our thrust into new technologies
- ...we go into space to discover answers
- ...humans experiencing space first-hand
- Weaker Personal Identity:
- ...we spend only $16.2 billion on NASA
- ...a calculated step in seeking how we can improve    	ourselves

## Insights for NASA Message Development

## Overall, message communications must help explain NASA.

## Continue to Reinforce the Foundation of NASA’s Brand Equity

- Advances knowledge
- Understanding the universe

## Build a stronger knowledge base in semantic memory, especially in terms of benefits to peoples’ lives and the country, including:
General aviation and safety
National security
Medical advances

- General aviation and safety
- National security
- Medical advances

## Build positive memories for younger adults to help build more positive emotional associations.

## Messages should provide specific information offering explanation.

Messages should utilize imagery (visual and verbal) to elicit positive emotional responses.

- Messages should utilize imagery (visual and verbal) to elicit positive emotional responses.

## Include personal references that encourage involvement with the message in an emotional way.

## Encourage Elaboration by Ensuring a Clear Benefit Focus

- For information strategies, facts to support the benefit claims in the message or a benefit claim that ‘solves’ a problem.
- For image strategies, benefit claims should lead directly to a positive feeling; or the message itself simply encourages a positive emotion.

## Summary

## NASA enjoys a strong favorable attitude
NASA’s ‘brand equity’ is very positive

- NASA’s ‘brand equity’ is very positive

## However, there is a very weak knowledge foundation in semantic memory that must be strengthened.

## Those few who hold negative opinions of NASA nevertheless generally still feel it does a good job – they are just not interested or see the benefit.

## The lack of specific positive memories among younger adults lessens the potential for strong positive emotional associations with NASA needed to build positive associations in memory.

## Communications must help explain NASA, building a knowledge base, while eliciting positive emotional associations and reinforcing positive attitudes and ‘brand equity’.