Creating messaging and branding that strengthens our science.
While “marketing” doesn’t initially spring to mind when thinking about science, a good marketing strategy is exactly what is needed to ensure science gets the positive attention from the public, funding agencies, stakeholders, etc. that it deserves.
Read below to learn about some of the marketing projects I've spearheaded.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Carnegie Institution for Science
Program & Project Marketing
Every project I have managed has either 1) had a complete revamp of marketing & promotional material or 2) had an entirely original marketing plan developed and initiated. Here are just a few of my largest endeavors.
Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program Marketing
I digitized the application process and review system (both previously run via paper and postal mail).
The 4-page promotional material/application was redesigned into postcards, which were more practical, less wasteful, and less expensive. Likewise, I worked with a designer on new postcards for the Minority Science Writers Internship, and the Spanish Language Fellowship. I also created the program’s first pop-up banner to display at various conferences and events throughout the year.
Two videos, one highlighting successful Mass Media Fellow alumni (below) and the second highlighting the experiences of the 2013 class (shown here), were created and used to promote the Fellowship for potential applicants. These were the first videos ever commissioned for the Fellowship and were produced by Carla Schaffer, who deserves 100% credit for their creation and beauty.
We began using social media as a marketing tool to promote the Fellowship in 2012 for the 2013 Fellowship cycle. All major AAAS accounts (over 3.5 Facebook followers and 475 thousand non-unique Twitter followers) promoted the Fellowship via Facebook and Twitter. In addition, all program alumni, sponsors, and host sites were sent sample Facebook and Twitter posts and encouraged to participate in promotion.
As AAAS launched a new website in 2013, I updated the Fellowship website vastly improving the functionality and aesthetic appeal. I also established alumni profiles (example) to improve individual Fellow promotion, networking opportunities, and narrative experiences.
Learn more about my work as the Director of the AAAS Mass Media Fellows Program.
Carnegie Science General Marketing
These banner signs were originally created for the USA Science & Engineering Festival but are now staples in and around the building and at all events. Prior to my arrival at Carnegie Science, their participation in the Festival was rather minimal; therefore, in preparation for hosting the exhibit, I had to create many of the materials from scratch. I worked with one of our designers to create these banners, tablecloths, and tripod signage.
To compliment the banners, I maintained a promotional table within the building at all times consisting items such as schwag, literature about the departments, and recent Carnegie Science Newsletters.
I also worked with designers on two ads that were published in Nautil.us magazine.
And for the first time in Carnegie history, an official Carnegie flag was commissioned.
Carnegie Science Event Marketing
CAPITAL SCIENCE EVENINGS While branding for the Capital Science Evenings existed, I created a promotional and marketing calendar for both the individual lectures and the series. New additions to the marketing plan included:
a pop-up banner placed in the foyer of the building for all visitors to see;
pre-lecture interview with the speaker to be used in marketing material to engage the public and prospective donors;
pre-lecture FacebookLive interviews, which I hosted, to help drive viewers to the live broadcast, example here;
short, fast-paced video teasers published in the days leading up to the lecture used to promote the live broadcast on social media;*
lecture trivia and promotional slides shown for the half an hour before the lecture while the audience was being seated;
post-event "thank you" emails that included surveys about the audience's impressions of each event; and
post-event news stories that include a slide show and link to recorded event.*
EXPEDITION EARTH Expedition Earth was a new endeavor for Carnegie Science, and therefore, marketing materials had to be created to promote the event. I worked with Josh Woodon all of these designs. A few highlights include:
logo & branding;
a series pop-up sign and lecture poster to advertise the event from within the building;
Upon arrival at Carnegie Science, I recognized the need to better explain the breadth of science taking place by Carnegie Science Investigators. Within my first week, I set out to answer the following questions:
Who are Carnegie Investigators?
What sets them apart from other scientists?
How is Carnegie Science different from other research institutions?
Why would someone want to invest in Carnegie Science research and programs?
Working with the communication team and the president, we set out to create a promotional commercial, directed towards a general audience, that could answer all of these questions and more.
MY ROLE:
This was my first major project at Carnegie Science. The video was shared on all of our social media platforms and with all 500+ employees so that they could use it on their own social media accounts and websites. Each department was encouraged to use it on their homepages and before each lecture or event. The video is played before every one of our own headquarter events and is on repeat within the lobby of the building. In addition, requiring that it be played before external partnered program became a standard partnership term, meaning it was easily reaching thousands of people a month who were simply guests of our building and who likely had no idea what "Carnegie Science" was before viewing the film.
Watch the 1 minute abbreviated commercial above or the full length commercial below.
The Carnegie Institution for Science historic landmark building, completed in 1908 and used primarily for housing its administration, reinvented itself in 1991 as a wedding venue when it became clear its beauty, uniqueness, and convenience could be an asset. While the buildings reputation as a wedding venue grew, before 2014, scientific event rentals specifically only occurred on an internal, ad hoc basis. In 2014, a new Carnegie Science President charged his staff with turning the venue into *the* premier location for promoting scientific thought, hosting scientific lectures, panels, conferences, film screenings, and more.
MY ROLE:
One of my first and favorite projects was working with Carnegie's rental staff to pull together a much-needed, revamped events website that was highly-functional, beautiful, and that included a component specifically design to market Carnegie as a scientific events venue to the scientific community. This audience was quite a change from the brides-to-be who normally visited the site. Alongside the IT department and rentals staff, we secured a contractor, finalized budgets, and create a project calendar for the entire team.
In addition to managing the project, I wrote all of the content for the "Scientific Programs & Conferences" page. Most of my previous experience with website creation left little room for creativity but since the page was entirely new, I was able to write, design, and layout the page the way we felt it optimally functioned.