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The constant influence of American companies on every aspect of daily life – from the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the Minute Maid Park – could soon conquer a new frontier.
The final frontier.
NASA's director, Jim Bridenstine, has asked the space agency to strengthen its brand by selling the naming rights for rockets and spacecraft and allowing its astronauts to appear in aircrafts. commercials and cereal boxes.
While officials point out that nothing has been decided, the idea could mark a giant cultural leap for the taxpayer-funded government agency and could come up against ethical rules that prevent government officials to use the public service for private purposes.
NASA strongly opposes the approval of a particular product or company – even going so far as to call M & Ms astronauts devouring in the space of "candy chocolates" For fear of seeming to favor a brand of candy.
But at a recent NASA Advisory Board meeting, Bridenstine announced he was setting up a committee to look at what he called the "provocative questions" of turning his rockets into soundboards. 'business.
"Is it possible for NASA to offset some of its costs by selling the naming rights of its spacecraft, or the naming rights of its rockets," said Bridenstine. "I tell you that there is an interest for this at the moment.The question is: is it possible? The answer is: I do not know, but we want someone to advise us if this is Is the case. "
He also said that he hoped that astronauts would not only be more accessible to journalists, but also that they would participate in marketing opportunities to promote their brands – and that of the space agency.
"I would like to see children growing up, instead of wanting to be like a professional sports star, I'd like to see them grow up wanting to be NASA astronaut or NASA scientist," he said. declared. "I'd like to see, maybe someday, NASA astronauts on the cover of a cereal box, embedded in American culture."
The effort is part of a broader effort to generate more private sector involvement in the low Earth orbit. NASA is already counting on companies to ship cargo to the space station – and is already on the brink of relying on companies to provide crews. The White House has also said it wants to end direct funding for the International Space Station and cede the operations of the laboratory into orbit to a private entity. At the same time, other companies are looking to develop their own commercial space stations. And the White House is working to loosen regulations to promote private sector growth.
"As NASA looks to the future of space stations in the private sector, it is vital to explore these innovative business concepts to ensure that the United States maintains a low-Earth-orbit presence," said Mike Gold, president of the new NASA committee. .
This idea of privatizing the International Space Station has come up against congressional opposition, which has stated that the United States should not give up control of an asset in which they have invested close to 100 billion dollars.
Similarly, the idea of selling naming rights or bringing astronauts into ads has sparked the skepticism of many NASA experts. Scott Kelly, the former NASA astronaut who has spent nearly a year in space, said in an email to the Washington Post that he would "radically change the rules prohibiting public servants from using their public functions." for private benefits ". "But I guess that's the world we live in now."
Michael Lopez-Alegria, also a former NASA astronaut, said that by approving the products, NASA could find itself competing with a growing commercial sector that is trying to free up space for them. masses.
"It will be very difficult for NASA or any government agency to put itself in a position where it can become a de facto endorser of this product or product," he said. "For me, it's like nails on a board. It's not fair."
He said that he was also concerned that if Congress sees NASA getting private sector funding, he could say "we will not pay anymore".
Scott Amey, the general counsel of the Oversight Project on Government, a monitoring group, said the government "should focus entirely on what is most important for the public interest, not on the gains should not have to rely on American taxpayer or astronaut funds, which could be divided in their professional responsibilities. "
The idea is a pivotal moment for the agency, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and is gaining attention as it is about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the lunar landings next year. It is also preparing to fly astronauts from the US for the first time since the Space Shuttle was withdrawn in 2011, and Bridenstine said he wanted the newly formed committee to explore tourists at the international space station alongside government astronauts.
"First Man", the film starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, will soon be released in theaters as interest in the agency intensifies. Last year, NASA collaborated on 143 documentary projects, 41 TV shows, and 25 feature films at different levels of participation, ranging from providing video footage to access NASA facilities. Applications for the use of NASA's logo are "gangbusters," said Bert Ulrich, NASA's multimedia liaison officer. Requests to use the logo on T-shirts and other commercial items came once or twice a week, he said. Now, on average, this is several times a day – and there are NASA themed clothing designed for Target, Old Navy, Lands End, Coach and H & M.
Designer Heron Preston even sells the NASA T-shirt for $ 270.
NASA has usage guidelines for its so-called "meatball" logo, a blue sphere, stars and a chevron, such as: "it can only appear on a solid, black, white background, gray or silvery ". But the space agency does nothing on sales.
According to Gold, this too would give another look, which said he would look at how the logo is used "and any changes that might be needed to further leverage the symbol to encourage space exploration" and encourage children to study. engineering, science and mathematics.
If NASA were able to relax its restrictions, marketing and branding could generate significant revenue. A study conducted last year by the Science and Technology Policy Institute, a research and development center funded by the federal government, showed that a private space station could earn between $ 455 and $ 1.2 billion a year. rights, to film in space, to conduct research and to welcome tourists.
The study estimated that leasing a module from a space station could generate up to $ 25 million for 60 days, or more than $ 416,000 a day. He noted that companies pay between $ 8 and $ 13 million to sponsor golf tournaments, and some companies have paid up to $ 20 million for stadium naming rights. A NASA economic advisor has already suggested a boxing match in space – a "freefall brawl," he called – which could become a Pay-Per-View event.
Other countries have been more willing to cash in.
In 1999, Pizza Hut paid for its logo on a Russian rocket. In the mid-1990s, an Israeli dairy company filmed an advertisement on the Mir space station and two Russian cosmonauts even appeared on QVC to sell a pen that could write. in a weightless environment.
"Is this a pen that you would recommend to use in the space?" the host asked.
"Yes, they said that they love this pen," said the translator during the live broadcast.
In 1993, a Georgian company called Space Marketing proposed to place a billboard in the space so large that it would be visible from the Earth. But the plan sparked the disapproval of some members of Congress, who mocked the idea, saying that space was a common place that should remain free of publicity.
Ed Markey, D-Mass., Then a congressman, lamented the possibility that children would like "on a falling billboard".
"Every sunrise and sunset would carry the logo of Coca-Cola or GM or the Marlboro Man," said Markey, now a senator. "It would make our morning and evening sky, often a source of inspiration and comfort, the moral equivalent of the bus side."
Yet companies have found a way to include space in their marketing campaigns, and many brands such as Tang have benefited from their affiliation to the space program. When the Mir space station was destabilized, Taco Bell put a huge floating tarpaulin in the Pacific Ocean and claimed that if part of the Mir struck her, she would give everyone in the country a free taco.
More recently, Budweiser has announced its intention to be "the first beer on Mars", as part of a plan to study barley in the zero gravity environment. the International Space Station.
"While socializing on Mars could be in the near future, Budweiser is taking steps to better understand how its ingredients react in microgravity environments, so that when we get to Mars, Budweiser will be there."
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