Reaching For The Stars: Space As A Brand Ingredient
Space relates to our dreams and desires for a better tomorrow — all we need to do is look up at the stars for a bit of hope in our increasingly stressed out world. Space is not just ‘out there’ — but a very real business for organizations, startups and everyone on Earth.
To tap into the vast abundance of space, we gathered a panel of space industry experts — from an astronaut to a science editor, startup founders, and brands such as Chanel and Cadillac — for our Special Edition: Space Briefing on November 8th. The hour-long discussion at sparks & honey’s New York headquarters illuminated how space rockets across culture, and industries.
Launch an app — or a small sat
The proliferation of private investment into space and the rise of small satellites kicked off the discussion. sparks & honey strategist Eve Pollet posited that these small sats in orbit are offering unparalleled vantage points and data for mankind below.
The information small sats will be able to derive is going to be phenomenal,” said Stephen Petranek of National Geographic MARS and author of How We’ll Live On Mars. “You can monitor the exact flow of oil in the Middle East with these cube sats — ones like Planet Labs are building are the size of a shoe box,” he added.
Whether it’s for tracking consumer behavior on the ground, such as by monitoring traffic flow in a retailer’s parking lot, small sats can act as stock predictors. Their cheapening costs make them competitive. “In our report we found that it’s as cheap to launch a small sat is it is to launch an app,” said Anna Sofia Martin, editorial director at s&h. But it’s not just businesses that benefit from space data.
“From a STEM education perspective, communities can raise money and send small sats up. It’s an authentic connection that we’ve never had before,” said Brian Talbot, director of marketing at Center for Advancement in Science and Space (CASIS).
To reach real consumer saturation, launching satellites is more affordable, but there a market that is set to grow. “I’d love to see the costs get down to a point where it’s open to the consumer market,” said Michael Paolucci, founder and CEO of Slooh. “Right now it’s a lean-back experience and it ultimately will be a lean-forward type of moment,” he added.
In space we trust
Space is an infinite source of hope and science — a symbol that brings humanity together, whether we’re gazing through a telescope, looking up at the sky or through a window on the ISS. In an era where trust in traditional institutions is eroding, the aspiration of space is more pervasive than ever.
In our report Space: Exploration Innovation Brought Down To Earth, we found that 47 percent of Americans ranked NASA the most trusted institution — a sentiment that was echoed in the room.
“I was just reading a study about stress levels in the country — they’re at a historical high,” said Adina Kagan, svp of consumer insights and media at Chanel. “Space is important to us all. It represents a visionary mindset, and it’s the ultimate escape,” she added.
Some 15 years ago, Buzz Aldrin pitched an idea around space tourism to the agency where Adina Kagan was working at the time. “Looking at it from the brand side, I thought, this is an industry that is so on the forefront — you can’t let it pass you by.”
Consultant and author Rebecca Gordon calls it the “zoom out” effect, in which distance from race, class and other ways we separate ourselves on Earth, are eradicated when it comes to space. “Space is a way of giving people a key to self-realization,” Gordon said.
Space for brand storytelling
The provenance of space is an ingredient that brands across industries can tap into. The visual design of space is seen in everything from galaxy-glazed pastries to beauty brands like Huda’s Winter Solstice-themed makeup collection, and in fashion brands like Gucci.
And for products that have much longer cycles of development, space is an ingredient that helps stretch an engineer or designer’s imagination. “As we move into the world of autonomous vehicles, everyone asks, ‘what’s next?’,” said Melody Lee, global director of BOOK at Cadillac. “We look to space to help make the autonomous pod part of the consumer lifestyle.”
Outer orbit represents the future, but it has to be purposed in an authentic manner.
“Space is so inspirational to so many different verticals and brands, brands have to ask if there’s a place in their brand DNA to make an authentic or relevant connection to space,” Adina Kagan of Chanel said.
Some brands may be stretching that connection. Budweiser’s plans to brew beer on Mars were met with some raised brows in the room. “I have a somewhat skeptical view of Budweiser brewing beer on Mars — particularly since humans haven’t been to Mars yet,” said Miriam Kramer, deputy science editor at Mashable.
It’s the very notion of envisioning a life beyond this planet that is energizing to brands such as Budweiser. “There might be physical room in space, but I’m not sure every brand should be going after it,” Miriam Kramer added.
While Mars may represent a far-off future, tapping into a tomorrow we can barely conceive of today can add just the right element of story for a brand.
“Budweiser doing something like this removes some of the constraints you normally might have as you think of a product,” said Melody Lee of Cadillac. “It challenges assumptions as it pushes you into places you might think of as science fiction, but it’s good for a brand,” she added.
Space for a better life on Earth
While entrepreneurs like Elon Musk make plans to colonize Mars, the panel had other more aspirational planets.
“Since the Babylonians, people have looked at Mars as the planet of war and anger,” Rebecca Gordon said, hinting that we might want to steer clear of Mars.
Former NASA Astronaut Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria has another favorite planet, Earth.
“There is something called the overview effect (from space). You don’t see international borders, war, famine, poverty or strife. You see Earth as peaceful, holistic and fragile. As we democratize access to space in the next decade, appealing to the sense of serenity, peace and beauty would be an angle I would take,” Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria said.
While not on Earth, the former NASA astronaut said his most memorable days in orbit were outside of the spacecraft. “The best days were space walks. I’ve done ten throughout my entire time.”
In an extreme environment, everything has a second use, and innovations around space technology are helping life on Earth too with simulation technology that recycles water, for example.
But there are downsides to being an astronaut, too. “Yesterday’s coffee is today’s coffee,” Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria said.
Whether it’s drinking a cup of coffee or using a technology that solves real problems on Earth, designing space-inspired experiences, stories, and products takes our minds to a place where creativity flourishes and we are tasked with thinking differently about ourselves — and our future.
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