Scott Kelly’s Lessons From Space For All Marketers

Last week I had the distinguished pleasure to meet and spend time with American hero, NASA astronaut Captain Scott Kelly who most of the world knows by now recently completed his record setting year in space on the International Space Station (ISS).

As Scott and I spoke it became clear to me that beyond his recent accomplished historic feats and the courage necessary to push boundaries, Scott’s mission also provides some great lessons for marketers.

These include the following:   

Authenticity - As awe-inspiring as the final data stats of Scott’s journey: 143 million miles travelled in space, 5,440 orbits around earth and 340 days in space what is most remarkable as Kelly travels the country is his genuine, immediate connection to audiences. His conversations are rooted in his personal passion for space exploration and the scientific aspects of the mission as well as the importance of STEM ( science, technology, engineering and math).

As marketers know, being authentic means also being transparent. Throughout Scott’s Year In Space he opened “the curtain” to the world through social media and live video interviews at times discussing both some of his personal challenges as well as ordinary daily routines for a man truly on a mission.

Storytelling -  Scott’s remarkable journey started in somewhat typical fashion in suburban Orange, New Jersey. But the strength of his story is built first on perseverance starting in his early school years where academics was not his strength, but eventually finding his passion after reading The Right Stuff and successfully making his way to the U.S. Navy and NASA. Audiences’ emotional involvement in Scott’s story is further piqued as they hear about some of the dramatic experiences such as the International Space Station’s near-collision with space debris and his first spacewalks over the last year.  

Just like Scott’s story the best brand stories are unique, compelling and provocative in a way that target audiences will hear, seamlessly and effortlessly. Telling that kind of brand story provides that vital connection that will position a company as both relevant and as a leader in the marketplace. 

The most memorable brand stories tell the unexpected, speak directly to the heart or dare you to live life to the fullest – even if we all can’t be Scott Kelly.

Brand Messaging - One of the most important first steps in establishing brand messaging is to determine an organization’s core values.  It became apparent as Scott started his tour de force across the country that certain key core values were immediately resonating with audiences.

These include: 1.) Choose to do the hard things and do them well, 2.) Strength and Perseverance; 3.) Finding one’s own personal spark and motivation. 

Reinforced by overwhelming crowd appreciation and an overflow of very positive feedback afterwards by event attendees it was a natural to incorporate into Scott’s speeches and in upcoming marketing campaigns.

As with all successful brand messaging, Scott's is both customer centric and serves as the foundation for expressing his distinct personality and tone.

Micro-Moments Matter -  As Scott’s Year In Space captured the world’s attention, it was truly those micro-moments captured through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook of his journey that emotionally connected millions to his story in real time.

As many brands realize that they now only have a few seconds to secure the attention of their target customer, companies are challenged to convey a clear and concise message that is relevant and of interest to the consumer.  

In addition to the publicly announced record breaking journey, while in space Scott’s followers also had a voracious appetite for on-going information aboard the ISS from stories about exploring the affects of Zero-G on the human body to some of his daily routines including with fellow Astronaut Mikhail “Misha” Kornienko. All value based content that is vital for consumers and marketers.    

Continuously throughout The Year In Space, micro-moments were also shared through the lens of Kelly’s personal camera with majestic images of the earth’s surface while instantaneously fulfilling consumer’s own sense of space discovery.  

In conclusion, from outer space to on the ground speaking to hundreds of thousands Scott Kelly takes audiences to “places” with authenticity, great storytelling, clear messaging and those magical moments captured in real time. A great lesson for all brand marketers.