Case Study: SKA – the world’s biggest telescope
August 22, 2011 by AdamClatworthy
Filed under Case studies, Featured Content, Technology
Issue: Ogilvy PR (OPR) was engaged by the Department of Innovation Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) to get the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) public behind the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) bid to bring the world’s biggest telescope to Australia. With the bid element of the project nearing crunch time (early 2012), it was time to ramp up public awareness, build excitement and most importantly gain the public’s support.
Challenges:
OPR had to overcome several challenges in order to successfully execute the campaign objectives:
- Creating the news hook: Given there were no new bid milestones during the campaign activity period, OPR had no timely news hook to engage media around.
- Making a complex message relevant and engaging for the public: The SKA is a technical scientific feat had previously only received interest from the science community. The radio astronomy jargon had to broken down and the question “why should I care about a telescope?” had to be answered before gaining the support of the ‘man on the street’ for the project.
- Overcoming negative perceptions such as the project cost and environmental impact: The SKA will cost the international community over $2 billion to build – to some, a perceived waste of tax payers’ money. Many Australians were also feeling uneasy about the way in which 3,000 dishes would change and impact the Australian landscape.
PR Strategy:
To create mass awareness and gain the support of the Australian public, OPR developed a number of media opportunities to feed to the media over the three month campaign period. In order to build these opportunities, OPR:
- Put a personal face to the story
Science commentator, author and radio presenter, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki was engaged as the campaign ambassador; a spokesperson which the Australian public could relate to and who transcends the science community, taking the story out of the “geek” world and into the everyday. Dr Karl took part in a media tour supported by additional spokespeople relevant to different audiences and media outlets
- Created a unique media experience
To provide media with new and exclusive content, OPR coordinated a media visit to the proposed SKA site in Western Australia. TV, online and print journalists attended capturing photographs and footage of the site coupled with interviews with various key spokespeople
- Generated tailored stories that would spark interest with the different audience groups
OPR created a number of different angles to bring to life the bid for different media. This ensured the SKA message reached everyone from school children to young males, from the working professional to the tech savvy individual.
