Scouting Commercials

[Krampus]

PSAs,  commercials,  billboards,  school promotions,  like politics and real estate,  "it's all local"

 

Don't depend on Irving to promote YOUR Scouting.    Ya gotta DIY....

 

Some ideas:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/qjcg41nlu35z48d/ScoutsPromotionstuff.docx?dl=0

 

We have a family that is full of techies. One family has a video producer. They do our annual recruiting videos...the boys, not the adults. The adults assist, provide technology and insights but the boys do the work. We promote them on YouTube, FB, Twitter and our website. We play them at the district recruiting night too. We had a few Kakemono displays done up with our unit logo, BSA icons, etc. It's essentially a convention booth. The boys raised the money or otherwise got donations. Have the videos display on a 40" display, Kakemonos set up, small sound system and the boys handing out fliers. I can tell you those commercials work! Pretty slick.

 

This year the boys are working on a virtual summer camp concept....all done in Minecraft. Inventive!

[MattHiggins]

ROFL....

 

 

 

Don't want to hijack the thread, but that video is more of a reflection of TV than it is of Bear Grylls. He's a popular target because, well, because he's popular.  

[ham_solo]

Just the other I was thinking to myself.... if BSA is so worried about membership declines, then WHY not have a national TV commercial campaign?!

[Krampus]

Just the other I was thinking to myself.... if BSA is so worried about membership declines, then WHY not have a national TV commercial campaign?!

 

Good question. Poor management, fixation on political issues, lack of direction, inability to develop successful solutions to key problems.

 

In a word, leadership. See Gates thread.

[qwazse]

Just the other I was thinking to myself.... if BSA is so worried about membership declines, then WHY not have a national TV commercial campaign?!

 

Simply put: they don't believe national TV campaigns will give sufficient return on investment.

I'm inclined to agree. E.g., that add from the 1970's ... was at the start of a the steady membership decline.

[SSScout]

Wallll,  yer pays yer money and yer takes yer cherce.

 

Who are we/they (is it really we?)   trying to sell?   The Boy?  His parents?   

Adventure, self reliance, skill, getting dirty with your buds,  rock climbing, canoeing, Philmont,  ,,,,

 

Resume item, Baby Sitters of America,  "maybe they can knock some sense into him",  good citizenship,  responsibility,  service to others (whozzat?),  patriotism  (define that!),  religiousity,  ,,,,,  

 

What kind of an ad would we want?   Several types?    I still think the local touch s more important.  

 

Do us local vols think Scouting is important to develop ...  what kind of kid to be what kind of adult? 

[desertrat77]

...Poor management, fixation on political issues, lack of direction, inability to develop successful solutions to key problems.

 

In a word, leadership. See Gates thread.

+1

 

Additional thought:   it's probably just as well that the BSA doesn't pursue commercials on a national level.   Like everything else Irving does, the effort would probably make the entire scouting movement look bad.   We've also discussed in previous months National's PR department, and their collective ineptitude. 

 

But just for a moment, let's pretend that National makes a couple of decent commercials.  Perhaps based on the "Tougher Than" theme.   I still don't think it will help.   Why?   For every scout-led, outdoor-oriented unit, there are nine others that are sedentary and going nowhere fast.   In the adult scouter realm, we have too many self-satisfied, political, good-old-buddy types that specialize in running off new adults.  And, how can I say this politely, the professional image of many scouters is not one of fitness, ruggedness, etc.

 

A good commercial won't matter.   New kids and parents would take a look around and see that in many units, the commercials would be false advertising.

[perdidochas]

Thanks for all of the replies. There are people out there that doesn't know that scouting still exists. When I make a stop with my son before or after troop meetings you would be surprised at how many people say that they didn't know there were boy scouts in the area.  

 

Exactly.  That is part of the reason our Troop always travels in uniform.  I haven't gotten that reaction much locally, but have heard it more while traveling. 

[perdidochas]

Wallll,  yer pays yer money and yer takes yer cherce.

 

Who are we/they (is it really we?)   trying to sell?   The Boy?  His parents?   

Adventure, self reliance, skill, getting dirty with your buds,  rock climbing, canoeing, Philmont,  ,,,,

 

Resume item, Baby Sitters of America,  "maybe they can knock some sense into him",  good citizenship,  responsibility,  service to others (whozzat?),  patriotism  (define that!),  religiousity,  ,,,,,  

 

What kind of an ad would we want?   Several types?    I still think the local touch s more important.  

 

Do us local vols think Scouting is important to develop ...  what kind of kid to be what kind of adult? 

IMHO, we sell adventure, patriotism and life skills. 

[Krampus]

Here's a video done by a local troop near me. Just goes to show what a unit can do when a scout takes an interest. One of their scouts did it in school using stock footage and unit footage. I laughed when I saw it because I know the father of the boy. Dad BIG TIME in to Game of Thrones so you get an idea of where the soundtrack came from. 

They played this and other videos at the annual Webelos round up and got some great comments.

[blw2]

+1

 

Additional thought:   it's probably just as well that the BSA doesn't pursue commercials on a national level.   Like everything else Irving does, the effort would probably make the entire scouting movement look bad.   We've also discussed in previous months National's PR department, and their collective ineptitude. 

 

But just for a moment, let's pretend that National makes a couple of decent commercials.  Perhaps based on the "Tougher Than" theme.   I still don't think it will help.   Why?   For every scout-led, outdoor-oriented unit, there are nine others that are sedentary and going nowhere fast.   In the adult scouter realm, we have too many self-satisfied, political, good-old-buddy types that specialize in running off new adults.  And, how can I say this politely, the professional image of many scouters is not one of fitness, ruggedness, etc.

 

A good commercial won't matter.   New kids and parents would take a look around and see that in many units, the commercials would be false advertising.

 

This is actually a great point I think.

When I was CM a couple years ago, we had a decently successful "round-up" effort.  We were without a DE, so the Field Director was acting DE, and he visited our Parish's school, talked with the kids.  He really got them pumped up.

It wasn't long they started dropping like flies and leaving the pack, because it wasn't as advertised.

 

I asked most all of the new boys what they heard that they liked.  Trying to get a feel for what they wanted to do so I could try to make it a better program.  All of the new boys thought every meeting was going to be stuff like

shooting bb guns, (a few times a year at the most, at cuborees and such.... and then you have to wait through an hour in line waiting and getting safety trained, all just to shoot maybe 10 bb's)

Sleeping in the stadium downtown and watching a movie on the jumbotron (special even, once per year if your lucky)

[Krampus]

I asked most all of the new boys what they heard that they liked.  Trying to get a feel for what they wanted to do so I could try to make it a better program.  All of the new boys thought every meeting was going to be stuff like

shooting bb guns, (a few times a year at the most, at cuborees and such.... and then you have to wait through an hour in line waiting and getting safety trained, all just to shoot maybe 10 bb's)

Sleeping in the stadium downtown and watching a movie on the jumbotron (special even, once per year if your lucky)

 

Exactly the problem. National or council "commercials" pitch what the THINK the kids want OR stuff that happens once a year. They don't provide the program-related "hooks" that will keep the kids coming back. That they leave up to volunteers, most of whom may not know what can/can't be done or struggle with simply putting a meeting together.

 

I had a similar issue. Resolved it by finding out what the guys wanted to do and then found placed to do it. So archery, climbing, rockets, etc., were all things we could to SEVERAL times a year by simply finding the professional facilities that allowed you to do them. Rather than launching rockets once a year we do it 3-4 times a year. No pinewood derby but rather mousetrap racers. No bb guns but archery (even axe throwing). Indoor and outdoor climbing. Canoeing. Rafting. "Hunger Games" camp outs where patrols use survival skills and use map/compass to find things. 

 

Giving leaders easy ways to build and use the FUN things that scouting shows in their ads is what the kids are buying; not a boring meeting where some kid is using PowerPoint to talk about safe food handling.

[Stosh]

This has been the problem all along and the #1 reason for boys dropping out.  Someone promoting adventure and then providing camp chores doesn't hold much credibility in the 2nd or 3rd year of the program.  Once the boy matures enough to understand the difference between product promised and product delivered, they leave.  Of course we all soothe our egos with the excuses about girls, school, jobs and cars.

 

Maybe the sophistication of false promises is beginning to wear off even back in the Cub Scout years now.

[Krampus]

This has been the problem all along and the #1 reason for boys dropping out.  Someone promoting adventure and then providing camp chores doesn't hold much credibility in the 2nd or 3rd year of the program.  Once the boy matures enough to understand the difference between product promised and product delivered, they leave.  Of course we all soothe our egos with the excuses about girls, school, jobs and cars.

 

Maybe the sophistication of false promises is beginning to wear off even back in the Cub Scout years now.

 

Just gave me an idea for a spoof video for our COH. We show our annual promo video at COH. This year we do two. The second one is the real deal. The first one shows guys cleaning latrines, scrubbing pots, cleaning cook gear, loading the trailer, getting SMs their coffee, etc.

[Stosh]

Just gave me an idea for a spoof video for our COH. We show our annual promo video at COH. This year we do two. The second one is the real deal. The first one shows guys cleaning latrines, scrubbing pots, cleaning cook gear, loading the trailer, getting SMs their coffee, etc.

 

I wouldn't call your idea a spoof video idea, I see it as a Servant Leadership video, and that I can promise and deliver in my units, because it kinda fits in with the doing one's duty to God and Country and helping other people at all times.    If done well, it could BE your real deal video.

Edited January 29, 2016 by Stosh