• by Larissa Faw , July 13, 2016

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation, the industry association for the private space industry, and its agency Viceroy Creative are introducing a new campaign to make space exploration sexy.

Since NASA, no other team of specialists, including individuals that have been to space and have worked in the industry, have come together to brand a company in this way. They say this is the first time an organization is bringing everyone together to create an unified message.

"The famous companies have done a great job in press and marketing – Virgin, SpaceX, Blue Origin – but there is a whole constellation of companies working in this field," says David Moritz, president, Viceroy Creative. "Everything from vehicles to rocket parts, software, spacesuits, everything that’s necessary.  People need to be aware of how cool it is that private companies are doing this work, and that space is open for business."

It's important to note that they are not talking about space “travel” here, says Mortiz. "I’m talking about exploration – Virgin and others are doing space travel, and that’s one company in this industry. I’m trying to get the message out that there’s a whole lot more than a joy ride in store here. Space is naturally sexy and bad ass. We just need to represent it in the right way."

The first phase includes an overall rebranding of the mission, new Web site, and basic awareness about the project. From a creative and design perspective, the goal is to convey optimism, movement and technology, says Moritz.

"But in this case we also need to take it in an unexpected but necessary direction and make it feel grounded – that is, real. This isn’t intergalactic fantasy.  We’re talking about real people, doing real work, creating new technologies and reducing the costs of older ones dramatically to bring it into the grasp of a whole new generation," he says.

The second phase will show the member companies the benefits of consumer interaction and public support.

"We can show that space is open for brand collaborations and marketing opportunities with consumer goods brands, software companies and luxury brands," says Moritz. "This is a whole new field where you don’t have to deal with a government agency to partner with a space company."

There are challenges with this project, particularly money.

"We’re not dealing with the resources of the most powerful government in the world, we’re dealing with privately funded startup companies in a brand new industry," says Moritz.

Still, there is a simple way to measure success, he says. "When I no longer have to explain to people I meet that there IS a private space industry ... an entire ecosystem of businesses. When it’s general public knowledge that the beginning of the real space age is here."