Project Details:
Creative Brand Management students at VCU’s Brandcenter are tasked with accomplishing an independent study as the culmination of their Master's candidacies. Students must reach out to existing organizations, where both parties then develop a challenge for the student to accomplish. 

Partnering with NASA: 
NASA agreed to partner for this project. The challenge given was to increase awareness for NASA Earth, the Earth science mission directorate of NASA. 

The Problem: 
NASA Earth has been at the forefront of climate change research and introduced the problem's existence. However, too many American's don't even know what NASA Earth is nor its past accomplishments. 

The Key Insights: 
Research revealed numerous insights about American's perception of NASA and how that can be used:  
1) People admire NASA for its intelligence, integrity, and ability to inspire. It is the most trusted government agency and has been the catalyst for some of humanity's greatest achievements. NASA Earth can use this to further connect with Americans. 
​2) Only 32% of American's know what NASA Earth is, but after learning the basic facts about the directorate people had a much more positive view of NASA as a whole. 
​3) Communicating science and facts is not enough to persuade in the current world, NASA will need to present its research in more captivating ways in order to achieve its goals. 
4) People want NASA Earth to have a larger role in persuading the public about climate change because they believe NASA has the capability to do so. 67% of U.S. adults want climate scientists to play a role in climate-related policy decisions. 

The Solution: 
NASA Earth must do three things
1) Reintroduce itself to the American public by communicating its accomplishments in climate study. 
2) Communicate the importance of its current endeavors with confidence and attention-grabbing tactics. 
3) Establish itself as the authority of the climate change problem and inspire the upcoming generations to take a more active role. 

American's want NASA to lead the charge in climate change. It's time for NASA to step into the role. 

Full study: