[Mistyhighlandslist] SCA: Marketing and You

[Ira Knight]

Hello all!

I'm a bit new to the SCA, but I'm very happy to be here.  I really
appreciate the warm welcome that I've continued to receive since my first
heavy practice some months ago.

I thought I might have some input on the recruiting issue, because I have a
little bit of experience in the marketing field.

I think the first important step in recruitment is establishing a "target
market."  Meaning, "a group of individuals whom have a higher than average
propensity to join/express interest in the SCA than the average joe blow."
I think there are a few parameters that we can establish fairly quickly in
order to limit our search.  So, without further ado..."Let's get
discriminatin'!"

1. Age: To participate in the majority of the activities that the SCA
offers, you must be at least 18.  This rules out High Schools, and large
gatherings aimed at youth.  I think the ideal age for a SCAdian is
probably between 24 and 33.  That's not to say that people who are outside
of this range aren't a good target for recruitment, however, they don't have
as high a probability to join our organization.  People younger than 24 are
still in college (some of us expressed interest in finding 'established'
individuals) or are too young to join SCA (<18).  Those people over 33 are
probably in the middle of starting a family, or too old to take full
advantage of the majority of SCA events.  Again, this isn't saying that 50
year old men don't get out on the battle field and beat me senseless
(because they do).  I'm saying that it's much more likely for a younger
person to be interested in the things that we do, and not be 'set' in their
current way of life.

If we can find areas where there are large concentrations of 24-33 year old
people, we can find a good place to recruit.

2.  Gender:  I think that it is safe to say that men and women both enjoy
SCA equally.

3.  Level of Physical awareness:  I think that the physical aspect of SCA
can be very appealing to newcomers.  I know that heavy fighting drew me
right in.  Also, fencing is pretty awesome.  Archery and the equestrian side
of the SCA are also big hits.  I feel that the Arts & Ssciences side of SCA
is attractive too, but in a much different way.  That being said, I think
that the target markets for each of these SCA facets will be somewhat
different.  Places like Gymnasiums (University Grad Students/Local
Gyms/YMCA), Basket ball courts, and outdoor recreation areas (parks) would
be ideal places to have informational nodes.  I'll go ahead and define an
informational node as either a SCA event (routeine practice/planned demo),
or a passive flier/active promoter (SCA person to chat with).  The
non-physical side of SCA (A&S) would probably do well in more cerebral
locations such as libraries, fabric stores (Jo Ann's, Wal-mart,
Fabric-on-a-roll, etc.), and local coffee houses.

4.  Level of education:  Strangely enough, the majority of SCAdians are very
well educated.  If someone could take a poll of High School
Diplomas/Bachalor Degrees/Masters Degrees/Doctors within our current shire,
I'm sure the statistics could help us uncover new areas to promote as well.

5: Exposure to the "geek" inside:  This isn't a physical attribute, but I
feel that it is a very important point to discuss.  I think that people whom
have had brushes with non-mainstream activities are more likely to respond
positively to SCA advertisment.  For example, if they read comic books when
they were young, rebelled in high school via *cough* "traditional methods of
rebellion," or were exposed to dork-like activities (Magic: The gathering,
D&D, Video Games to excess) just to name a few.


So, combining these attributes together (and any additional ones that we can
come up with as a group), we find that we are looking for men and women who
are between the ages of 24 and 33 who are moderately well educated and have
had some former brush with non-mainstream thought.  Where do people that fit
this description reside?  I don't think we need to list Hobby Game Stores as
number one on the list...but I will anyway...

1.  Hobby Game Stores (Tomb of the Unknown Fanboy etc.)
2.  Gymnasiums (University/Public/Private)
3.  Libraries (University/Public)
4.  Large Companies whom employee educated people (NIOSH, Mylan, Ruby
Memorial, etc.)
5.  Movies that involve SCA subject matter, i.e. 300, King Arthur, A
Knight's Tale, Elizabeth
6.  Jail    (*chuckle*)

A special note on item 5.  With the release of 300 I can't think of a better
place to have some exposure than in front of the movie theater after a show
lets out.  I don't know a single person who saw that movie who didn't want
to be active afterward (in some form or fashion)

Also, I think generating buzz via non-traditional sources (one/two time
non-'geek' sources) is definately a positive thing.  For example, if a
"soccer mom" shows up to an A&S meeting just to check stuff out to chat with
her friends about, or if a Boy Scout Troop wants a demo done.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts!  Let the constructive criticism begin.
:)

Mundane: Ira Knight
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