Artemis II: ‘Mission accomplished’ for NASA, CSA strategic storytelling
If you found yourself pulled into the journey of the Artemis II mission in recent weeks, almost as if by a gravitational force, spare a thought for the NASA communications team. From the moment the mission was announced in April 2023 to the moment the Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday night, that team has been hard at work telling an inspiring story of collaboration, innovation and human aspiration.
Over the course of three years, and even before (they announced on March 30, 2023, that they’d be announcing the mission on April 3, 2023), they made the most of every milestone to build awareness and anticipation of the journey.
We witnessed the unveiling of the patch the crew designed for the mission, along with the naming of their capsule. They introduced us to the astronauts with compelling video and social content that told us their origin stories and, more important, made us care enough about them to follow them on this journey. We learned what they eat in space, where they sleep, how they exercise and what songs they each like to wake up to. We learned a little about their families and thought about how we might feel if we were going to leave our families to travel on an uncertain journey – or to be left behind on Earth. Along the way, we also learned how the mission would contribute to advancements in health, engineering and space exploration.
I knew the mission was happening – there’s a Canadian! – but didn’t get fully engrossed until I tuned in to the hours-long, countdown-to-launch live stream, on YouTube, on April 1. It had all the markings of a royal wedding or Olympic Games opening ceremony, but with a scientific bent. I, with millions, watched the launch in real time, waiting, hoping for everything to go well.
I immediately subscribed to every possible NASA, CSA or Artemis II Instagram account to drop a like on every new photo or video. I sought out Artemis II stories in my daily news consumption. I marvelled that the pilots were also poets, until the magnitude of what they saw put them at a loss for words. I wondered how they would tell their own stories once the mission ended and life on Earth resumed. If you were into the scientific details, the daily press conferences were for you — but also if you weren’t. This was science made accessible, translated to multiple audiences based not on what language they spoke but what they would reasonably understand. If we went back and studied the transcripts, I bet we would find a lot of simple words in them. Even the most complex concepts should be explained with plain language.
Every campaign needs a maple syrup moment
Among the universal stories were stories targeted directly to us Canadians, too; Jeremy Hansen bringing maple syrup and cookies up there with him and the Canadian flag, signed by the crew, destined for the prime minister. Hansen even spoke French! It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t matter: he did it.
Regardless of the platform I was using, the story was consistent in its message: space is remarkable, humankind benefits from space exploration, and space exploration reminds us that humanity is stronger when it works together. I didn’t hear a lot about how much the mission cost or how many greenhouse gases were emitted in its execution.
I would love to get a look at NASA and CSA’s communications plan, to see how layered and complex it is. As much as this mission will benefit health, etc., the comms strategy behind it could benefit so many companies and organizations. To me, it is a model of integrated storytelling in which every tactic is driving us to believe in the value of space exploration. It costs billions, of course; that’s why its value was measured in inspiration and potential, not dollars. The return seems so great that we forget, or choose not, to ask about the investment.
Not every campaign launch will have the magnitude of a lunar exploration launch, but the principles of the comms strategy behind it are the same:
Understanding who your audience is, what’s important to them and what they’ll need to hear, see or read to be moved to action.
Setting specific objectives and know how you’ll measure them.
Finding and training the spokespeople who will tell your story with real credibility and genuine interest.
Identifying and planning around your key milestones in order to build anticipation and awareness.
Meeting your audience where they are with messaging and storytelling that will resonate with them.
Working with a communications partner who understands what success looks like and how to achieve it.
Ultimately, every company and organization wants its own “mission accomplished” moment.
The good news is that, with the right communications partner on board, it doesn’t need to be a moonshot.
