Does USPA market TS's after their FJ?

[airdvr 197]

Just wondering what, if anything the USPA does to market the "one jump wonders" in an attempt to grow the association.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[DougH 270]

TS's ???

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[matthewcline 0]

Tandem Skydivers.

I do not think so at the moment, but it appears to be some thing in the works for 2007, in partnership with DZ's.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[DougH 270]

Ok that makes more sense, thanks.

"Does the USPA market TO tandem skydivers after their first jump"

It isn't a half bad idea. Mountaineering societies sell memberships to people who have never even set foot on a mountain.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[jsaxton 0]

Here's an idea,

Create a "First Jump" membership that includes a special one time
"Introductory Edition" of Parachutist for ~ $10 ( $10 credits towards
"regular membership if they take a FJC) and try to get DZOs
to make it part of the tandem package.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Create a "First Jump" membership that includes a special one time
"Introductory Edition" of Parachutist for ~ $10 ( $10 credits towards
"regular membership if they take a FJC) and try to get DZOs
to make it part of the tandem package.

That's not a bad idea you've got there. You pass it along to your RD and I'll pass it along to my RD as your idea.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Mr17Hz 1]

Quote

Quote

Create a "First Jump" membership that includes a special one time
"Introductory Edition" of Parachutist for ~ $10 ( $10 credits towards
"regular membership if they take a FJC) and try to get DZOs
to make it part of the tandem package.

That's not a bad idea you've got there. You pass it along to your RD and I'll pass it along to my RD as your idea.

I agree. If every Tandem Student recieved a year subscription to Parachutist Magazine - that would do great things for the sport - Although I think that this limited membership should not include voting rights; otherwise we take administration out of the hands of a knowledgable voting group and into the hands of the best marketer.

You may be on to something golden; however the administrative process may be too expensive to handle it. I'm writing dropzone management software right now, and if the USPA created a B2B site for electronic documents to start the subscription process - a lot of that could be automated; however I talked to the USPA a year or so about a B2B system to get USPA membership information for automatic software validation, and it didn't sound like they were very interested in spending the rescources: they felt it was a security risk (which as a data security expert - I disagreed with).

If someone at the USPA decides to take this seriously, I could build in some kind of an option durring tandem registration to add in a 1 year subscription to parachutist magazine and an introductory membership for an extra fee... That could then trigger an electronic submission to the USPA for a new subscription with the required information, and the dropzone could write a monthly (or quarterly based on the number of sales) check to the USPA to cover the subscription.

What a great way to create exposure to the sport, putting a copy of Parachutist on every one-jump-wonder's coffee table to inspire conversation...

Although a negative component is the fatality report in every magazine; only an educated skydiver is able to compare that to the actual number of jumps that take place; although the descriptions do a good job of explaining that most incidents are user error.

Matt

Matt Christenson

[email protected]
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.

[Elisha 1]

Quote

Although a negative component is the fatality report in every magazine; only an educated skydiver is able to compare that to the actual number of jumps that take place; although the descriptions do a good job of explaining that most incidents are user error.

Matt

Negative? Maybe. Depends on how you look at it. I see it as a very positive thing in that it provides transparency. We have nothing to hide and are willing to show our "weaknesses" per se.

[jsaxton 0]

Actually I wasn't thinking about a one year subscription to Parachutist, but rather a one time "Introductory Edition" that would
explain:
1) The different training options available
2) An introduction to how the gear works
3) A page or two on each skydiving discipline
4) What the USPA is and how it works
5) The social aspects of skydiving (boogies,...)

I imagine that the we could also get advertisements from at least
some dropzones. Meby the advertising could be used to offset
the cost of production.

What I am thinking of is something a tandem will get in the mail
shortly after their jump and make the sport seem accessible

Meby we should have pictures of boobies in it too ;).

[Eule 0]

Quote

Actually I wasn't thinking about a one year subscription to Parachutist, but rather a one time "Introductory Edition" [....]

I think this is probably a good idea. The few dropzones that I've been to usually give the tandems a few things along with their certificate, like a paper/brochure on the FJC. Having a nice slick four-color "magazine" would be a step up from what the DZs do, I think.

Quote

I imagine that the we could also get advertisements from at least some dropzones. Meby the advertising could be used to offset the cost of production.

If you do that, though, dropzone X won't want to give out the magazines (or turn in the addresses so USPA can mail them out) if their neighbor down the road, dropzone Y, has bought an ad. I am not connected with running a DZ in any way, but from anecdotal evidence, many DZOs apparently see their market as a zero sum game - they aren't too interested in making the pie higher. I could be completely wrong on this, though.

Getting ads from gear manufacturers and big dealers might be a little easier - you'd still have a conflict if the dropzone is a dealer for one manufacturer and a competing manufacturer is advertising in the magazine, but it might be easier to get the DZOs to go along with that, since I would *guess* they stand to make more money on students than they do on gear sales.

Quote

Meby we should have pictures of boobies in it too ;).

Well, that's good for most of the guys and a few of the girls. You need to have some good-looking guys in it too, to appeal to the rest of the market. :)

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[bigway 4]

Quote

Actually I wasn't thinking about a one year subscription to Parachutist, but rather a one time "Introductory Edition" that would
explain:
1) The different training options available
2) An introduction to how the gear works
3) A page or two on each skydiving discipline
4) What the USPA is and how it works
5) The social aspects of skydiving (boogies,...)

I imagine that the we could also get advertisements from at least
some dropzones. Meby the advertising could be used to offset
the cost of production.

What I am thinking of is something a tandem will get in the mail
shortly after their jump and make the sport seem accessible

Meby we should have pictures of boobies in it too ;).

BPA has been doing this for te last year or two and is working wonders.

In the UK we get 'Skydive the mag"
Tandem students get their membership and 'Skydive the starter mag' which explains all the different courses and where yo go from there.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[alw 0]

As mentioned, BPA does something similar to these discussions. BPA also has a section that has a basic one page newsletter from each DZ in the UK in each issue along with an lead page with a map of the DZ'z in the Kingdom.

A Magazine leader issue is a common practice in publishing. There are two ways to accomplish that - One with a purpose built publication, ie the "Introduction" issue which is designed to build membership through communication, and the other that just delivers a copy of the recent edition that is designed to build interest.

I think the Introduction issue works as a limited (annual?) run with a target audience of the likely demographic. Copies at Wind tunnels, DZ's, and venues that attract likely members.

It is advertising and as such DZ'z could get special rates for a page ad (newsletter) with a DZ directory provided for all participants. Don't want to participate - no ad or reference in the issue to your DZ. Per issue price would be low and very affordable to a participating DZ, which could order in bulk and distribute with the Tandem Certificate.

If it proves to be a success after the first run you could take the program forward in a number of ways.

An effort to market the sport could have a profound effect on the Skydiving industry and the sport as a whole. We likely have the indigenous talent - certainly we have more visual media available than most sports and the professionals to gather it.

---------------------------------------------
Every day is a bonus - every night is an adventure.

[DougH 270]

They are group members, they deserve some mention in the special issue. Maybe we could get skyride to sponsor it?

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[Jumpah 0]

Real glad to see this post!

I read an article/editorial (in Parachutist I think) that said basically that the DZ's needed to get better about marketing skydiving. I really think its a three-way responsibility between the DZs, USPA, and us...the community of skydivers. But of the three, the major onus for promoting skydiving rests on the USPA. Many DZs don't have the resources, skill, or competence to do this in a meaningful way, and some DZs could actually be promoting skydiving to someone who takes their business to a competitor.

Membership has been falling in the USPA...so why not give every tandem student a free 1-year USPA membership. Give them a USPA number, and do some of the other things people are writing here...an introductory magazine tailored to them (detail about equipment, testimonials from FJ and tandem students, a day-in-the-life of a FJ student), statistics about safety, smiling happy faces. Add in 3 months of Parachutist with an option to buy a full year for a nominal price.

A tandem student did a skydive...they took the risk and they loved it (most of them!). Many of them would love to get some more information about it, and feel like they are being invited to become part of the community. A free membership would cost almost nothing and may bring a few more skydivers into our community than would otherwise happen.

I know my home DZ follows up with tandem students to try and get them to come back for FJ training.