Flyfunston

Hello Funston Folks.

I'm posting this here in hopes to spread the good word about the USHPA/RIO marketing push that we are trying to promote for this Spring. Please take a second and check this out and see if you can do something at Funston to promote the sport and help it grow. If you have any questions please feel free to drop me an email at e d i t o r@u s hpa.a er o.

Thanks,

nick greece

To: USHPA Chapters and Schools
From: US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Headquarters
Subject: 20th Century Fox & USHPA Partner for RIO Film Release

Hello Chapters and Schools:

USHPA has partnered with 20th Century Fox to roll out the red carpet for the release of RIO, an animated film that features a hang gliding segment in Rio de Janeiro. USHPA is working with 20th Century Fox to harness their far-reaching distribution channels and large audience. In hopes of creating a successful partnership with 20th Century Fox and opening future doors, USHPA is asking chapters and schools to step forward and help capitalize on the marketing campaign. This is a voluntary project organized by USHPA to utilize a nationally focused marketing infrastructure to help promote schools, chapters, clubs, and the sport in general.

The new movie RIO will be shown in almost every theater across the country on April 15th. One of the themes of the movie is flying and gaining confidence in oneself to do so. One scene—learning to fly at the Cristo Launch at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (thus, the name RIO)—is specifically about hang gliding. We are thrilled that 20th Century Fox is working with us, using their brand to strengthen our brand—hang gliding! Watch the scene here or go to our YouTube Account. http://www.youtube.com/user/USHangGlidingParagli

You already participate in the dream of flying. Let's share our passion with the public! Did you know it takes up to 4-5 exposures of a product (seeing a flier, looking at a website, hearing about it from a friend, seeing a film with it, hearing about it on the radio, etc.) before a person will commit to taking part in a particular activity or purchasing a product. TV and radio ads repeat continually, just to make sure you’re listening at least one of the times you hear them. We need your help to be successful.

With that in mind, we've worked a deal with 20th Century Fox - requesting tandem gift certificates and intro lesson giveaways for the following locations: Albuquerque, Atlanta/Chattanooga Region, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Virginia Beach/Kitty Hawk Region.

In these markets USHPA will be sponsoring video advertisements in nine theaters for six weeks April 15-May 26th, 2011. This fifteen-second ad was produced by USHPA specifically for the RIO cross- promotional campaign and will run before every movie in each of these nine theaters. We will make a downloadable version available on our Vimeo Account and on our website in the upcoming week if you wish to buy advertising in your region. The theaters were chosen for their proximity to large training areas and the pilot communities willing to donate time to follow up with fly-ins and other volunteer marketing projects. As this is USHPA’s first attempt at using a video advertisement and the cost associated with the endeavor is relatively high, we need to keep the sample size small to be able to successfully measure the efficacy of this push. More information on the national pitch will be found at our website at http://www.flylikeabird.org(COMING SOON).

Kindle the inspiration to experience free flight that people will have when they exit the movie theater. They need your help to take those fledgling steps to make it a reality in their lives. Don’t let them walk away from the movie saying, "Hang gliding looks dangerous!" Let's erase that reaction by giving them positive information and getting them excited about the possibility of living the dream.

In 1911, almost 100 years ago this summer, two brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, had a dream of soaring that came true. It's as relevant today as it was then. Introducing the dream to would-be pilots is the best gift we (as a group that needs growth) can give our sport and the world.

Rafael (George Lopez voice), a character from RIO tells his little Blue Macaw pals (voiceover by Jessie Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway), "If our featherless friends can do it, how hard can it be?"

Let's go out and show them what free flight is all about! If you're interested in participating and need our help, please don't hesistate to call or email us. We will be calling as many of you as we can.

There's MORE!!!!!!

The Resource Manual for RIO – includes a sample Press Release, collaborative ideas, and other support from USHPA. We encourage you to also look at the PR Notebook for updates: http://www.ushpa.aero/prnotebook.asp- - How can we help? Call (800) 616-688 and someone will get back to you in the order of contact.

What We Can Do!

1. Work Together:
If there are multiple Chapters (HG and PG) or schools in your area, representatives from each group can meet to decide how to maximize efforts, money, and volunteer/staff time.
Call us at (800) 616-6888 or email us at: [email protected]
We're more than willing to assist by helping you write press releases and giving you the support you request. (Note: We'll get to you as requests come in, i.e., on a first-come, first-served basis.)
2. Share the Dream:
Focus on what is manageable. Boost enthusiasm as a team within your schools, chapters, and pilots.
Write press releases for your local media. What is your story? (Able Pilot, Parahawking, National Hang Gliding & Paragliding Day, Soaring 100 Flight of the Wright Brothers, a Local Fly-In, a Site Rebirth, Working with Underserved Kids in Third World Countries, etc).
3. See the movie:
April 15, 2011: as a group, as a community, as a team!

Ads are being placed in the following theaters to be played before all films in those theaters from April 15 - May 26th, 2011 (please do not contact the theaters below directly before contacting the USHPA offices or Nick Greece):

DMA# DMA Code | Theatre Location | # of Screens

1 New York AMC2680 Port Chester 14 with IMAX PORT CHESTER, NY 14
2 Los Angeles AMC0245 Century City 15 with IMAX LOS ANGELES, CA 15
6 San Francisco-Oak-San Jose AMC2325 Metreon 16 with IMAX SAN FRANCISCO, CA 16
8 Atlanta RGL1309 Perimeter Pointe 10 ATLANTA, GA 10
17 Denver AMC0057 Highlands Ranch 24 with IMAX LITTLETON, CO 24
19 Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn RGL734 Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 with IMAX ORLANDO, FL 19
32 Salt Lake City CNK431 Salt Lake City 16 SALT LAKE CITY, UT 16
43 Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws AMC0334 Lynnhaven 18 with IMAX VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 18
46 Albuquerque-Santa Fe RGL1307 Cottonwood 16 ALBUQUERQUE, NM 16

Email us: [email protected]

Also, please see our story on Groupon, http://www.ushpa.aero/news.asp?id=165, if you want to look at one way to maximize your exposure while we push for hang gliding during the release of RIO and the National Hang Gliding & Paragliding Day celebration on May 28th, 2011, following the April 15th RIO release.



Thank you,


Robin Jones, (800) 616-6888
Information Communications & Manager
Nick Greece, (516) 816-1333
Editor and Public Relations Director
Write us both: [email protected]
Coming soon! http://www.FlyLikeABird.org

USHPA Headquarters
[email protected]
PH: (800) 616-6888

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The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Office is located at 1685 W. Uintah St. Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901. Our phone is 800.616.6888 General email may be sent to [email protected]


USHPA: US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association | PO Box 1300 | Colorado Springs | CO | 80901

I just have to say that this is a fantastic initiative. I hope the local community benefits from it, whether by gaining more students, selling more used gliders/gear, or otherwise inspiring more people to at least look into hang gliding. Creating a coordinated activity like this benefited from the economy of scale we have on a national level. It's far more approachable for a local club to use the marketing toolkits than create their own, and for us to benefit from the theater ad buys that are more easily put in place with national level efforts.

So thanks.

Next step - Rio 2: California!

Soooooo..... is anyone in the Bay Area running a promotion related to the movie release? If not, I guess we just send interested friends to http://www.flylikeabird.com/

Daniel

Bump...

diev wrote:http://www.flylikeabird.org

The problem with that site is that it's a pain in the tush to find a person who's an active instructor. The instructor-finder lists everyone with the right rating, in your neighborhood. It'll take you a few phone calls just to find out who's really teaching.

It would be substantially better if there were a vetted list of people/businesses who are looking for students.

Daniel