SpaceX is launching a marketing campaign to address its lack of female engineering talent by attracting more applications from female engineers aged 18-24. The campaign's big idea flips commonly used misogynistic phrases in engineering to build confidence in female engineers. It will include awareness advertising using the phrases, an engineering challenge completed through VR or at events, and a SpaceX Academy summer camp competition to find new engineers. The goal is to increase female engineering applications by 200% and hire 50 new engineers.

1. ROAD TO THE RED PLANET
MARKETING CAMPAIGN PLAYBOOK

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Issue Summary
Situation Analysis
Main Challenges
Competitor Analysis
Solutions
Audience Analysis
Objectives & Strategy
The Big Idea
Campaign Overview
Timeline
User Journey Mapping
Tactics (ATL, Digital, Experiential, PR)
Evaluation
Contingency Plans
Budget
Concept Board

4. ELON MUSK, September 2017
“The reason I ended up being the chief
engineer was not because I wanted to, it's
because I couldn't hire anyone.
Nobody good would join.
I messed up the first three launches, the
first three launches failed.”
ELON MUSK, September 2017

5. Space X wants to go to Mars. However, making the
rockets to get there is really difficult - and world
class engineering talent is required.
Despite its growing ambitions, SpaceX’s pool of
talent is currently limited. Only 15% of their
workforce is female.
At NASA it’s more than 30%.
Due to this gender gap, SpaceX is missing out the
talent that could pave the journey to Mars.
If it hopes to successfully overcome its current
engineering challenges and win the approval of the
public, the government and future customers -
SpaceX needs to hire more female professionals.
ISSUE
SUMMARY

6. “Earth is a
single-point failure
for humanity.”
GWYNNE SHOTWELL, President, SpaceX

7. Situation
Analysis
Over the past two years SpaceX has emerged as a leading force in aerospace
technology, overshadowing competitors by constantly innovating its approach
to rocket manufacturing. It has achieved in 16 years what government funded
programmes have failed to do for more than half a century, namely launching
in orbit and then successfully landing a reusable rocket twice, cutting the cost
of flying by 75%.
This brings SpaceX closer to opening the space frontiers and making life
multi-planetary.
By 2024, SpaceX will have replaced all its current vehicles (Falcon 9, Falcon
Heavy, Dragon) with a single, 100% reusable rocket (The BFR) - used for
interplanetary travelling, for setting up a Mars & Lunar base and for flying
humans around the world in less than 60 minutes.
But there’s a big challenge ahead…building a team to make this a reality.

8. THE MISSION
COLONISING MARS BY 2024.

9. MAIN CHALLENGES
THE TALENTTHE PRODUCT THE BRAND
SpaceX is trying to solve an increasing
number of engineering issues that have
never been tackled before at an acutely
competitive pace.
As achieving orbital velocity poses such
great risks, no other government or
institution in the world has attempted to
create and launch a fully reusable rocket
before.
Scientifically speaking, SpaceX aims to
make the impossible possible - in less
than six years’ time.
Clearly building a great product requires a
great team, which brings us on to our next
point.
Although construction is set to begin in
June 2018, it will likely take years for the
company to perfect its rocket and make all
its previous vehicles obsolete.
The engineering talent SpaceX is seeking
out right now will make the difference
between success and failure when the
company begins its first journey to the
Red Planet in 2022.
The tiniest error can lead to disastrous
outcomes. Previous examples include
Falcon 9’s engines exploding in 2016 and
Zuma satellite disappearing in space.
This is why it’s explicitly critical for SpaceX
to look out for the best engineers right
now.
Typically, SpaceX’s sales efforts are
focused on reaching corporate tech
clients. This means the company hasn’t
invested heavily in consumer
advertising, relying on its PR & social
teams to wield the rhetoric in the
media.
The lack of any focused marketing
initiatives means SpaceX does not have
a tone of voice potent enough to reach
the general public and therefore could
miss out on potential talent.
SpaceX’s main competitor, NASA, is
already a household brand in the US.
SpaceX needs to be equally (if not
more) memorable in the minds of
consumers - otherwise they risk losing
engineers to other brands.

10. “I don’t know what SpaceX is”
Engineer, US
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy
The most powerful rocket in the world by a factor of 2.

11. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
SUGGESTIONS
SpaceX is fighting a two-front war.
On one hand, there is the battle with
low-key competitors over satellite
deployment contracts and the race to
Mars. This can only be won by finding the
best engineering talent to ensure future
SpaceX rockets are safe and reliable.
On the other hand, SpaceX needs a
unique tone of voice that will convince
people they are the future of space travel.
Due to a prior lack of marketing
initiatives, some of SpaceX’s key
demographics are unaware of the
company’s existence or do not have faith
in its initiatives.
We believe the solution to both issues is
a campaign that instigates the general
public’s interest whilst also attracting
potential talent.
A two-front approach for a two-front war.
NASA is by far the most authoritative voice in the aerospace
industry in the U.S. Its main disadvantage is that, as a government -
owned agency, it is always subjected to the whims of the
presidential administration.
NASA does not pose a direct threat to SpaceX as they tend to work
together on ISS projects. The only issue is that NASA usually
attracts the best talent due to its reputation & scientific heritage.
Nasa is also extremely popular in mainstream media, with movies
such as ‘Hidden Figures’, ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Apollo 13’ promoting
different stages of NASA’s history.
SpaceX needs to find a way of becoming a deep-rooted symbol in
popular culture if it wants to compete with NASA.
SpaceX is competing with United Launch Alliance (formed of
Boeing and Lockheed Martin) for satellite deployment contracts
from the U.S. government (one of SpaceX’s main sources of
income). ULA’s advantage is that it hasn’t had a failed space
mission in more than a decade. SpaceX, however, has recently lost
the Zuma satellite in space and has a long history of rockets
exploding on the launchpad. A deployment mission with Space is,
nevertheless, three times cheaper than with ULA.
ULA is SpaceX’s single and most threatening competitor in this
market. Boeing also wants to get to Mars before Elon Musk.
Blue Origin does not pose a direct threat to SpaceX as it is mainly
focused on designing suborbital aerospace vehicles. In the long
term, however, Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos wants to have a fully
reusable rocket as well - and control the space tourism industry.
Their technology is not yet as advanced, but could catch up fast.

12. RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
FOR FEMALE ENGINEERS

13. REASONS
WHY
Diversity leads to better results
Companies “in the top quartile for gender
diversity are 15% more likely to produce better
returns” (Financial Times). Diversity in thinking
is critical when overcoming challenges and
more female engineers could ensure the BFR
(the rocket SpaceX wants to build) will not
crash.
Lack of female employees
Only 14.5% of the engineering force in the US is
female - the lowest percentage out of all STEM
professions. SpaceX is facing a similar issue,
with just 15% female engineers on board.
NASA, however, is close to achieving a 50/50
ratio soon.
Momentum in the media
The media & public are immensely sympathetic
of women’s rights currently. Female
professionals all around the US are rising up
against social injustice and abuse in the
workplace. This campaign will give SpaceX first
mover advantage in a field that desperately
needs changing.
Negative PR
As an American tech company led by a Silicon
Valley luminary, SpaceX is at risk of being
pulled in a destructive PR cycle that has
affected giants like Uber & Google. SpaceX’s
sister company, Tesla, has been hit by lawsuits
following gender discrimination in engineering
teams. SpaceX needs to avoid this negative PR
before it unleashes any further.

14. AUDIENCE
ANALYSIS

15. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to get the correct talent in place over the next five to ten years, SpaceX needs to
understand the 18 - 24 age group of women currently looking into or studying engineering.
That is why, for this campaign, we’ve conducted one of the most comprehensive pieces of
research around the perception of young female engineers.
With the help of the Society of Women Engineers, we have contacted over 25 major universities
& associations in the US and sent a detailed online survey out to every female engineering
student enrolled there. We have received 169 responses - written by female students from a
wide range of backgrounds and representing the exact audience that SpaceX needs to target.
The results of the survey have been comprehensively analysed both statistically and contextually.
Several key insights have been discovered as a result.
MILLENNIAL WOMEN
18 - 24 YEARS OLD
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
FRESH GRADUATES
169 SURVEYS COLLECTED
U.S. - BASED

16. “At my previous internship, an
employee quit after 3 males were
promoted and she was not.
She put significantly more work and
time into the projects that the men got
promoted for. It was very unfair/clear
biased.”
Female engineer on why working
environments are frustrating for women

17. KEY INSIGHTS
78%
78%
71%
71%55%54%
Women feel their skills
as engineers have been
underestimated due to
their gender
Women believe that
companies do not
provide enough
mentorship for female
engineers
Women believe
engineering departments
create a frustrating
working environment for
female employees

18. “The COO
is a woman.”
Female engineer on why she
would work for SpaceX over NASA

19. Main Reasons Why
NASA has a broader focus than SpaceX.
NASA has more history and a better reputation
SpaceX has “terrible working hours”
They’ve grown up admiring NASA and they have
family members working there.
40% respondents said they would work for
SpaceX over NASA
SpaceX is a private company and not subjected to
the whims of the Government.
SpaceX’s work is extremely innovative and exciting.
SpaceX is growing faster than NASA.
SpaceX has locations in their home town.
40% respondents said they would work for
NASA over SpaceX
Main Reasons Why

20. OTHER MAIN INSIGHTS
“Problem Solving”
Most common phrase used when describing what they love about engineering.
“Feeling I am making a difference in the
world”
Greatest pleasure respondents would get from their future engineering careers.
“Toxic working environment”
No. 1 reason respondents would avoid getting a job at SpaceX and would rather
choose NASA.
MICROAGGRESSION
No. 1 reason female engineers feel
frustrated or uncomfortable in the
workplace. Respondents identify micro
aggression as “sexist”, “disrespectful”
remarks or male employees perceiving
women as inferior beings.

21. “Elon Musk
scares the s**t
out of me, but
he’s my idol.”
Female engineer on why she
would work for SpaceX over
NASA

22. OBJECTIVES
To increase the number of applications from US based
female engineers aged 18 - 24 for career opportunities at
SpaceX by 200% from March 2018 until October 2018.
To retain 50 female engineers aged 18-24 in permanent
junior positions at SpaceX by October 2018.
To make SpaceX the go-to company for a young
generation of future female engineers aged 18 - 24.
To use assets created from the campaign to create further
positive sentiment for the company with the general
public.

23. STRATEGY
By inspiring confidence
through a rhetoric that destroys
gender norms and subverts
misogynistic language.

24. THE BIG IDEA

25. 1
2
3
The key insight from our research revealed
young female engineers feel underestimated
due to their gender. This leads to lack of
confidence and disappointment.
We want to boost the confidence of our target
audience. To do so, we first have to change the
common misogynistic undertones used in
popular culture when it comes to science and
engineering.
We took frequently used expressions that
undermine women and completely flipped their
meaning - without altering their structure.
PUT
HER
IN
HER
PLACE

26. A WOMAN SHOULD KNOW HER PLACE.
spaceX.com/careers-engineering

27. MEN ARE FROM MARS.
WOMEN ARE ON MARS.
spaceX.com/careers-engineering

28. THE ONLY WAY YOU
SHOULD "WORK IT", GIRL.
spaceX.com/careers-engineering

29. ONE SMALL STEP FOR
(WO)MAN,
ONE GIANT LEAP FOR
(WO)MANKIND.
spaceX.com/careers-engineering

30. ADVERTISINGPR SOCIAL DIGITAL
TACTICS &
EXECUTION

31. CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
#PutHerInHerPlace is a multi-touchpoint campaign that will be executed in three phases:
AWARENESS PHASE
Using the big idea in all formats (OOH, digital, PR) to make key audiences aware of the both
SpaceX and their commitment to hiring more female engineers. This part of the campaign also
contains the CTA (call to action) - encouraging the TA to sign up for the SpaceX Challenge.
CHALLENGE PHASE
The audiences who have answered to the CTA are invited to take the SpaceX challenge - a 20
minute VR experience / engineering test. The challenge can be completed either at home or at
one of the SpaceX Roadshow locations.
ACADEMY PHASE
The top 100 contestants are selected to participate in the SpaceX Academy - a three week all
expenses paid summer camp / competition to find the next generation of SpaceX engineers.

32. SPACEX CHALLENGE & ACADEMY
The purpose of our creative work is to
empower female engineering students
by subverting the misogynistic language
used in popular culture.
By popularising #PutHerInHerPlace, we
believe young women will start taking
ownership over the rhetoric and feel
more confident in their abilities to fight
gender imbalances.
However, if we want to win our target
audience’s entire support, we need to
take the argument further.
We have to put them in their place in real
life. That is why our second half of the
campaign will be focusing on generating
media attention and content around the
SpaceX Academy.
SpaceX Academy is a three week
summer camp run entirely by SpaceX
and designed to nurture a future
generation of top female engineers.
Selection phase: users will be invited to
solve a 20 minute long engineering
challenge by using either their Virtual
Reality set or visiting one of SpaceX’s VR
ro a d s h o w s . C h a l l e n g e w i l l b e
personalised for every user. Users will
be timed and assessed according to their
speed & score.
Summer Camp: 100 participants will
spend five weeks on Manhattan Beach,
CA right next to SpaceX’s headquarters.
Participants will be subjected to further
challenges and contests. The top 50 will
be offered a permanent position at
SpaceX. Top 3 will be part of the first
Mars Crew.
SpaceX Academy has enormous
potential as a TV show. We suggest
hiring a film crew and posting weekly
episodes on YouTube.
We could also partner with NBC (most
popular TV network in the U.S. in 2017)
and create a weekly TV series using the
content posted on YouTube.
With 100 participants from all across the
U.S., the film crew will have plenty of
material and will be able to create some
extremely relatable & emotional stories
for the public.
A TV show will also popularise SpaceX’s
brand and make it widely known not just
to your target audience, but to the entire
American public. It’s a fantastic
advantage in your battle with NASA.

33. Brief
overview
of tactics
OOH Paid Advertising -
billboards placed around
university campuses and
main tube stations
Magazine & Newspaper ads
ABOVE THE LINE DIGITAL
Paid Media: Facebook, Google,
AdWord Search, Instagram,
LinkedIN
Organic Social Content
EXPERIENTIAL
VR Engineering Challenge
Summer Camp
SpaceX Academy Series
Amplification of the Big Idea
across the U.S.
Constant reinforcement
using above concepts locally
Special Media Release
PUBLIC RELATIONS

34. TIMELINE

35. International Women’s Day
Official Campaign Launch
Special Press Release Launch
Application landing page goes live
8TH OF MARCH 2018
13TH OF JULY 2018
VR Challenge - Application Deadline
Winners announced two days later
1ST OF AUGUST 2018
SpaceX Academy Launch
Film crew starts shooting
Big push on social media & PR
Candidates encouraged to share social content
22ND OF AUGUST 2018
SpaceX Academy closing ceremony.
Winners announced during press conference
Amplification of news digitally and through PR
1ST OF OCTOBER 2018
Successful applicants’ first day at SpaceX
Campaign ends
8TH OF APRIL
We release VR challenge
Participants start playing
We promote content
during the camp
W e p r o m o t e t h e
SpaceX Academy TV
Series
We run OOH (billboards)
+ Print ads

36. USER JOURNEY MAPPINGCAMPAIGNLAUNCH
DIGITAL CREATIVE
Adwords
Facebook Ads
Instagram Ads
LinkedIn Ads
ATL CREATIVE
+
PR
Billboards
Magazine Ads
Press Release
Clicks on CTA
Searches for
SpaceX challenge
Clicks on CTA
CHALLENGE
WEBSITE
Understands
Learns
Target Audience Sees
Interest Piqued
Target Audience Sees
Interest Piqued
Signs Up
For
Challenge

37. USER JOURNEY MAPPING - CONTINUEDCHALLENGESIGNUPSviaFacebookOAuth
APPLICATIONS
With own VR
APPLICATIONS
VR Roadshow
Download and Play
VR Challenge
Visit Roadshow
Take Challenge
Top 100 scores
are invited to
SpaceX Academy
TOP 50
Full Time Positions or
Internships at SpaceX
TOP 3
Part of the crew to make
the first journey to Mars
LEADERBOARD
SPACEX ACADEMY
(1st of Aug 2018 - 22nd of August 2018)
TV SHOW STARTS FILMING & BROADCASTING

38. ABOVE
THE
LINE
1. The Tech
2. The Stanford Daily
3. The Daily Californian
4. The California Tech
5. The Technique
6. The Daily Illini
7. The Michigan Daily
8. The Tartan
9. The Exponent
10. The Cornell Daily Sun
11. The Daily Princetonian
12. The Daily Texan
We believe that the most efficient way of reaching our target audience is by advertising as
close to their universities as possible. We have compiled a list with the top 12 universities
for Engineering Degrees in the U.S. and identified each college’s main newspaper. These
publications represent the best way to communicate with the local communities as they are
written by students for other students, with thousands of free copies spread across
campuses on a daily basis. They’re also a source of veritable journalism (most of these Ivy
League newspapers are more than 100 years old). Here’s the list of universities and their
corresponding newspapers.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University
3. University of California
4. California Institute of Technology
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
6. University of Illinois
7. University of Michigan
8. Carnegie Mellon University
9. Purdue University
10. Cornell University
11. Princeton University
12. University of Texas
UNIVERSITY
CORRESPONDING
NEWSPAPER

39. OOH - BILLBOARDS
We suggest placing four billboards around each university’s campus and then another four in the most prominent city
located close to our universities - in main tube stations and squares. Placing billboards in nearby cities is likely to
target the friends and families of our target audience, thus strengthening word of mouth & peer recommendations.
We also suggest setting up the VR Roadshows in each university’s campus for 2 consecutive days.
BILLBOARD PLACEMENTCORRESPONDING CITY
1. Boston
2. San Jose
3. Berkeley
4. Los Angeles
5. Atlanta
6. Chicago
7. Ann Arbour
8. Pittsburgh
9. Lafayette
10. Ithaca
11. New York
12. Austin
1. Boston College Subway Line
2. Downtown San Jose; San Jose Diridon Station
3. East Shore Freeway; University Avenue
4. Colosseum
5. Airport
6. 90 Freeway; 290 Freeway; The Old Town
7. Michigan Super Speedway
8. Fifth Avenue; Forbes Avenue
9. Main Street; South Street
10. Seneca Street; Martin Luther King Street
11. New York Metro
12. Sixth Street; East Cesar Chaves

40. DIGITAL TWO PHASES
1. THE BIG IDEA ADS
2. PROMOTED CONTENT
The aim of the adverts generated during this phase is to convince people to sign up
to the VR engineering challenge and to gain as much interest from SpaceX’s target
audience as possible. Its ultimate purpose is to generate sign ups. The tactics and
digital platforms will be described in more detail in the following pages.
8TH OF MARCH 2018 - 13TH OF JULY 2018
8TH OF APRIL 2018 - 1ST OF OCTOBER 2018
Once the challenge phase begins we will capture content starting with the VR
Roadshows and moving into the SpaceX Academy. This will be primarily video
content published on Instagram and Facebook with the aim of engaging a broader
audience and creating a rich narrative to amplify the objectives. There will be some
overlapping between the 1st and 2nd phase - we want to give people as much time
to sign up as possible, bearing in mind some of them will still have university to
finish.

41. FACEBOOK
TARGETING
Facebook Business Manager handles the ad targeting &
placement for both Instagram and Facebook. We will set the
same targeting parameters during all stages of our digital
campaign because we are aiming to engage with the same
audience regardless of our timeline. The only variable constantly
changing will be the content.
SAMPLE #1: women, 18 - 24, student, engineering degree,
located in the cities listed above, enrolled at the universities
listed above
SAMPLE #2: women, 18 - 24, student, engineering degree,
located anywhere in the U.S.
SAMPLE #3: Ivy League University pages & Society of Women
Engineers pages (Facebook allows page targeting)
Example of Facebook ad during Phase 1.
Approximately 12% of the referral traffic for job postings in the
U.S. comes form Facebook (Statista, 2017). As Facebook is also
one of the most popular social media platforms amongst
millennials, it is paramount for SpaceX to place ads there.
DATA
We will add a Facebook PIXEL (analytics tool) to
SpaceX’s website in order to identify what kind of
users are interacting with our campaign. This helps
us retarget ads to those interested in them.

42. Examples of Instagram ads with different text bodies during Phase 1 - notice the big idea expressed in hashtags
INSTAGRAM

43. INSTAGRAM
According to Statista, Instagram was women’s most preferred social platform for engagement with brand content in 2017. This
indicates our target audience is likely to be more receptive to ads posted on Instagram. As Instagram is owned by Facebook, it
operates under the same targeting guidelines - there is no need to create new categories. On Instagram, however, we will also use
paid Stories to promote our content further.
First Page of Instagram Story Second Page of Instagram Story Third Page of Instagram Story

44. GOOGLE
KEYWORDS
Almost 85% of the referral traffic for job postings in the U.S. comes from Google - this indicates Google
should be one of the main advertising platform for this campaign.
We will set up a Google AdWords account and make sure both SpaceX’s webpage and the photo
ads will pop-up when users search for all of the following phrases:
SpaceX Challenge
SpaceX Engineering Challenge
SpaceX Careers/Jobs
SpaceX Careers Engineering
SpaceX Engineers
SpaceX Academy
Summer Camp Engineer
SpaceX Camp
Put Her In Her Place
Engineering Jobs
Engineering Jobs (city from ivy league list)
Engineering Career
Aerospace/Chemical Engineering
Software/Mechanical Engineering
AUDIENCE
We will set up some custom variables for language search (always English) and location (always
the U.S.). We will also set a separate search query for the top 13 cities with Ivy League
universities listed in the ATL section.
We will create a custom list of websites that partner with Google and place
our visual ads there as well. We will focus on job websites such as
indeed.com and tech news outlets which allow for advertising such as
techcrunch.com.
Example of Half Page ad on Google.

45. LINKEDIN
LinkedIn is extremely efficient in targeting
users according to their universities and
professions.
We will use audience samples & targeting
tools similar to Facebook & Google, but we
cannot advertise on page groups here - only
individuals.
LinkedIn Insights Tag (similar to Facebook
Pixel) is a Javascript code that we will insert
across the SpaceX website in order to
monitor the incoming traffic and retarget ads
to LinkedIn users who have manifested an
interest in the campaign.
We will not place any paid content behind Twitter, but
instead use the platform to monitor and organically
promote the main hashtag of the campaign
#putherinplace, create regular media audits and join
various conversations.

46. To portray SpaceX to the
general public as a
company that supports and
celebrates gender diversity
To inspire and attract
applications from the
leading female engineers
aged 18 - 24
OBJECTIVES
PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY
Creating a steady drumbeat of news throughout the campaign with press
announcements at key moments (such as the campaign launch, SpaceX Academy
kickoff, closing ceremony, Academy winners, VR contest winners)
Using C-Level spokespeople (Elon Musk and Gwynn Shotwell) for media interviews
and thought leadership articles in top tier publications.
Setting up media profiles for successful SpaceX Academy applicants and use data
gathered during market research to create news stories
Setting up speaking opportunities for C-Level executives at Ivy League Universities
via SWE (The Society of Women Engineers)

47. PUBLICATIONS
The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, CNN, NBC, Fox, The
Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune , New York Post, Los Angeles Times
CORE HORIZONTAL MEDIA
TECH VERTICAL
Quartz
WIRED
TechCrunch
M.I.T. Technology Review
HR & RECRUITMENT VERTICAL
BUSINESS VERTICAL
ENGINEERING & SPACE VERTICAL
Inc
Bloomberg
Harvard Business Review
Space News
IEEE Spectrum
Aviation Week & Space Technology
H.R. Magazine
Human Resource Executive

48. LOS ANGELES: 8th of March 2018 – Today, the world’s leading private rocket manufacturer, SpaceX, announced it
will make the first person to walk on the surface of Mars a woman.
The statement comes as the company launches “Put Her In Her Place”, a recruitment campaign designed to
attract top female engineering talent. Successful applicants will be offered the chance to join the team that will
make the first journey to the Red Planet in 2024 on SpaceX’s BFR.
“Currently only 15% of engineers in the US are women, the lowest number of all STEM professions” said Gwynne
Shotwell, COO of SpaceX, the only female president in the aerospace industry. “We are proud to be the first
private company to tackle this issue hands-on”.
After an initial selection stage conducted in VR, eligible candidates will be invited to join the SpaceX Academy, a
three-week summer camp for female engineers. “At the end of our Academy we will pick 50 winners – and the
top 3 will also be part of the crew to make the first journey to Mars. This is the underlying promise of our
campaign”, Shotwell explains.
The executive board will offer fifty permanent positions at SpaceX to female engineers by October 2018.
“SpaceX has always been at the forefront of aerospace innovation” said Elon Musk, company founder and CEO.
“We believe that bringing more female engineers on board will not only further our commitment to a 50/50 ratio,
but it will also bring us closer to Mars. This decision is key to unlocking our full potential as the future of space
travel”.
The deadline for entries is the 13th of July 2018. Potential candidates are invited to apply via SpaceX’s careers
page: spacex.com/careers-engineering.
[ENDS]
SPACEX PLEDGES TO MAKE FIRST PERSON ON MARS A WOMAN
PRESS RELEASE

49. PRESS
RELEASE AS
NEWS
ARTICLE
IN
TECHCRUNCH
(MOCKUP)

50. MOCKUP IN WIRED MAGAZINE

51. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP EXAMPLES
As our research has previously shown, more than 70% of female engineering students believe companies do not
provide enough mentorship for women. That is why our PR efforts will be focusing on positioning Gwynne Shotwell
as the ideal mentor for future generations through a series of thought leadership pieces. Here’s a mockup of a
thought leadership headline in Recode Magazine.

52. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP MOCKUP IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

53. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP MOCKUP IN QUARTZ

54. MEASURING
SUCCESS

55. EVALUATION STAGES TOOLS USED DURING EACH STAGE
Ad Impressions
No. of clicks on CTA (call to action)
No. of signups to SpaceX Challenge
Download/Participation in SpaceX Challenge
SpaceX Challenge Results
SpaceX Academy Attendees
Successful Applicants
Analytics section from Google, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn
Conversion Rate calculated by Google Analytics
Google Analytics
No. of APP downloads + no. of Roadshow participants
Successful scores submitted on APP and attached to user profile
Manually Counted
Review of applicants’ progress after 6 months at SpaceX
ACHIEVING THE MAIN OBJECTIVE - RETAINING 50 FEMALE ENGINEERS
Any click on CTA that DOES NOT come from ad impressions on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) but
from a simple google search or website click is the result of our OOH (billboards), PR efforts or word of mouth.
The funnel set up above will count these clicks as well - but we will also create a special Google Analytics filter to
monitor them separately.

56. SHARE OF VOICE & PERCEPTION
WIDER CAMPAIGN ENGAGEMENT - SPACEX ACADEMY TV SHOW
TV OVERNIGHTS (audience figures) extracted from NBC official databases.
Youtube video views, subscribers, likes, dislikes, number of comments, nature of comments.
ACHIEVING THE THIRD AND FOURTH OBJECTIVES
The third and fourth objectives (making SpaceX the go-to company for next generations & creating further positive sentiment) aren’t
easily measurable, but they represent a vital component of SpaceX’s long-term strategy. We suggest splitting the evaluation tactics
into two main sections:
This can be analysed by constantly monitoring & reviewing social media channels. Key variables here are : Increase in social sentiment
from March to October (percentage), Share of Voice and Nature of Opinion (positive, negative, neutral).
Other tactics include monitoring the main hashtag #PutHerInHerPlace on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook - verifying whether it
increases or decreases on a weekly/monthly basis + the main factors affecting its spreading.
PR RESULTS can be evaluated by creating weekly media lists with articles published in the press and assessing journalists’ opinions.
Other digital metrics we will keep an eye on:
ABANDONMENT RATE : indicates the existence of a technical issue or a PR issue (user not happy with the
campaign)
COST PER ACQUISITION (CPA) : cost of an ad divided by the no. of people signing up for the challenge -
indicates which platform and region delivers the best results

57. HOW DO WE KNOW THE NO. OF APPLICATIONS HAS INCREASED
BY 200%?
Getting in touch with SpaceX’s HR department
Counting the no. of applications for engineering positions made by women aged 18-24
between August 2017 - March 2018 (7 months before campaign launch)
Counting the no. of applications for engineering positions made by women aged 18-24
between March 2018 - October 2018 + no. successful VR challenges completed (7 months
after campaign launch)
Post - Campaign numbers should be at least THREE TIMES higher than pre-campaign

58. CONTINGENCY PLANS

59. ANTICIPATED CHALLENGES + PREPARED HOLDING STATEMENTS + SET FACTS STRAIGHT TO MINIMISE DAMAGE
OBJECTIVES HAVE NOT BEEN ACHIEVED
6 weeks after launching the campaign, we will assess how many signups we’ve
received so far. If that number is severely low (under 100), it may be necessary to
extend our ATL (above the line) campaign beyond the top 12 ivy league
universities and add 20 new targets (universities + cities). We will add these new
targets to our digital strategy and organise speaking opportunities at these
universities to encourage new users to sign up.
We will evaluate the numbers once more after 12 weeks and extend our targets
even further in case we do not have enough users.
Worst case scenario - we run the camp with less than 300 participants, although
our audience analysis study shows this is highly unlikely.
SPACEX ACCUSED OF BEING SEXIST TOWARDS MEN
We would advise spokespeople not to comment on this as it will only add fuel
to the fire. While targeting recruitment campaigns towards women is perfectly
legal under the Civil Rights Act, it’s important that we don’t upset other social
groups. In situations where a comment is necessary (such as live TV), we’d
advise a statement along the lines of:
SPACEX ACCUSED OF TOXIC WORKING CULTURE DEATH / INJURY OF AN APPLICANT DURING TRAINING
If one of the SpaceX Academy participants gets seriously injured or dies, we
suggest taking the following steps (in order):
• Immediately pause the programme out of respect for the family
• Work closely with the family of the deceased to release a statement asking
the media to respect their privacy during such a tragic time
• Offer all the other participants and staff member free access to counselling
services
• Assure the public a full investigation will be carried out to establish the full
details surrounding the incident
We suggest issuing the following statement from Gwynne (as she is the company
president and a woman):
“Issues around inequality have been pervasive throughout Silicon Valley since
its inception. While many companies have chosen to ignore the problem, here at
SpaceX we have been addressing it as a priority since day one and will continue
to do so. Driving any kind of meaningful social change takes time.”
“SpaceX is an equal opportunities employer. This means we run a number of
different initiatives that encourage diversity. SpaceX Academy specifically
represents our aim of driving employment in an area that is currently under-
represented. Our data shows the male to female ratio is still uneven, and we
have a moral duty to balance that out. ”

60. BUDGET
Ivy League Magazines
1. The Tech - 4 x $1,980 (The Tech, no date)
2. The Stanford Daily - 4 x $2,138 (The Stanford Daily, 2017)
3. The Daily Californian - not specified, presumed a maximum of 4 x
$2,000
4. The California Tech - 4 x $500 (The California Tech, no date)
5. The Technique - 4 x $1,110 (The Technique, 2016)
6. The Daily Illini - 4 x $500 (front page)(The Daily, Illini, 2017)
7. The Michigan Daily - 4 x $510 (The Michigan Daily, 2016)
8. The Tartan - 4 x $1,275 (The Tartan, 2017)
9. The Exponent -4 x $450 (Purdue Exponent, 2017)
10. The Cornell Daily Sun - 4 x $1,160 (The Cornell Daily Sun, 2017)
11. The Daily Princetonian - 4 x $1,755 (The Daily Princetonian, 2017)
12. The Daily Texan - not specified, presumed a maximum of 4 x $2,000
Billboard pricing can very an awful lot according to the size of the city and
the nature of the deal we get with local advertisers. Our data shows a
billboard in small city is $1,800 per month, medium city is $3,000 per
month and big city such as New York is $14,000 per month. Source for our
numbers: ClearChannel US.
1. Boston - 4 x $6,000
2. San Jose - 4 x $8,000
3. Berkeley - 4 x $1,800
4. Los Angeles - 4 X $10,000
5. Atlanta - 4 x $3,000
6. Chicago - 4 x $9,000
7. Ann Arbour - 4 x $2,000
8. Pittsburgh - 4 x $3,000
9. Lafayette - 4 x $1,800
10. Ithaca - 4 x $900
11. New York - 4 x $14,000
12. Austin - 4 x $9,000
(they are considered small
cities - we picked 11
because University of Texas
is placed inside Austin city)
TOTAL $61,512
TOTAL $340,000
+
4 x $1,500 x 11 universities

61. DIGITAL MEDIA
PHASE 1
In order to achieve of 50 permanent employees, we need 100 SpaceX
Camp attendees.
In order to get 100 people at a high enough standard, we estimate we will
need a minimum of 2,000 successful applications to the SpaceX
Challenge (1 in 20 gets in)(The Telegraph, 2014)
We expect a 50% wastage rate at the application stage (people who try the
SpaceX challenge and either fail to complete or are ineligible).
Therefore, we need at least 4,000 people who attempt to sign up and
download the game.
We expect a 25% success rate of people who sign up to the challenge
(100% sign up, but only 25% download the challenge/visit the VR
roadshow). Therefore, we will need approximately 16,000 people to
attempt to sign up.
Based on the estimate, we’ll need approximately 32,000 people to click
on the call to action (50% wastage rate here as well).
32,000 clicks will be calculated via CPC (cost per click) method across
Google Display Network, Paid Search, Facebook, Instagram and
LinkedIn.
Most digital platforms advertise on a CPC (cost per
click basis) - they only charge us if the user has
clicked on the Call to Action. This is extremely good
because we know how many clicks we need -
32,000 - and we know the average CPC on each
platform.
Know we have to decide how many clicks we want
from each platform.
10K clicks from FACEBOOK ads at average CPC of $2.72
10K clicks from INSTAGRAM ads at average CPC of $1.94
2K clicks from LINKEDIN ads at average CPC of $7
5K clicks from GOOGLE paid search at average CPC of
$4.20
5K clicks from GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK ads at an
average CPC of $1.66
TOTAL $89,900(CPC costs were extracted from online websites of the following digital
marketing agencies: Wordstream, Adstage and EffinAmazing)

62. CAMP
SpaceX headquarters are located in Hawthorne,
California, just a couple fo minutes away from
Manhattan Beach - the ideal setting for our three week
summer camp.
We have checked the surrounding areas and there are
plenty of hotels such as the Spring Hill Suites by
Marriott where we can accommodate the participants.
According to CNN and additional sources, a high end
summer camp costs in between $10,000 and $12,000
per person for approximately seven weeks.
That would mean approximately $1,500 per person/
week.
No. of participants: 100
No. of weeks: 3
TOTAL $450,000
DIGITAL MEDIA
PHASE 2
As we’ve mentioned above, the second phase of the digital campaign consists in
creating and promoting content during the VR Engineering Challenge and the
SpaceX Academy (organic content, but paid to reach a broader audience). Our
objectives here are to increase awareness and engagement in the campaign,
generate positive sentiment and make SpaceX the go-to company for a young
generation of female engineers.
We do not need to pay for CPC (cost per click) - here, CPV (cost per view is
enough). The content will mainly be video.
We suggest investing $40,000 in this phase as a social media budget - this time
spread only across FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM).
VR CHALLENGE
VR app production - maximum $50,000 for four months (March - July) (Source:
Rewind.Io)
Roadshow production: $105,000 to rent an airstream (big event trailer) during all our
roadshows
Brand ambassadors & promoters at roadshow 2 people x $500 (2 days) x 12 -
$12,000
Room renting - we aim to obtain it for free by negotiating with each university
TV SHOW - $100K/episode x 6 episodes

63. GRAND TOTAL
ATL - MAGAZINES
ATL - BILLBOARDS
DIGITAL - PHASE 1 & 2
CAMP
VR CHALLENGE
$61,512
$340,000
$129,900
$450,000
TV SHOW $600,000
$167,000
$1,748,412

64. PUT
HER
IN
HER
PLACE
CHALLENGE
SpaceX wants to colonise Mars by 2024.
To do so, SpaceX needs the best
engineering talent.
Only 15% of its workforce is female.
More diversity = better results.
Let’s recruit female engineers!
FACT
78% female engineering students aged
18-24 feel underestimated due to their
gender. They feel affected by micro-
aggressions at work.
IDEA
Let’s boost confidence by
attacking misogynistic
language and changing its
meaning.
“SPACEX PLEDGES TO MAKE FIRST PERSON ON MARS A WOMAN”
CREATIVE ADVERTISING
Billboards and magazine
ads spread across U.S.’s top
engineering universities.
Boundary - pushing
messaging. For a rebel
generation.
DIGITAL MARKETING
“PutHerInHerPlace” spread across
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google,
Twitter. Recruitment ads designed to
attract top female engineering talent.
Users encouraged to change the meaning
of “PutHerInHerPlace”
SPACEX ACADEMY
All expenses paid summer camp/contest to
find the next generation of female engineers.
100 PARTICIPANTS
50 WINNERS OFFERED A
PERMANENT ROLE AT SPACEX
PR
SpaceX commits to a 50/50 ratio and to making the
first person on Mars a woman. Thought leadership
targeted at key horizontal media + tech,
engineering and business verticals.
169 women surveyed
TOP
3
GO TO MARS

65. CONCEPT BOARD

66. SHALL WE TAKE OFF?

67. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

68. BRAND ANALYSIS