X-Message-Number: 30038
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:20:56 -0700
From: hkhenson <>
Subject: Cryonics market (was fear of death)
References: <>

At 03:00 AM 11/20/2007, David Stodolsky wrote:

snip

>The problems you and others have had in 'selling' cryonics is a lack
>of understanding of the psychology of marketing. If you want to be
>effective, you have to aim at the right demographic, the middle aged,
>and 'sell' the right thing, typically *not* a suspension contract
>alone. Having missed the right demographic, the next best bet are
>relatives, who have not already made philosophical adjustments in
>facing death that rules out cryonics.
>
>CI was smart enough to get a PhD cryo-biologist to work on biological
>problems. If it wants to see an improvement in marketing, it will get
>a social science PhD to deal with social issues.

I don't want to be a wet blanket on David's suggestion--which I think 
is a positive one--but the problem is *finding* such a person. There 
has been a long history of people with excellent marketing skills (at 
or above PhD level I would estimate) who have looked hard at 
marketing cryonics and given up for a lack of good ideas.

Now just because nobody has made progress on this before is no reason 
not to keep looking at the problem, tools and understanding get 
better and better with the passage of time.  Perhaps now is the time 
when the proper insights are available.

Any suggestion, David, as to a social scientist might consider the problem?

>The question is not
>just one of marketing, but of survival, once cryonics becomes a
>political issue.

To some extent it already has. In the last few years both CI and 
Alcor came under attack as an indirect result of a famous baseball 
player's suspension.

>This is not just a threat to potential patients,
>but  to all in suspension when the issue gets big.

To analyze how serious this is we need to consider the speed with 
which social movements grow and how fast developing technology might 
bring an end to the need for cryonics. I could put numbers on these, 
others have, there is no way to test the accuracy except by the 
passage of time.

>Religious fanatics
>have repeatedly killed doctors who perform medical procedures they
>don't approve of,

Paul Hill and James Kopp. There may be more but that's all that 
turned up in quick net search. It's a serious problem and women in 
need of abortions sometimes have to travel a long way to get one in the US.

Keith

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