X-Message-Number: 8770 From: "Colin Martel" <> Subject: [probably unoriginal] marketing idea Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 17:40:39 -0500 Steve Jackson wrote: "I was raised on science fiction. The idea of suspended animation, whether to travel in time or space, was a familiar concept to me before I was ten. I would have expected more signups from among science fiction fans; you don't have to explain the idea to them." The same goes for me. I first heard of Alcor in an add they published in OMNI magazine, accompanying an article on cryonics. I needed no convincing. The only thing that was really surprising to me was that I had always thought contracting for suspension required a immense financial investment, something only Walt Disney could afford :-) I'm wondering whether Alcor, or other cryonics organizations, advertise in SF publications, like monthly collections of short stories. I have no clue what the cost of advertising in these publications is, but, if affordable, it certainly aims at the right clientele. If I may suggest, such advertisements should put much emphasis on the price of the procedure. While I had never heard any of the arguments in favor of cryonics until about a year ago, the idea of suspended animation just seemed intuitive to me. However, it is only by chance that I learned I could contract before I made my first billion. From the reaction of the few people I talked to who were somewhat open minded towards cryonics, I'm guessing that this perception is widely spread. I refuse to believe that spontaneous enthusiasm for cryonics is restricted to a few thousand individuals. Perhaps many just ignore that the procedure is within their reach. Colin Martel PS: I would be curious to see social statistics for members of cryonics organizations; e.g.: field and level of education, age, profession, income, etc... Does anybody know of such data having been compiled by a cryonics organization? Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8770