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Marketing Webinar
New Merit Badges
Webinar
10/30/2012
Today’s Team
Steve Bowen, Chairman of the
Merit Badge Task Force (New MBs)
Scott Berger, Chairman of the
MBMTF—Merit Badge Maintence Task Force
Janice Downey, Staff Advisor
New Merit Badges
Merit Badge
Overview
Purpose
•
Provide opportunities for learning, personal
growth, physical development, career awareness,
citizenship & life skills.
•
Done under guidance of qualified adult in that
subject. Adults are trained as a merit badge
counselor.
Stats
•
Currently there are 130 merit badges.
•
BSA is very selective in number & type of merit
badges developed per year.
•
Only 6 were added in the last 18 years before the
Innovation Group was created. Today we have 6
targeted to launch in the next 12 months.
Criteria
• Fun & challenging
• Activity oriented
• Affordable
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Fits w/Scouting values & enhances program
High boy appeal--Youth Interest Survey
Widely accessible
Can be earned safely
Adults easy to locate –MB Counselors
In sync with today’s technology/society
Earned by an individual Scout not a team
Mb topics--not closely aligned with school
Merit Badge Progression
Archery, Shooting,
Camping
Citizenships, Farming,
Pigeon Raising,
Textiles, Bookbinding
Crime Prevention,
Engineering, Environmental
Science, Space Exploration,
Sports, Family Life
Robotics, Search and Rescue, Game
Design, Geocaching, Digital Technology,
Programming, Sustainability, Animation,
Mountain Biking, Kayaking
New Merit Badges
Scuba Diving
Scouting Heritage, Inventing, Geocaching
Robotics, Chess
Welding, Kayaking, Search & Rescue (SAR)
2009
2010
2011
2012
Game Design
March 2013
Cycling--Mountain Biking option
May 2013
Sustainability
July 2013
Programming
July 2013
Digital Technology
2013
Cooking (Major Update)
2013
“Mining” (Pending Requirements approval) 2014
Animation
2014
Signs, Signals, and Codes
2014
Multi-Media
2014
CAD—Computer Aided Design
2014-2015
Advanced Computing
2015
Approved 10-16-12
New Merit Badges and Recruitment
What do “New” Merit Badges represent?
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To the Youth
Dynamic and Relevant
program
Excitement and
Innovation
Potential interests and
careers
Advancement
More time to “hang”
with Scouts and
friends
FUN!
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Experience the FUN!
To the Councils
Ways to promote FUN and
Excitement in Scouting
Advancement
Ways to provide a specific event
around which to focus and rally
the troops
Recruiting--a fun event for Scouts
to invite their friends to without
expecting membership first. Try it
before you buy concept.
FUN
TIMES
How to Get the Most
from New Merit Badges
• Be an early adopter—promote the new MB, advertise it on websites,
communications, roundtables, newsletters, during training, etc.
• Make sure your Scout Shop has supplies and is promoting to customers.
Let them know your workshop or kick off plans for stocking up.
• Find champions from leaders, volunteers and merit badge counselors who
will lead events and communications.
• Ask the community, corporations, education, and museums to help.
• Create an event or workshop that will provide an opportunity to work on
the merit badge. Create event packages 1) Geocaching, Orienteering, Hiking 2) Science or Technology related
 Make it FUN
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Bring in Subject Matter Experts from the Community
Reach out to previous Eagles, Scouts and leaders to support
Add it to your camp or program activities
Have Scout bring a friend or two for the fun of it—receive a special patch
Successful Recruitment Ideas
• Make a Patch / Pin just for the early
adopters or rollout event
• Spread the word through all
communication channels
• Make it fun, get kids and leaders
excited—they will help you recruit
• Use competitions and
workshop/event to showcase for
Cub Scouts and families
• Support the fun with online resources and flyers for
easy communications to pass on to others
http://boyslife.org/section/about-scouts/merit-badge-resources/robotics/
National Launches
Inventing Boston, MA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
http://web.mit.edu/invent
http://web.mit.edu/invent/o-main.html
Robotics Orlando, Boston, Pittsburg,
St. Louis // VEX, Museum of Science,
FIRST, NASA, Carnegie Mellon, RECF
http://www.cs2n.org
Chess Saint Louis, MO
Saint Louis Chess Club
USCF, United States Chess
Federation
http://saintlouischessclub.org/ch
ess-merit-badge-launch
Welding Chicago, IL
AWS, American Welding Society
http://www.aws.org/w/a/weldingb
adge/index.html
SAR Lake Tahoe, NV
2012 National Search and
Rescue Conference
NASAR, National Association of
Search and Rescue
Kayaking Salt Lake
City, UT
Outdoor Retailer
Summer Market
http://www.outdoorretailer.co
m/summermarket/
ACA, American
Canoeing Association
Sample Launch
• http://saintlouischessclub.o
rg/chess-merit-badgelaunch
Recruiting Community Experts
And………. Previous Scouters
Robotics Merit Badge Development & Launch Teams
http://www.nationalroboticsweek.org/
SEEC - Science and
Engineering Education Center
Robotics Education and
Competition Foundation
www.robotevents.com
http://www.auvsifoundation.org/AUVSI/FOUNDATION/Home/Default.aspx
What’s Next?
• Ongoing testing of new merit badge ideas and Youth Interest Survey
• Digital Conversions and Enhancements
1) All merit badge pamphlets converted to digital – same content
2) Merit badges enhanced with existing resources from NASA, Carnegie Mellon,
Local Councils, etc.
• Jamboree—will highlight “Newest” Badges
– Robotics, Chess, Welding, Search and Rescue, Game Design, Sustainability,
Programming and Mountain Biking option
Q&A
Think BIG !
NY Times Square
billboard during
Robotics Launch
STS-134 Space Shuttle
carried 100 Robotics
merit badge patches into
orbit--contest
Eagle Scout
and
Astronaut
Greg
Chamitoff
at Chess
Launch
(pictured top
middle)
Youth Interest Survey
2011 Sample Summary
How interested would you be in
earning the Kayaking merit
badge if it were available?
Interested – Top Two 90%
Very interested
186
Somewhat
56
interested
Not Very Interested 20
Not At All Interested 8
69%
21%
7%
3%
Be a part of the panel
http://www.scouting.org/about/research/ResearchPanel.aspx
Confidential Property of the Boy Scouts
of America
16
Newest Merit Badge Success
Appendix
Sample exhibits used during:
National Launches, Competitions and at
NAM—National Annual Meetings
Email
Inv
Engine
US
Mail
New Merit Badge Process
Timeline 60 days--Best Case Scenario
All Ideas Funnel to
Merit Badge
Innovation
Team
Youth Interest
Survey
Task Force
Steve Bowen -- Volunteer Chair
Janice Downey --Staff Advisor
All Proposals
Rank High
Reject
L
A
U
N
C
H
Production,
Printing, (Digitizing)
Ron Coleman--Volunteer Chair
Bob Scott – Staff Advisor
Adopt
Reject
Media Studios
1. Requirements
&
2. Manuscript & Editing
Distribution to
3. Photos / Illustrations
Scout Shops
Program Content
Committee
4. Final Product
Reject
Subject Matter Experts
Develop MB Pamphlet
TBD--Volunteer Chair
Janice Downey --Staff Advisor
and Consult as needed with:
Frank Ramirez—MBMTF Staff Advisor
Scott Berger—MBMTF Volunteer Chair
Communications: Internal Communications, Sam Thompson—Area/Regional/SE’s, Scout Wire, Websites, Scouting
Magazines, Boys Life, Council Operations, Marketing, Supply, Health & Safety, YPT, Risk Management, Outdoor, Public
Relations, Social Networks, Blogs, Advancement News, etc. / External communication and PR to be determined.
Confidential Property of
Timeline 12 months
19
A
d
o
p
t
Robotics Launch
& Reach Highlights
Summary for first 2 weeks of Launch (only)
 4 national launch events with over 20,000 unique visitors
 Boys Life Website 388,721,044 unique visitors (First Interactive Resource Center)
 600 stories run on BSA robotics—350 Million Media impressions
 BSA Robotics makes Times Square Placement!
Eagle Scouts, Order of the Arrow,
 14 months of development and launch preparation
MB Counselors, District Eagle
Board, Scout Masters, Assistant
 Team of Subject Matter Experts with over 280 years of
Scout Masters, Venturing Crew
Scouting Experience and 250 Robotic years
Leaders and more
 Anticipate 10,000 Robotics merit badges earned in first year
1.
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Group
Launch Event
Event
Location
BSA—Internal
Websites, Scout Shops
April 9
www.boyslife.org/robotics
National Robotics Week 100+ National Events
April 9-17
http://www.nationalroboticsweek.org/
Press Release by BSA (VEX, LEGO, iRobot, MOS, NASA)
April 11
online
VEX * & BEST
World Championship
April 14-16 Orlando VEX Event
Museum of Science * Robot Block Party 4/16
April 9-17
Boston http://www.mos.org/events_activities/events&d=4402
Carnegie Science Center * Merit Badge Workshop
April 16-17 Pittsburg
FIRST
World Championship
April 27-30 St. Louis FIRST event
NASA STS-134
Space Shuttle Launch of merit badges May 9
Florida
Cyber CHIP Flyer
www.scouting.org/cyberchip
Questions…
Resources
Marketing Toolbox:
www.scouting.org/marketing
Marketing Hotline:
972-580-2239