Ground Control, to Major Brand

Last month in the town of Port Isabel, Texas they had a bit of a problem.

SpaceX had just test launched Starship Rocket, with the most powerful engine they’d built to date.

SpaceX expected the event to go down in history.

It did.

But not for the reason they were hoping it would.

The rockets engines ignited and a massive cloud of debris and thousands of basketball sized chunks of concrete were blown in all directions.

One of the chunks damaged the rocket causing it to explode moments after lift-off.

The good news is the rocket was unmanned.

The bad news was that for nearby Port Isabel it meant being blanketed in a gritty layer of sand, dirt and concrete.

It all happened because SpaceX, in its rush to launch, had not engineered the launch pad with a trench system to divert the rocket’s energy away from directly impacting the ground.

Months before, NASA had told SpaceX that their launch pad design could mean disaster.

But SpaceX ignored them.

So the launch pad got blown to smithereens destroying the rocket, and leaving Port Isabel buried under the remains of SpaceX’s crater of failure.

In my agency work, I’ve seen a number of brand launches follow a similar story line.

The client (SpaceX) is in a rush. The branding agency (NASA) recommends a proven approach. The client ignores it.

The launchpad (the brand) gets pulverized and the customer target (Port Isabel) gets covered in a lot of crud.

You usually refrain from telling your clients outright that ignoring your branding recommendations could mean disaster.

You might not tell them you’re the rocket scientist in your role as launch partner.

But when it comes down to it, you are.

And it’s your job to act like it.

Advocate for what’s right to create a successful launch.

And if you’re ignored, it might be a good idea to take a few steps back.