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O.R.: The Science of Better
By Barry List
By now you may have heard the stirrings — the INFORMS Science of Better campaign is taking the word about the benefits of O.R. to the world through a powerful new tool: advertisement. The campaign has dedicated a modest $195,000 to accomplish a major task: moving the needle that measures awareness of O.R. among our most important audience of clients and management.
Because concentrated advertising dollars have the strongest effect, the Science of Better Committee is placing all the society's ads with a single online magazine that carefully targets readers who appreciate the kind of innovation generated by O.R.: Technology Review, which is read by executives across all industries. The online version is at www.technologyreview.com.
A lot will happen. You can help the effort, as you'll read at the bottom.
The ad campaign, which began recently, will continue for a six-month period. It has several features of great importance:
• Provocative, counter-intuitive questions. When do you insert delays to speed things up? Questions like this one are being asked to pique readers' attention and draw them to roll their computer mouse over the ad and get an O.R. answer. Those intrigued by the analytical way that operations researchers make important recommendations can learn more by clicking through to a microsite about O.R.
• A microsite at Technology Review about O.R. and the Edelman award competition. The page explains why operations research is, in fact, the Science of Better. It introduces readers to the Edelman awards, which provide important examples that can be applied by astute business people and government leaders.
• New links to streaming video and other goodies. The microsite includes a link to a new page on the Science of Better Web site that features streaming video of executives endorsing O.R. The endorsements are culled from the video presentations made during archived Edelman competitions. The page also includes links to an expanded list of O.R. success stories.
• Prominent print ads in Technology Review. Technology Review has promised INFORMS that it will steer viewers to the online INFORMS ads. To keep its promise, the publication will place these ads about O.R. in six monthly issues.
• E-Newsletters. These newsletters to Technology Review subscribers will also include information about O.R. that points readers to the INFORMS microsite.
Knowing the O.R. emphasis on measurability, Technology Review is surveying a sample of readers before the campaign and at critical points to report back to INFORMS about its effectiveness.
What will INFORMS do to welcome these new visitors? The campaign has added some significant new features to the Web page at www.scienceofbetter.org.
• Internal advertisements. Ads on www.scienceofbetter.org that mirror the counter-intuitive questions and answers at www.technologyreview.com.
• New Edelman Web site. A new Edelman award section of the Science of Better Web site that features success stories, streaming video with executive endorsements, and additional information for executives and government leaders who are just discovering operations research. The site is at www.scienceofbetter.org/Edelman.
You can do a lot to ensure that this campaign is a success.
• Upload your résumé. If the ads do their job, management will begin seeking ways to use O.R. And they will seek help from operations researchers like you. You can register in the Practitioner Directory and upload your résumé by going to www.orchampions.org. Make sure your résumé is available for executives to see.
• Re-explore the rich resources at the O.R. Champions Web site. There you'll find tips for operations researchers in business, government, consulting and academia. If you're shy about calling potential clients, you'll find a sales call guide to help you. If you need a ready-made PowerPoint presentation to introduce your work to a potential client, you'll find a version that you can adapt to your individual needs.
• Don't forget to link your Web site to the Science of Better homepage. Just go to www.informs.org/Press/scienceofbetter and follow the instructions to download the Science of Better button pointing your potential clients to a simple, understandable introduction to the profession.
Don't forget to familiarize yourself with the Web sites at www.orchampions.org and www.scienceofbetter.org, which were built for operations researchers like you. And send your feedback, so INFORMS can gain your insights into improvement.
Barry List is the director of marketing and public relations for INFORMS.
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