Selling science to the public

Science popularization is ÒtheÓ tool to bridge the gap between society at large and the world of science. Compared to formal science communication Ð science taught in schools Ð informal science communication, made by the TV, the press, Òscience centresÓ and visits to scientific laboratories, has an important advantage: it makes the public meet science in a direct, informal way and on its own terms. The public is given an opportunity to develop a personal relationship with science, according to the needs, interests and abilities of the individual. But selling science is a tough job. The object of the sale is not a consumer good, but rather ideas and concepts that are sometimes so complex and distant from common sense that translating them into a comprehensible language and creating interest in the public without betraying the scientific truth is almost impossible. In the research work conducted for the thesis the importance of adopting a marketing approach in science communication is presented. Any science communication action, like any marketing initiative, cannot ignore the perceptions, the needs and the previous knowledge of its target public. As obvious as it may appear, this essential starting point has often been completely neglected in the popularization of basic science. The results of two surveys conducted in 1997 on the visitors to two similar particle physics exhibitions, ÒQuark und HiggsÓ in Vienna and ÒQuark 2000Ó in Rome are presented. The failure to convey the message of basic science at both exhibitions is highlighted. Based on the surveysÕ results and on the analysis of more succesful science products on TV and in the European press, modest proposals to ÒpackageÓ science more attractively in order to increase its ÒsalesÓ are made.