McDonnell Douglas Launches Ads Boosting Delta Rockets : Marketing: Newspaper and trade magazine spots are designed to woo buyers and improve the company image.

Most advertising touts faster cars, tastier foods or less filling beers.

But an ad campaign by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace in Huntington Beach sings the praises of rockets--in particular, McDonnell Douglas’ Delta rocket, which has successfully sent satellites into earth orbit 220 times since 1960.

Why advertise a product for which the potential market is so small?

McDonnell Douglas’ ads serve a twofold purpose, said John Good, publisher of California AdNEWS, a newsletter based in Newport Beach. The ads are supposed to reach the small community of people who actually have the authority to purchase rockets, Good said. And they are designed to strengthen the company’s image among people “who can influence” potential buyers, he said.

The ads might also help counter negative publicity generated by problems with McDonnell Douglas’ new C-17 military cargo jet and layoffs that have been driven by dwindling Defense Department budgets.

The advertising campaign, prepared by Graphic Edge Advertising Design in Huntington Beach, will run in trade magazines and in some general circulation newspapers. The trade advertisements are aimed directly at key decision-makers in government and at corporations that buy rockets. Ads will also appear in newspapers in Florida, where the rockets are launched, and in Alabama, which is home to several key NASA and Defense Department programs.

The newspaper ads will remind local officials and residents of the role that McDonnell Douglas plays in the economy, Good said. Though typical newspaper readers are not in the market for rockets, they can influence congressional leaders and bureaucrats who play key roles in purchasing rockets, Good said.

Advertising also can strengthen a company’s image in the community, Good said. “It’s known as image advertising,” he said.

“A prime example is Dow Chemical Co., which ran advertisements showing how their chemicals can help a little kid fly his kite,” he said. “They’re not selling chemicals . . . but they are trying to tell people that chemicals can improve the quality of life.”

An executive at a Newport Beach media management company noted that image advertising “helps establish a company as a responsible corporate citizen.”

“Friends will say, ‘I saw your company on television,’ . . . which can build employee loyalty or inspire a positive response from employees,” said Vrba, who is a senior vice president at Western International Media.

Image advertising also can influence potential shareholders of a company, Vrba said. “There’s a lot of investor money being dumped into the stock market these days,” he said. “This can help (potential) stockholders see what (the company) is up to.”