The woman who sold the moon
The woman who sold the moon
Why was it so important that the world watched the Apollo 11 moon landing on television half a century ago?
Fly Me to the Moon is a romantic comedy about mankind’s greatest real-world exploratory achievement, when the United States became the first country to reach the moon in 1969. “Killer” Kelly Jones (played by Scarlett Johansson) is the best and slipperiest advertising executive in New York, hired by the federal government to help NASA better promote the moon mission. This is in the wake of the real-life botched Apollo 1 mission in 1967, in which three astronauts lost their lives in a cabin fire. Jones is there to brighten up and elevate NASA, not only to heighten public interest but to keep funding flowing from Congress.
There are wristwatch sponsorships. Jones puts NASA in Tang ads. She cross-markets the Apollo 11 mission with Fruit of the Loom underwear. In one scene, she has the astronauts driving Corvettes. Jones creates an ad for Crest toothpaste as “the only brand trusted by Astronauts.” She explains, “Brands get a tie-in money can’t buy and NASA works its way into the minds of everyday people.” That’s exactly what the government wants.