Physics Today asked Marc Kuchner why marketing is so important, what he's learned from writing country music, and what he's reading. Here's a sample:

"Physics Today: Why do you think science needs to better market itself, and where, specifically, do you think that physics, as opposed to other scientific fields, needs a marketing makeover?

Kuchner: Science as a whole is faltering in America. Half of American adults can’t correctly answer the question, “How long does it take for the Earth to go around the Sun?” Physics often seems to inspire a special fear in the public: radiation from nuclear power plants, black holes that can devour the world. The mad scientist stereotype that infects so many Hollywood movies and TV shows is linked to physicists. Maybe the nerdy characters in the TV show Big Bang Theory really are funny.  But it’s not funny when our projects are axed by Congress, or when physics departments are cut in colleges in Louisiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Texas.  So I think physicists have extra reasons to study marketing."

Read the full interview