Joshua Dorsey

In the aftermath of 9/11, U.S. officials set up standards for secure identification needed for boarding airplanes or accessing federal facilities such as military bases. After being delayed numerous times over the past two decades, the federally compliant licenses, known as Real ID, will become mandatory to fly in the United States beginning on Oct. 1, 2020.

However, as many as three quarters of Americans, including many in California, have procrastinated, still lacking the necessary identification less than one year from the mandate (you don’t need Real ID if you have a passport or military ID, and you can stick with your regular driver’s license if you’ll only be taking land transportation).

How can these procrastinators be reached with a necessary sense of urgency?

Joshua Dorsey, assistant professor of marketing at Cal State Fullerton’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, told the Los Angeles Times that communicating the positives of having Real ID – such as being able to see new places or travel to see family and friends – are better talking points than the more punitive mandatory deadline.

“People do want to travel and want to go places. I can tether the Real ID to something positive that allows me to continue to have a growth experience, I can continue to grow and see other places,” he says.

Dorsey also half-jokingly suggests “sadvertising,” approaches that pull on the heart strings of the audience, such as what philanthropic organizations fighting animal cruelty or world hunger use.

Read more about Dorsey’s suggestions and what you’ll need to have to fly in 2020 and beyond in this CSUF News article. Or read more of our articles about Mihaylo College’s marketing faculty and their research.