PR Tips From Mickey Mouse

If you've ever visited Disney World -- and stood in line to ride a rollercoaster -- you probably noticed a sign that says, "From this point, the wait is 30 minutes."
...And if you're like most people, when you made it to the front of the line in 15 minutes -- you were actually happy!

Why were you happy to waste 15 minutes of your life??? Because Disney exceeded your expectations. The wait was shorter than you expected. Disney understood the following PR principle:

Under-promise / Over-Achieve.



How it relates to politics:

Let's say a reporter asks how many people will attend your campaign "kick-off." If you say 100 people -- you'll look foolish when only 50 people show. The headline might read:

"Fewer than Expected attend Sparse Campaign Kick-Off."

But if you tell the press you expect, "an intimate crowd" (and book a room to hold 25 people) -- you'll look like a rock star when 50 people show. The headline will read:

"Standing Room Only Crowd Rallies to Support Campaign Kick-Off."

(Notice that in both cases there were 50 people who attended the event...)

And just like the Disney example, the way your event is portrayed depends completely on the expectations you set.

You can learn a lot...from Mickey Mouse.