Month: September 2024

One of the most respected publicists in tourism marketing, Suzanne McGovern, who played a key role within the marketing team that opened Walt Disney World in 1971, had a mantra to which she never let go:  

“Tell ‘em what you are going to tell ‘em…and tell ‘em again and again.” 

That’s because Suzanne was an adherent to the power of repetition.  

She understood the power of developing a simple message and sticking to it. Her strong belief in consistent messaging was instrumental in clarifying what was a new Disney experience awaiting guests in Florida and differentiating Walt Disney World from California’s Disneyland.  

Build a simple message and keep on repeating it 

The power of repetition is in its simplicity. A message heard repeatedly is more likely to stay in your mind. 

According to a Columbia University study:  

“…repeating simple words and phrases can convince us that they are true, even if they aren’t. This is partly because we tend to take repetition as a social cue; when we hear something more than once, we are inclined to accept it as true because we think that the rest of the group might also believe it. In addition, we are more likely to believe ideas that come easily to us; therefore, the more familiar we become with words and ideas, the more we will take them to be true.” 2 

Client fatigue 

The first audience that gets tired of message, surprisingly, are the people who project the message.  

For folks like us, at Wellons Communication, that means our clients are often the first to become weary of saying the same thing on a regular basis.   

Some of the standard arguments against repetition3:  

• “It’s too repetitive.” 

• “Repetition kills the joy of reading or listening or watching.” 

• “Don’t repeat the same thing over and over.” 

• “I have said it once, what’s the use of repeating?” 

Because of your close involvement with your message, it is easy to believe that your audience is just as involved as you are. The reality is that it requires repetition to first, reach your audience and, second, maintain continuity of your message to build recognition and trust. 

The rule of 7 

The marketing Rule of 7, simply stated, is a potential customer must see a message at least seven times before they’ll be provoked to take an action. In other words, you have to say what you are going to say a minimum of seven times before your audiences “gets” your message.  

The Rule of 7 has been around since the 1930s when it was used by movie studios. They realized that for people to want to see a movie, they needed to see the advertisement at least seven times. The gist of the Marketing Rule of 7 hasn’t changed in nearly a hundred years, and that’s because it works.4 

Can public relations help you achieve the Rule of 7? 

You bet. But not by itself. 

 No one marketing discipline, whether it’s advertising, PR, promotion, or sales, can achieve the Rule of 7 on its own.  

 It requires a complete marketing campaign to reach the Rule of 7 and continuity to keep the recognition level intact.   

Public relations serves to reinforce – or even lead—marketing efforts. Effective PR builds trust. It adds depth to your marketing program. And, with editorial recognition by a respected media source, public relations it builds respect among your employees, current clients…and potential clients…by putting your message in places that no other marketing discipline will likely reach.  

 Put Wellons Communications to work on repeating your message 

 At the end of each of our blogs, we always repeat the same message: put us to work on your marketing program.  

Sure, we’re a public relations firm. But first and foremost, we are marketers. Our sole mission is to help our clients earn the trust…and business…of their customers.  

In short, we exist our clients sell things, whether they are products, services, or ideas. 

So, in the true spirit of repetition, we ask you to give us a call at 407-339-0879 and learn for yourself how we can help you repeat your message and augment your marketing program. 

You’ve probably seen the old black-and-white movies featuring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland sitting on the front porch, legs crossed, a puzzled look on their faces as they ponder some kind of challenge, and suddenly one of them excitedly blurts “I know…let’s have a show! Fast cuts, backed up by music, confetti flying, big crowds and happy faces. Sure enough, the “show” — the special event — worked like a charm.

In real life, special events don’t always come out the same as the movies.

They can be enormously time-consuming and, if not properly planned and budgeted, they can wind up being very expensive. Worst of all, they may not produce anything other than a big headache for the client.

Nevertheless, special events do have a place in marketing and public relations, but only if they have clear objectives and realistic expectations.

Why do you want to produce a special event?

In today’s communications-overloaded world, well-produced special events can cut through the clutter and provide publicity focus on a specific feature or moment related to your product or service.

Events have the ability to deliver breakthrough publicity moments. But they must be well-planned and well-produced and possess qualities that can persuade media to generate coverage.

The planning and media persuasion is where Wellons Communications comes into the picture.

What justifies a special event?

Generally, milestone moments offer an opportunity to you to stage an event

Whatever the milestone, it must possess news value that will be important to various audiences, ranging from your current client base to wannabe customers.

If you are launching a new product or service, or introducing a new feature or tweak, a special event might be useful.

If you achieve a milestone moment, a special event can serve to underscore that achievement, like a new service, a new outlet, an anniversary, a new sales record, or an award earned by your business.

How can a special event deliver value?

At their very core, special events deliver great visuals, photos and videos that can be put to use in a variety of marketing channels of communication.

A photo event can attract media coverage with both traditional and trade media, be featured on your website, shared with your client base, and serve to visualize whatever message you are seeking to project.

A more complex event, like a grand opening or new product introduction, requires considerably more planning, rehearsal, and production, but can deliver immediate impact and buzz if properly produced and communicated.

Again, the ability of an event to deliver value will depend entirely on the newsworthiness of what the event is aimed at communicating and the planning and budgeting you put into it.

Wellons Communication has done its fair share of special events

From the grand opening of attractions and restaurants to photo events that bring to life new or special features of a business, Wellons Communications has decades of experience in special event public relations.

From idea development of an event to working with skilled show producers to stage events, our marketing agency has served in virtually all capacities of special event management.

Our results have been, in some cases, astounding. They have attracted national news coverage. They have delivered significant coverage in news media from local media to key trade media.

But prior to generating results, Wellons has served as a key planner for special events, from providing the imagination to produce strong visuals to reaching media well in advance (and afterward) to deliver significant publicity results.

We come up with ideas. We budget and plan. We help find the necessary professional help to make your event come to life (e.g. musicians, banners and signing, invitations, food and beverage, research to ensure no conflict with other newsworthy events) and serve as the publicity resource that justifies all the time and expense you put into the event.

So, when your moment has come, call on Wellons Communications.

Like Mickey and Judy in the movies, “Let’s have a show!” Only a show that works in real life.