“If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying ‘Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday’, that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.I pulled this story out again today for a reason. Optimist Clubs need more members so that they have plenty of helping hands to serve more children in their communities. That means we have to start promoting ourselves better.
If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.”
- Reader’s Digest, “Promoting Issues and Ideas” by M. Booth and Associates, Inc.
Think about the story of the elephant. What made the circus successful? Was it the signs? Was it the carnival barkers? Was it the mayor or the newspaper?
I think it was the buzz known as word of mouth marketing that made the circus successful. Townspeople saw the signs and talked. They saw the elephant trample through the mayor's lawn and talked. They laughed at the story in the newspaper and talked. They went to the circus and talked. Their conversations made the circus successful.
Your Optimist Club will be successful when you talk about all the positive things you do in your community. Start talking today.
