Disney's Magic Kindom on Ice
Reading Programs Generating Advance Publicity
 The
Challenge: Advance publicity and sales for Bay Area circus and
ice show performances.
The Solution: We worked with the national
public relations firm for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus/Walt
Disney Magic Kingdom on Ice to carry out an educational program
in the Bay Area. The organization sent specially trained performers
(a clown named Cowboy Mike for the circus, the Wicked Witch of the
West for the ice show) to the Bay Area several weeks in advance
of the shows to give educational reading programs in local schools.
The material was prepared in conjunction with the national Reading
is FUNdamental program, chaired by former First Lady Barbara Bush.
In most cities, reading programs were held
at various elementary schools. An additional challenge for us was
that the Bay Area circus schedule fell into the gap between summer
school and the beginning of the regular school year. We sought libraries
and recreation centers as sponsors of the program, being careful
to achieve both geographic diversity and times of day that were
convenient for the various components of the news media.
The Reading is FUNdamental program illustrates
several components of a public relations program. It helps children
to learn while having fun. It also is an example of how a national
program can be adapted to local markets across the country, using
one lead public relations firm to design the materials to be adapted
to various local communities. This is a format that we have used
in partnership with such diverse companies as the circus, Disney,
Columbia Artists, KPMG and Oakland Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Inc.
Results: Overall publicity surrounding
the two-week run in the Bay Area resulted in 250 to 300 different
stories. The Reading is FUNdamental program created awareness of
the shows to spur advance sales, as well as good will with parents
and the educational community. It resulted in radio and television
coverage, as well as strong coverage with photos in various daily
newspapers and community newspapers. Community newspapers are particularly
important to this client, as they tend to have high readership by
families with children.
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