My first day working for Disney was on a plane to Walt Disney World (horrible delta airline flight through Atlanta so please don’t be impressed..). The first person I bumped into at the hotel reception was Clive who was on a Radio OB. I can honestly say that fourteen years ago, he was just as passionate about radio. I know because his was one of the most demanding radio crews at that event!

Kate Van Beek also has radio in her blood and worked with Clive in his Capital days when she managed press for the two London stations. Like me, she couldn’t turn down the chance to be a part of this great radio story. You may have seen us both in the building over the past few weeks or at the launch event at Skype HQ. We have and will continue to work with Cat (a real pro) and her team, with TIML and with many of you as we manage the communications around the new brand launch.

Over the years I was lucky enough to work on some fantastic product launches, from theme park openings, cruise ship launches and Minnie Mouse fashion shows in Moscow – and I got to blow up a lot of fireworks along the way! I learnt a lot about what it takes to create a good PR campaign, and of course what it doesn’t, and with creativity and some clear planning it’s amazing what cut through you can achieve (see some recent examples below). But once the big event is over and customers, or in your case the audience, tune in to find out what all the fuss is about, it’s the product that will determine whether the hype was worth it. Whatever we do needs to be grounded in the product and that, in turn, needs to be grounded in what consumers want.

And so back again to my ‘It’s a small world’ theme (which by the way is one of the most popular rides at Walt Disney World….hmm…go figure…)

The news from Golden Square has bounced around the world – from the London Times to the New York Times and (of course) the Times of India. The speed at which this happens now has never been faster. We have a wide and varied media community interested in what’s afoot at Golden Square. Our job, with Cat, is to keep our messages on track and keep this community engaged. Everyone loves a launch event – but what about the few months before when we can’t reveal the new brand or the few months after the new brand is no longer new? We’ll be drafting you in to help as we develop our plans so be prepared…

To get you creative juices flowing, have a think about some great PR launches you have seen over the years and what made them great. Amongst the maddest I worked on was in New York’s Central Park where I helped marshal 000s of children (with the help of the genius who directed those fabulous BA ads) to form, when seen from the air, three giant animals. It was for a TV ad which was aired in the US to launch Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

Click here for Guardian’s Mark Sweney’s review of a similar idea which Honda did recently.

Like it? Loathe it? It certainly gets Honda talked about in a crowded car market and shows that the company is willing to do things differently. Another effective PR stunt last year was the Bart Simpson chalk man. It certainly garnered plenty of column inches.

They even filmed a “Making of…” for a youtube audience.

Which are your favourites? Please comment here or feel free to email Kate or I if you have any more specific radio launch ideas

Joyce
Head of Communications – TIML Radio