There’s a golden rule in PR: if you’re going to ask the public a question, make sure you’re ready for their answer.
San Francisco’s planners might be wishing they’d had that tattooed on their project plan.
It all started with good intentions. Close a stretch of the Great Highway to cars, open it up to walkers and cyclists, and give it a shiny new identity: The Great Walkway.
So far, so civic and so zzzz!
But then they decided to go one step further and invite the public to help name the space properly.
After all, public engagement is good PR — it builds buy-in, right?
Well. Not always.
Instead of community spirit, the official survey was flooded with responses that ranged from the sarcastic to the openly hostile. Some choice entries included:
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“This is stupid. Let’s not do it”
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“Really stupid park”
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“The Great Highway II: Highway Harder”
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“Sandy McSandface”
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“The Road Formerly Known as Great Highway”
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And, for good measure, “Beachfront Beachway”
So much for civic pride.
The public didn’t just want to name the park — they wanted to make it very clear what they thought of the whole project. Loudly. In writing. On the official record.
Faced with this, the city played it safe and picked the most sensible option on the list: Great Highway Park. Not exactly a name to set pulses racing, but at least it sidestepped the PR black hole of “Really Stupid Park.”
Here’s the thing: this wasn’t just cheeky hijacking. It was a thinly disguised protest.
The city thought they were opening the door to engagement. What they got was a focus group in revolt.
Because public engagement is brilliant if your audience is onside. But if they’re not? You’ve just handed them a microphone.