Perception versus facts: which matters more?

The "Rediscover Rosarito" team has been doing a lot of research regarding all aspects of Rosarito Beach and Tijuana. If there is one thing that we have learned collectively, a theme that has stayed consistent throughout all aspects of our research is that image and perception matter more than facts and statistics.

So what are some perceptions that have enveloped Rosarito Beach, and what are the facts that lay underneath?

Perception: Rosarito Beach is more dangerous than any US city.
Fact: Rosarito Beach has fewer murders than Washington D.C. (the two cities are similar in size) and according to the Baja Insider has 25% less crime than Philadelphia.

Perception: The entire police force of Rosarito Beach is corrupt and the city isn't doing anything about it.
Fact: This couldn't be further from the truth! Mayor Torres recognizes the severity of the image problem and is reaching out to America and Rosarito Beach to let people know that he is taking the problem seriously and is taking action to change things.

Perception: Only Americans are being targeted as victims of crime.
Fact: The huge majority of the crime and drug problems in Rosarito Beach is internal, with Americans being isolated incidents and sometimes caught in the crossfire.

Simply stating the perceptions versus the facts is by no means a magic formula. Yet it is a basis for understanding the groundwork of any public affairs campaign. Before you can create a campaign and set out to change others perceptions, you have to do a huge amount of research, collecting as much information as possible so that you can truly understand the situation yourself.

Hopefully from this you will take a second to consider the facts before you consider the hearsay.