Sacrifice some short-term popularity for the long view.

CNN: Fiscal cliff was bound to collapse

But business groups said more needed to be done to ensure Britain's popularity continued in the long term.

BBC: Olympics and Jubilee 'boost international opinion of UK'

Aside from the fact that a lot of investors are sitting on tidy gains from long term Apple investments, the answer lies in how information and popularity work on the World Wide Web.

FORBES: What's Really Going On At Apple?

The Mets, at the peak of their popularity in the mid-1980s, made the mistake of locking into a long-term cable agreement that cut them off from the escalating rights fees of the 1990s.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Appeasing motorists may win politicians some short-term popularity but, if accident figures continue to rise, won't do them any long-term good.

ECONOMIST: Road safety