Crafting Narrative
Crafting Narrative
Crafting Narrative
THE NARRATIVE
Introduction What is a Campaign Narrative? Campaign Narrative Structure Sample Campaign Narratives How are Narrative and Message Developed? Samples 89 90 92 93 98 104
In this chapter, were going to walk through the steps in creating a campaign narrative. Were then going to craft messages, based on the narrative, that you can test in public opinion research and use to persuade voters in your field operations, fundraising, earned media and advertising. A narrative is a five to seven-paragraph statement offering a complete, coherent rationale for the candidacy, which links the candidates personal story to the hopes and concerns of voters. A message is a succinct statement about the candidate, an issue, the opponent, or any other aspect of the narrative that is persuasive to voters. Any single message you communicate should always fit within the broader narrative of the campaign.
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Aspirations and Values The highest level on which you can appeal to people is the aspirational level the level at which they see their own values and hopes reflected in the campaign. People are most motivated to vote for and support candidates who they see as representing their own hopes and valuesand leading the community in the direction they themselves hope to go. Your campaign narrative will need to engage people at an aspirational level to motivate the public to turn out and get involved.
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In a campaign narrative, the voter is the protagonist who seeks to reach important goals, but faces obstacles along the way. In your campaign narrative, the voter is the protagonist. The goals are the hopes and values that are most important to your voters. The candidates role is to offer ideas and inspiration for overcoming obstacles to help people achieve their aspirations.
This narrative structure focuses on voters and keeps the focus on them throughout the campaign. It also includes supporters (people who give their time, energy, and money to the campaign) and acknowledges the vital role they play. Connecting the candidate with voters and supporters is what motivates people to get involved. Different elements of the narrative will be emphasized to different audiences. The message delivered to undecided voters in the persuasion campaign will focus on values, bio and/or issues and on the opposition. The message used to engage supporters will also focus on the campaign itself and the people involved.
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Issues & Obstacles.This describes the problems that stand in the way of peoples hopes and values. It should reflect top concerns on voters minds
Goal. This is the candidates vision for what he will achieve if successful. It should be ambitious and inspiring
Bio. This describes relevant aspects of the candidates life that demonstrate his values. It references an important life choice to show his values in action.
Campaign & Supporters. This suggests how he will govern if elected. It also describes the people involved in the campaign.
Issues. These are the top issues that the candidate will address in office and how he will work to address them. These issues are phrased in terms of outcomes, i.e. more jobs, safer streets, better schools.
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Call to Action. The message concludes with a direct invitation to get involved. It also describes the experience people will have with the campaign.
Develop a motivating message about your campaign and the people involved To keep people motivated over the long haul of the campaign, they need to know that they are part of an exciting and meaningful undertaking. So you need a message about your campaign and the people involved. President Obama excels at this, so weve included examples from his 2008 campaign. The supporters You have enriched my life, you have moved me again and again. You have inspired me. Sometimes when I have been down you have lifted me up. You filled me with new hope for our future and you have reminded me about what makes America so special. In the places I have gone and the people I have met, I have been struck again and again by the fundamental decency and generosity and dignity of men and women who work hard without complaint, to meet their responsibilities every day. You want to paint a compelling picture of the people who support your campaign. When voters hear about people like themselves getting involved with the campaign and committing to the candidate, it is usually more powerful than endorsements from other politicians, celebrities or institutions. Note in the quote above how Obama talked about his supporters as decent, generous, dignified, hard-working and responsible people. The campaign that creates an emotional connection with supporters keeps them coming back. Note in the quote above how Barack Obama created an emotional connection with his supporters that kept him going and kept them motivated. Tell stories of volunteers who exemplify the spirit of the campaign and show them on your website, at campaign events and in other campaign communications. The campaign We can do this. It will not be easy. It will require struggle and sacrifice. There will be setbacks and we will make mistakes. And that is why we need all the help we can get. So tonight I want to speak directly to all those Americans who have yet to join this movement but still hunger for change we need you. We need you to stand with us, and work with us, and help us prove that together, ordinary people can still do extraordinary things. People need to know their contribution makes a difference not only to winning on Election Day, but also to creating change in society. Seeing themselves as part of something larger will motivate them to give of their time and energy.
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Issues & Obstacles.This shows politics as usual as standing in the way of change.
Goal. This is the candidates vision for what he will achieve if successful.
Bio. This describes relevant aspects of the candidates life that stress his genuine connection to his constituents. It shows how he would govern drawing on real-life lessons. It also gives examples of choices he has made i.e., providing health care to his employees that demonstrate his values in action.
Issues. These were the top issues on voters minds, given the economic downturn.
Campaign & Supporters.This connects the campaign with the constituents, and sets up the contrast with the opposition.
His opponent is a Washington lobbyist who doesnt even live in the district. He spent most of his time lobbying against the needs of working people.
Contrast. This differentiates the candidate from his opponent, focusing on bio and values not just issues.
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Lets send someone like us to Washington someone who will represent a real change in direction.
Call to Action.This repeats the core appeal of the candidate and ends on a positive note.
Contrast Just as the bio tells a multi-layered story about the candidate, the contrast message should say more about the opponent than his or her positions on certain issues. The message about the opposition should also be a story about choices and values giving examples of times the opponent made choices that show him or her to be out of touch with the hopes and values of voters. Note how Harry Teagues contrast messages talk about his opposition in terms of his profession and priorities. As a business owner and the Chairman for the National Restaurant Association, [Ed] Tinsley has been looking to save a dime at the expense of his employees, opposing raises to the minimum wage. Ed Tinsley is only working for the big shots. Hes turned his back on middle-class families, and we cant afford to send him to Congress. Issue contrast should be used primarily to demonstrate differences in values. Below is an example from President Obamas contrast message with Sen. McCain during the 2008 campaign. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have. For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.
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US
Raised in New Mexico Self-made Job creation
THEM
Lobbyist Doesnt live in district Not a straight talker
US ON:
THEM ON:
When your team has thoroughly discussed your positioning and populated the grid above, think about which elements combine to form the best contrast with the opponent. For example, Harry Teagues team thought his humble beginning in New
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Mexico contrasted well with his opponents extravagant lifestyle and his time in DC lobbying against the interests of working-class people. The next step is to craft a set of distinct messages that communicate the best contrasts in your grid. Once you have those messages drafted, you will be ready to test these messages through public opinion research.
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Test messages with voters If you are running a large-scale campaign reaching large numbers of voters, particularly if your electorate is demographically diverse, you will probably want to conduct public opinion research to help guide your message development. There are many choices to make in the language you use for your message. Polling and focus groups with voters can help you focus your message on the most persuasive elements and develop effective language.
Youre ready to poll when the following tasks are completed: Candidate interview Supporter research Self-research Opposition research Policy research Positioning analysis What questions should my poll answer? Here are some of the key questions your poll can help you address: What are key positives about our candidate? Key positives about our opponent? Key negatives on candidate? Key negatives on opponent? Who are the persuadable voters? What do they currently know/think about the candidates? What hopes and concerns are most on their minds? Which elements of my narrative do they find most persuasive (e.g., bio, values, issues, contrast)? What are the best arguments to make against the opponent? How do they obtain information and entertainment?
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Polling Polls are used to segment the electorate into groups of base, swing and opposition voters, as well as to test messages that persuade the undecided. A baseline survey is conducted first to determine the level of name recognition, favorability ratings, key issues and other information that tells you where the candidates stand at the beginning of the campaign, and which voters you need to persuade. If neither candidate has much name recognition and/or the race is a down-ballot race unlikely to be affected by mass media, you may not get too much value out of a poll. A poll can also be used to test messages and determine which messages motivate peoples vote. This should be done prior to investing in mass media, so that you have some indication of which message concepts should be used in advertising and direct mail. The basic technique is to test a series of distinct statements, so that you can determine which elements of the message are the most motivating of peoples vote. You should also test the oppositions message to see what resonates. This type of poll simulates the back-and-forth of a campaign it helps you see how voters will react upon hearing messages from both sides. The pollster should give you a read-out of the subgroups of voters that are most likely to change their position after hearing the messages. These subgroups will usually be presented in terms of basic demographic characteristics gender, age, race, income level, ideological identification, and so forth. You can also ask about media habits to determine what types of TV and radio programming, websites and other media vehicles reach the voters you need to persuade. Remember that media habits are changing rapidly, and you need to ensure that your pollster has a good handle on trends in media consumption. Polling can be expensive. To ensure that your research dollar is well spent, determine how each question will produce information that is actionable. Dont let anyone waste valuable real estate in a poll asking questions that are merely interesting. Ask: How will we actually use the finding from this question to make a decision?
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Barack Obama and Joe Biden will increase federal support for research, technology and innovation for companies and universities so that American families can lead the world in creating new advanced jobs and products. Invest in the Sciences: Barack Obama and Joe Biden support doubling federal funding for basic research and changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology. This will foster home-grown innovation, help ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based businesses, and ensure that 21st century jobs can and will grow in America. Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent: Barack Obama and Joe Biden want investments in a skilled research and development workforce and technology infrastructure to be supported here in America so that American workers and communities will benefit. Obama and Biden want to make the Research and Development tax credit permanent so that firms can rely on it when making decisions to invest in domestic R&D over multi-year timeframes. Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of nextgeneration facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives. Support Small Business Provide Tax Relief for Small Businesses and Start Up Companies: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will eliminate all capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses to encourage innovation and job creation. Obama and Biden will also support small business owners by providing a $500 Making Work Pay tax credit to almost every worker in America. Selfemployed small business owners pay both the employee and the employer side of the payroll tax, and this measure will reduce the burdens of this double taxation. Create a National Network of Public-Private Business Incubators: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will support entrepreneurship and spur job growth by creating a national network of public-private business incubators. Business incubators facilitate the critical work of entrepreneurs in creating start-up companies. Obama and Biden will invest $250 million per year to increase the number and size of incubators in disadvantaged communities throughout the country. Labor Obama and Biden will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama and Biden will ensure that his labor appointees support workers' rights and will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers. Obama and Biden will also increase the minimum wage and index it to inflation to ensure it rises every year. Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama and Biden believe that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He will continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.
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Predatory Lending: In the Illinois State Senate, Obama called attention to predatory lending issues. Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbying the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices. American Jobs: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.
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One-Minute Message Im supporting Felix because he works hard with people to get things done. He is an experienced community organizer he works as a healthcare organizer to make sure that everyone has affordable health insurance and he worked as a labor organizer to help people get good jobs. He comes from a family committed to public service. His mother is a Boston public school teacher and his father was a Boston City Councilor. His grandfather was a police officer. His priorities are to level the playing field so that everyone has access to their government and create more jobs, safer streets, and better schools. He knows how to inspire people to get involved and make it happen. Boilerplate Language
Everyone should have a voice in their government and live in a neighborhood they are proud to call home. Felix Arroyo is a candidate for Boston City Council At-large. He is an experienced community organizer who works hard with people to get things done. He is a life-long Bostonian raised in a family committed to public service his mother is a Boston public school teacher and his father is a former Boston City Councilor. His grandfather was a police officer. His priorities are to level the playing field so that everyone has access to their government and create more jobs, safer streets, and better schools. Join our campaign youll be inspired to get involved and feel as hopeful as we do that we can make our neighborhoods better!
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Website
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