Carolyn's Take: The mayoral candidates message up

With Election Day in Chicago looming, the only suspense appears to be whether or not Rahm Emanuel will reach the 50% + 1 vote needed to avoid a run-off. Rahm set strong messages early on, stuck to his game plan and limited situations that appeared to put him on an even playing field with the other candidates. Notice how news stories refer to the other candidates as Rahm’s “challengers?” He’s not the incumbent, but it sure feels that way. The story Rahm has told Chicago voters is strong:

1) He is a Chicagoan who understands the issues. This point was particularly helpful during the residency drama. 2) He knows the City is in economic trouble, and he will make tough choices. This is important to Chicago voters bearing the weight of a state income tax hike and stagnant economy. 3) Government should work for the people, not for those with connections or City employees. Rahm is saying he will break with some of the practices that have led to criticism of Mayor Daley – without actually criticizing the mayor himself.

Gery Chico has banked on his “back of the yards, Kelly High School” image of a hard-working, down to earth, regular Chicago guy. Late in the campaign, he began to sharply contrast his roots with those of Rahm’s, referring to Emanuel’s North Shore, New Trier High School upbringing. It’s not clear whether voters care as much about a candidate’s early years as they do about his or her ability to deliver. Gery is also on somewhat shaky ground here; his website bio page shows a tidy row of bungalows, but his tax returns indicate he lives in a multi-million dollar downtown home. Stronger messages are based on Gery’s civic and public sector experience, particularly in the way he has linked that experience to a strong education plan.  

Miguel del Valle calls himself the “candidate with the heart” and “the poorest candidate with the most to offer.” Del Valle’s main message is that the he will be a mayor for “every neighborhood,” not just downtown business interests. Indeed, as he travels from community forum to community forum in well-worn shoes, Miguel projects caring and compassion. However, he has struggled to offer specific solutions to the problems facing the City, and he can sound more like a community organizer than a mayor.

Carol Moseley Braun’s messages have been broad: she claims to be the most experienced candidate, with a track record of bringing people together. She will be “ready to lead on day one.” But her proof points don’t back up any of her messages. Her personal finances show a floundering business and late tax payments and her televised attack on candidate Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins may not be the kind of “passion” voters are seeking.

It’s been a while since a mayoral candidate in Chicago had to be “on message.” It’s also been a while since Chicagoans had to listen. We’ll see which messages got through on February 22.

When building a strategy, know your stakeholders

A call to action is the driving force of any public affairs, or issue-oriented campaign, whether the objective is the passage of a bill or gathering signatures on a petition. When it comes to getting people to act in your favor, there is no magic wand. In public affairs, you must get to know your stakeholders in order to understand what makes them tick.

This means looking beyond conventional wisdom to get a more accurate picture of how your target audiences behave. For example, despite a common perception that those most adversely impacted by the foreclosure crisis do not regularly have access to or use the internet, recent Pew Research Center data actually points to a narrowing of the digital divide. With this in mind, CG&A supplemented community outreach with a website developed for the Circuit Court of Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program, which proved to be an invaluable resource for tens of thousands of Cook County homeowners who used the site to get information and request assistance.

There are also campaigns where less is more. CG&A recently implemented a carefully measured media and stakeholder engagement strategy on behalf of Northstar Lottery Group in its bid to serve as private manager of the Illinois State Lottery. Instead of a full-court media and event press, CG&A ensured its communications strategy struck the right balance between proactive outreach to key reporters and editorial boards and adherence to the procurement process. This helped Northstar clinch a victory in this first-of-its-kind state lottery private manager procurement.

Build a community of supporters and keep them on message

Whether your goal is to advance a contentious piece of legislation or achieve greater awareness of a critical issue, it is important to broaden your support base and create a network of ambassadors who will spread your message in the most powerful and consistent way possible.

Partnering with the Northwest Municipal Conference, CG&A helped create the Pension Fairness for Illinois Communities Coalition, a group seeking legislative action to ease the growing burden of public safety pension costs on taxpayers and municipal budgets. In addition to calling on mayors of more than 200 communities across the state, the Coalition identified other influential groups directly affected by this issue, including business associations and chambers of commerce.

Growing your support base in a strategic way not only adds legitimacy to your public affairs campaign, it brings a variety of perspectives to the table and expands the pool of spokespeople you can call on to communicate your message through media opportunities, such as press conferences and editorial board meetings.

Once your foot soldiers are in place, arm them with your message and make sure they stick to it. One easy way to accomplish this is to keep it simple. As easy as that sounds, we see the opposite happen in the news all too often. Bogging your spokespeople down with myriads of complex talking points can confuse the message and lead to inaccurate or, worse, unfavorable reporting. The more streamlined your message, the greater the chances that your side of the issue will be presented the way you want it to be heard. Members of the Pension Fairness Coalition, for instance, adhered to a simple message that resonated strongly with the media and the public: Illinois towns will go broke without public safety pension reform.

Drive the debate with targeted media

You wouldn’t send an email written specifically for your mother to your entire contact list, right? Well, not intentionally, we hope. This rationale also holds true when it comes to pitching your public affairs issue to traditional media.

Rather than blanketing every reporter everywhere with a cookie-cutter pitch, focus your efforts on the news outlets that reach your target audiences. Customize your story idea with relevant statistics and local spokespeople. Make your case even more compelling by referring to a recent news story written by that reporter and explain how it ties in with your issue. The bottom line is that busy reporters will only take the time to consider your pitch if it relates directly to what they write about for their readers.

Although some see the shrinking news industry as a disadvantage, we at CG&A know that it also offers a unique opportunity to get in front of the story and ultimately, shape the debate. With fewer beat reporters and some news outlets disappearing altogether, many are taking their cues from the first story off the press rather than devoting their own limited resources to extensive coverage.

CG&A recently helped the National Skills Coalition (NSC) land an exclusive story in the Boston Globe, which touted an NSC study about the growing demand for middle-skills jobs training in Massachusetts. Zeroing in on the most prominent statewide newspaper led hundreds of media outlets in Massachusetts to pick up the same Boston Globe story, helping spread favorable coverage throughout the state.