Hatcher Group SELP 2015 - Social Media Succesful Campaigns

1. Communication
Strategies for
Difficult Campaigns
2015 State Environmental Leaders Conference

2. About Us
Dawn Stoltzfus
Vice President,
Annapolis Office
ChrisTrumbauer
Senior Director,
State and Environmental Inititiaves

3. About Us
• Full-service public affairs, communications
and design firm
• Clients: Major national foundations
and nonprofits
• “Connecting nonprofit organizations
• to policymakers and the media”

4. 97% OF CLIMATE SCIENTISTS
SAYTHATCLIMATE CHANGE IS
REAL,AND CAUSED BYHUMANS
Being Right is Not Enough

5. Elements of a Communications Campaign
•Clear goals
•Compelling message
•Target audience
•Good spokespeople
•Communication tools
•Measuring success

6. Goals
•What do you want?
Be specific!
•What does victory
look like?
•Short-term vs long-
term

7. Messaging
Messaging is the specific language you use to talk about
your issue or organization
• Words matter: Use specific words or phrases to connect
with your audience
• Core values: Position your message to relate to what
your audience already cares about
• Stay focused: Don’t get bogged down in details or stray
off-topic

8. How to Craft a Good Message

9. AskYourself…
• What problem are you trying to
solve?
• How are you going to do it?
• Who can help you achieve your
goal?
• Who is your target audience?
• What do you want them to do?

10. DoYour Homework
• Focus groups
• Public opinion surveys
• Media coverage
• Other campaigns
• Friends and family…

11. Connect with CoreValues
PrimaryValues
• Responsibility to take care of one’s family
i.e. the physical health and safety of one’s children
• Responsibility to care for oneself
• Personal liberty
• Work
• Spirituality
• Honesty/integrity
• Fairness/Equality

12. Connect with CoreValues
SecondaryValues
• Responsibility to Care for Others
i.e. leave the world a better place for others
• Personal Fulfillment
• Respect for authority
• Love of country or culture

13. Use a “Message Box”
• Building block
• Key points
• Start / stop anywhere
• Stay out of the weeds
• Consistency
• Spokespeople
• Coalitions
• “No science lessons, please!”
* Courtesy of Joel Bradshaw

14. The Message Box

15. The Message Box
Dirty energy causes harmful air pollution, contaminates our
water, makes us sick, and is making our weather strange and
more dangerous
We must work
together to
expand our use of
clean renewable
energy. Doing so
will clean up our
air and water, and
improve our
health.
Tell your elected
officials to
protect your
family’s right to
breathe clean air
by expanding our
use of clean
renewable
energy
Clean energy, clean air and clean water will
make everyone in Maryland healthier, more
prosperous and more secure.
Climate
Consortium
of Maryland

16. Identify your audience
• Who are you trying to reach?
• Who can help you get what you want?
• Who is persuadable?
• Who is realistic?

17. Spokesperson
• Knowledgeable on the issue(s)
• Credible position or experience
• Good communicator
• No baggage

18. Don’t go it alone
Even Superman needs allies

19. Traditional media
• Make your own news: press releases, media
statements, press events
• Opinion pieces and letters to the editor
• Editorial board pitches
• Local radio (NPR, news stations)
• TV (weekly roundtable shows, local features)

20. Social Media
• Legislators and media are
increasingly engaging through
social media
• Lots of tools in the toolkit:
• Twitterbombs
• Thunderclaps
• Online Petitions
• Memes
• Use #hashtags, @mentions
and links smartly

21. It works!

22. Advertising
• Traditional
• Billboards, signage, radio
• On-line
• Google-ads, streaming (e.g.
Pandora)
• Social Media
• Facebook, twitter, etc
You can advertise with ANY budget!

23. Collateral Material
• Videos
• Infographics
• One pagers
• Visibility (buttons, stickers)

24. Putting it all together

25. Measuring Success
•Track media clips
•Measure social media
reach
- #hashtags
•Website visits
•Advertising reach

26. Case studies

27. Reducing Stormwater Pollution
• Maryland’s environmental community built the case for
addressing stormwater pollution and passed landmark
legislation in 2012
• In 2013, leading into a state election year, opponents
unleashed sharp “rain tax” propaganda
• In 2014, the environmental community changed the
narrative on stormwater and defeated several repeal
bills.
• In 2015, we amended a repeal bill to become legislation
that strengthened the implementation of the current
law.

28. Our Story Begins…

29. Opposition Rhetoric

30. The “RainTax”
Oh no! We lost control of the message.
What can we do?
• Research public opinion
• Identify target audience
• Develop a counter message
• Create compelling materials
• Get our message out!

31. Research
Focus groups by Opinionworks
Focus Groups:
• What do people know?
• What don’t people know?
• What do they need to know?
• What messages resonate?
• What messages don’t?

32. Research
Findings:
• Awareness is low
• Accountability and
Transparency is important
• Personal attachment is key.
e.g. fish/crabs, local
greenspace
• Shared responsibility

33. Research
“Proponents… need to assure the
public confidently that this fee
gives them what they want: local
control, dedication to an
important purpose, practical
results they can see, and
accountability.”
The best defense is a good
offense
Findings:

34. Audience

35. Audience

36. Our Message
PROBLEM:
Polluted runoff makes our
waterways unsafe for
swimming, threatens
Maryland seafood and
causes local flooding and
property damage.

37. Our Message
VISION:
Maryland’s polluted runoff
law will reduce
stormwater pollution and
make our waters
swimmable and fishable.

39. Getting Our Message Out

40. Senate committee shoots down proposed stormwater repeal
The push against Maryland's
stormwater mandate got a little
weakerThursday as a Senate
committee reported it shot down a
proposed repeal of the mandate.
The Senate Education, Health and
EnvironmentalAffairs Committee
voted 7-4 to give an unfavorable
report to Senate Bill 5.
The bill, introduced by Sen.Allan
Kittleman, R-Howard, would repeal
a requirement that Maryland's 10
largest jurisdictions assess
stormwater fees.
AnneArundelCounty is one of the
10 jurisdictions, and has set fees at
$85 for most single-family homes.
Critics have dubbed the fees a 'rain
tax.'
The four senators who voted for the
bill were Sens. Ed Reilly, R-Crofton,
Bryan Simonaire, R-Pasadena, J.B.
Jennings, R-Baltimore County, and
Roy Dyson, D-St. Mary's.
But seven Democrats, including
Sen. Jim Rosapepe, D-College Park,
showed their heavy hand in the
committee, voting against the bill..
The Annapolis Capital
www.annapoliscapital.com THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER - Since 1879

41. 2015

42. More than 1,400
jurisdictions across
the country use
dedicated storm-
water fees as a
proven model to
reduce polluted runoff
and control flooding.
Think again.
Think stormwater fees are unique to Maryland?
Data fromWestern Kentucky
University 2014 stormwater
utility survey Learn more at www.cleanwaterhealthyfamilies.org

44. Clean Water Rally

45. Social Media

46. Direct the clicks

47. 2015
“The best
defense is a
good offense”

48. The Caper is Revealed!

49. Taking on Big Ag

50. Taking on “Big Ag”
• Enormous power and
influence
• Complaint: Maryland’s
environmental
organizations have not
done enough
• Everyone afraid of “big
chicken”

51. Challenges
• “Family farmer” image
• Misperception about agricultural
pollution
• Divisions in environmental
community
• Inaccurate statements from ag lobby
• “War” between enviros vs. farmers
ASS
• Acronyms, science and statistics• Acronyms, Science and Statistics

52. #lessmanure
New rule to rule to better manage manure (Phosphorus
ManagementTool)
2013: Two sets of regulations proposed and
withdrawn
2014: GeneralAssembly required economic study final
set of regulations from outgoing Administration
2015: New governor pulls regulations on inauguration
day Governor proposes regulations with major
loophole; Advocates push for a bill in legislative
session

53. Hogan, Lawmakers Reach Compromise
on Chicken Manure Rules for Farms
March 18, 2015
Hogan, Democrats Reach Deal
on Farm Pollution
March 18, 2015

54. WhatWorked
• Strong problem statement
• “Ah ha” moments:
“biggest thing for the Bay
in 30 years,” “loophole in
regulations”
• Core values: public health,
fairness
• Message box consistency

55. WhatWorked
• Rapid response media –
especially local, conservative
papers
• Current
events/opportunities
(Toledo algae blooms,
scientific studies)
• “Fact check” misstatements

56. WhatWorked
• Social media outreach
• Strong and willing
messengers
• Visuals: infographics
and memes
• Public opinion polling

57. Questions?
Dawn Stoltzfus
Vice President,
Annapolis Office
dawn@thehatchergroup.com
ChrisTrumbauer
Senior Director,
State and Environmental Inititiaves
chris@thehatchergroup.com