If there’s one constant in the narrative about the Democratic Party it’s this: they have a messaging problem.
I hear this over and over on podcasts, cable news, talk radio, the newspapers…wherever U.S. politics is being discussed, a common refrain from those in the know is that Democrats suck at messaging.
Really what they are saying is that Democrats suck at marketing…or selling their ideas, policies, and outcomes to Americans. We’re a nation that loves a good headline, a good bumper sticker, a good phrase that makes us feel like things are okay.
Just look at this October 2017 cover of Time magazine at the top of this post. What’s the message with the image and headline? Well, if you thought of words like “weak,” “no power,” and “almost dead,” then you’re correct.
But what happened in the 2018 election? Democrats won 41 House seats, giving them the majority, but Republicans (for the first time since 2002) picked up two Senate seats. And then Democrats won the White House, held on the House, and picked up two Senate seats in 2020 — holding a slim majority in Congress.
What was the message for the Democrats in 2020? Their headline was: “Stronger Together.” What it was about:
Stronger Together
Universal health care/Controlling the pandemic
Infrastructure spending on roads, bridges, and airports
Decreasing the cost of prescription drugs
Voting rights and ensuring the integrity of the vote
Make education affordable
Raise incomes for the middle class
Support active military and vets while confronting global threats
Protect democratic values and rights for all Americans
Be a leader in the global economy
Reform criminal justice system
Promote economic competition and stop corporate consolidation
What was the Republican’s message in 2016 and 2020? Their headlines were: “Make America Great Again” and “Keep America Great.” What it was about:
Make America Great Again/Keep America Great
Tax cuts
Leaving the Paris Climate Accord
Appointing conservative-activist judges
Ending abortion rights
Repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act
The border wall…and Mexico was going to pay for it
Bombing ISIS
Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel
Increase military spending
Cutting regulations
Complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
Erase the trade deficit with China
Muslim Ban
Shutting down political and economic thaw with Cuba
Deporting all illegal immigrants
Pay off national debt
Infrastructure spending on roads, bridges, and airports
Getting out of NATO
Torture enemies
Quick question: On the whole, which policies would improve your life? I’m talking about material improvements. Things you could point to and say, “Yeah, I think these things have made my life better. Maybe not great, but better.”
For most folks, the agenda of the Democratic party would align with theirs. Why? Simply put: how does torturing enemies put food on the table? How does getting out of NATO pay the rent? How will deporting all illegal immigrants help you with tuition? How will a Muslim ban raise your paycheck? How will a border wall with Mexico help with your healthcare premiums? Of course, none of it helps in a material sense. In a psychological sense, it may make some feel better about themselves seeing others get bullied, beaten, or killed…but, again, how does that help in paying your bills?
If Democrats want to convince voters they are doing the job they were sent to Washington to do, they have to stop playing defense and start bragging about accomplishments.
In the media (radio and TV) there’s a pretty tried and true formula for advertising
Time + Frequency = Results
It’s a simple formula, but it’s not simple to execute. But once you have your ad or your message, you make sure you say it over weeks (Time), as many times as you can (Frequency), and that’ll sink into people heads and produce results (Votes, campaign donations, volunteering, and the like).
Also, take any ad you hear or see and there’s usually a hook at the beginning. But what you gotta sell is summed up in the acronym, W.I.I.F.M.
What’s In It For Me
They also call that the “listener” or “viewer benefit.” That “benefit” should be one thing. Tide laundry detergent can do many things, but mostly it’s about getting your clothes clean. Look at these “benefits” from the latest Tide product and what’s the most important thing for you?
Well, they make it easy to see the benefit because they use the word “clean” three times. So when you think of Tide you think…”Oh, that’ll get my dirty undies clean.” Well so will a tablespoon of generic dish soap, hot water, and a wash basin, but you want Tide, because while dish soap will get things clean, will it get your clothes “hygienic clean?” That’s like clean times 10!
How do you apply something like middle-class jobs, or “good paying jobs,” or “living wages” to an ad using the same formula? You sell the benefit to the voter. Yes, we’re in a time where high inflation has eaten any wage gains workers have made, and yes, the anti-vaccine/fake freedom crowd’s agenda will only prolong the pandemic — making life less free and more psychotic. But have a listen to this interview with Dan Pfeiffer from Pod Save America. He was talking with Sean Illing at Vox (on his podcast) about Biden’s accomplishments in the first year.
Dan is right, that is a hell of a lot Biden has accomplished in the first year. But, as he also noted, the pandemic and inflation are “beyond his control,” but not beyond blame. So, selling accomplishments means spending money reminding people what the administration and Democrats have done in 2021. While the Build Back Better bill is on ice for now, on November 6th, 2021, I DM’d Biden on Twitter just because I was tired of hearing about the BBB fail/No one knows what’s in the bill meme in the media. Now, I’m not saying my ad idea is more effective or better than what high-priced consultants get paid, but here’s my pitch:
Hey Joe: I’ve got an idea for messaging the BBB Act. You’re gonna need great visuals, but it’s carried along with three words: Build. Back. Better. One image starts with the word “Build” followed by an image of workers paving roads and welding steel in a bridge project with “New roads and bridges” crawling across the screen. Next, the word “Back” appears with images of clean water and new public transit …with a crawl that highlights those images. Last is the word “Better” with images of clean energy and high-speed internet (and yes, a word crawl to put a fine point on it). Last, it’s the tagline: “President Biden…building a path to a better tomorrow for all Americans.” You may need narration to carry the story along, but that’s what you pay communication folks for. I just think messaging on simple, easy-to-understand points is the way to go. Also, messaging needs to be targeted by states and even districts — especially where you’re not getting support. I used to write 30 and 60 ads for radio, and the thing we kept telling clients is “What’s the one thing you want your potential customers to know? That one thing that will get them to buy your product or service?” This was after they presented me with a page of bullet points that they wanted included in the ad. I’d say “You want all this in a 60-second ad?” They’d often say “yes” and I’d say, “You’re not going to get any new customers if I do that.” Pretty soon, they’d zero in on the “listener benefit” of that one thing and we’d be off to the proverbial races with a copywriting session. Dems often have a similar problem. They try to include too much in their messaging. Break up the benefits and sell them in markets where they’ll have the most impact. Why do you think Trump and his ilk keep repeating lies in their messaging? Because it works for their base. “Witch Hunt” “No Collusion” “Stop the Steal.” It’s just one simple message repeated over and over. One message per ad. Thanks to you and Kamala for all your hard work on our behalf.
Would such an ad work? I think so. Why? Because in a bill as large as BBB, there are some clear, unambiguous benefits to voters: new construction projects, clean water, new public transit, energy sources that don’t pollute, and high-speed Internet. That’s the big ad. Various parts of the bill should be broken off and sold (yes, sold) to voters where it would have to most impact. Clean water? How about an ad directed at voters in Michigan — especially Flint. You can go down the list. It’s not a one-size-fits-all just like the BBB bill. It’s designed to help Americans in various parts of the country more. So, direct specific ads where you’ll get the most ROI. Use social media more. Love it or hate them, Facebook/Meta and others have effective tools so you don’t waste your ad dollars trying to convince someone to drink Coke when they are Pepsi ride or die.
All the elements are there. Democrats just need to use them.
