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message
By now you know who you want to reach, how
you might persuade them, and what theme you
will use. Now you need to decide what to say.
Again, it is important to consider your audi-
ence's value system, not your own. Review the
persuasion points you identified above. Keep
in mind these words of wisdom: "It's not what
you want to tell them, it's what they can hear."
The message should resonate with the target
audience. To test your message, ask:
· Isitbasedontheaudience'scoreconcerns?
· Doyouovercome­notreinforce­theirbarrier?
· Istheaskintheaudience'scomfortzone?
If not, does the benefit offered outweigh
the risk?
· Doesthemessageofferavisionorempha
size a personal reward? Does it convey hope
toward success?
· Isitconsistentwiththethemethroughout?
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A message is not a re-worded
mission statement.
People listen to people more than institutions. Ac-
cording to the 2006 Edelman Trust Barometer survey,
68 percent of US opinion leaders trust "a person like
me" as the most credible source of information.
"The lack of trust in established institutions and figures of
authority has motivated people to trust their peers as the
best source of information." ­ Richard Edelman, president
and CEO, Edelman, a public relations firm.
No MY-EYES-GLAZE-OVER words
or phrases in your messages.
For an anti-litter effort in Texas, campaigners
targeted young men who didn't really care
about the environment or littering ­ but did
carry enormous pride when it came to the
Lone Star state. Keeping this value in mind,
campaigners built messages that focused on
the theme of state pride rather than littering.
"Don't Mess with Texas" became a rallying cry
about Texas rather than litter, and was ulti-
mately an enormously successful effort.
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messenger
Who delivers your message is just as important
as what you choose to say. The right message
delivered by a messenger with no credibility
with your target audience will likely fall on
deaf ears. For the Give Swordfish a Break cam-
paign ­ aimed at securing a swordfish recovery
plan to help plummeting stocks ­ organizers
determined that environmentalists alone were
not the most effective option for reaching
decision makers within the federal government
or for activating a new segment of the public
to stop consuming unsustainably harvested fish.
Through research, organizers found that sea-
food consumers listen to and trust food pur-
veyors ­ and especially chefs ­ with informa-
tion about what they should or should not
eat. Similarly, chefs had strong credibility with
government decision makers as a new voice of
expertise in the debate because many could
report from firsthand experience that the size
of swordfish at docks and fish markets had
declined over the years. Chefs had the credibil-
ity the effort needed. They resonated with the
target audiences and became highly effective
spokespeople. Environmentalists alone could
not have delivered the same message and had
the same impact.
stop:
Go to the chart and complete Step Three by filling in each of
your strategic decisions. Be sure to give each decision a reality check
using the tips provided.
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