We see it time and again. Critical policy messages that miss the mark. The reason is simple: they were vetted with the wrong people.
If you are based in the Washington, DC area, whether you’re a corporation, association, think tank, or politician, here’s some free advice: Test Your Message Outside the Beltway.
We do policy message testing for a living.
➤ Please reach out- we’d love to help.
That’s what we’ve been telling our clients for nearly two decades. And even though they know that—of course they know that—clients are always surprised at what outside-the-Beltway testing turns up.
Here’s why it matters:
Most people outside the Washington metro area are not immersed in the details of your issues—sometimes they’ve never even heard of the issues. We’ve validated this again and again through our Swing Voter Project, which taken us to swing states every month for the last 18 month. Average Americans by and large get their news is small doses from LOCAL SOURCES. Yes, some watch cable news but are almost as likely to get their news from Facebook.
This is not to imply that they don’t care about other people or the world as a whole. It simply means that while trying to pay their bills and care for their family, they don’t have the LUXURY of immersing themselves in DC news.
Some of them are working multiple jobs.
Some of them are a health crisis away from bankruptcy.
Some of them are working 18 hour days to keep the family farm afloat.
Some of them are caring for a chronically ill family member.
Their challenges are real and immediate.
And the best way to do that is to test your messages with them. Get in their heads. See their reactions. Hear their thoughts. Then refine based on what you’ve learned.
Again, our clients know all this. But they still—regularly—say things like, “I did not expect that one to tank!”; “I am really surprised none of the respondents have heard of that.”; “I didn’t realize our language was so full of jargon until this dial test.”
And we especially like: “Good thing we tested this!”
We do policy message testing for a living.
➤ Please reach out- we’d love to help.
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To demonstrate how different Washington, D.C. is from other parts of the country, here are some facts and comparisons:
—Bigger salaries: highest per capita income in the country ($75,569; the national average is $49,571)[1] with an annual growth rate of 4.5% (vs. 3.6% national average)[2]
—Educated: 55% of the population 25 years or older has at least a bachelor’s degree (29.3% nationally);[3] 31% have an advanced degree (11.2% nationally)[4]
—Expensive housing: median value of a house is $460,700 ($163,900 nationally)
—Lower rate of home ownership: 40.4% own their own homes (63.7% nationally)
—High crime: 6,408.6 crimes per 100,000 people (3,295.0 nationally)[5]
[1] http://www.courant.com/business/hc-per-capita-income-connecticut-20170328-story.html
[2] https://wtop.com/business-finance/2017/03/dc-per-capita-income-25-percent-higher-national-average/
[3] https://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/50states
[4] https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_S1501
[5] https://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/50states
This group of swing voters think the country is in trouble but don’t lay the blame on President Trump. Read this month’s findings to see what they had to say.
President Trump still has their vote — at least 7 of the 9 of them. Only 2 in the group say they would vote for Biden over Trump if the election was held “tomorrow.”
They feel life between now and election day will be chaotic, divided and emotional.
They feel that the demand to “Defund the police” is going too far and could have a negative impact on Biden’s chances.
And they largely want schools to re-open in the fall
View the highlights for yourself:
Couple of direct takes from this group:
On the pandemic and re-opening the country…
“I believe [scientific experts] should be part of the guidance, but… if we listen to nothing but scientific guidance, we’d be shutting down every business in the country.”
On social unrest and the ramping up of protests in some cities…
“They (protestors) are still burning buildings. They’re rioting. They’re doing things that aren’t going to bring us together. They’re doing more things that are going to bring us apart.”
➜ Check out all the key findings in our July summary report
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Have you noticed consistent trends in each month’s SVP report? You’ll want to read this month’s findings—there’s been a shift.
“Our entire year has been taken away from us,” they said, with the prohibitions on weddings, funerals, and other public gatherings. Meanwhile, thousands are allowed to crowd together for protests. They want consistent pandemic gathering rules.
➜ Like we said, you’re going to want to read the whole thing
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Have you noticed consistent trends in each month’s SVP report? You’ll want to read this month’s findings—there’s been a shift.
“Our entire year has been taken away from us,” they said, with the prohibitions on weddings, funerals, and other public gatherings. Meanwhile, thousands are allowed to crowd together for protests. They want consistent pandemic gathering rules.
➜ Like we said, you’re going to want to read the whole thing
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