Ozean Digital Media Logo
Call 352 376 0505
Book My Meeting
The Role of Research in Crafting Effective Corporate Messaging

The Role of Research in Crafting Effective Corporate Messaging

by | Oct 1, 2024 | Corporate Communications

As a firm grounded in research—whether it’s surveys, focus groups, or data analysis—there’s nothing more frustrating than a client wanting to skip the groundwork and dive straight into messaging.

Sure, we’d all love to pull compelling slogans out of thin air like some sort of corporate magician, but without solid research, that trick usually falls flat. Crafting effective corporate messaging isn’t about winging it; it’s about doing the legwork to ensure your message resonates with the right people, at the right time.

So, why exactly does research play such a pivotal role in this process? And how can it make your messaging as effective as your most data-driven decision? Let’s dive in.

Why Research is Vital for Corporate Messaging

Research is the backbone of any successful messaging strategy, plain and simple.  Without it, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.

Solid corporate research provides the insights you need to understand your audience, pinpoint their needs, and create a message that doesn’t just speak, but sings. A well-researched message is not only engaging and memorable—it’s relevant. And when it’s relevant, it resonates.

Beyond understanding your audience, research keeps you informed about industry trends, competitor strategies, and untapped opportunities. Want to stay competitive in a fast-moving market? It’s not enough to have a great message—you need to ensure that message evolves with the shifting landscape. Research is what helps you stay ahead, rather than chasing the pack.

I would go as far as to say as someone who has polled and conducted focus groups across the United States, there is not a single time I have conducted research and not learned something significant.  

Understanding Your Audience with Data-Driven Insights

We hate to break it to you, but you are not your audience.  Nor is your spouse, nor is you neighbor, nor is your cousin.  

What appeals to your executive team, family, and friends won’t necessarily click with the people you’re trying to reach.

Enter data-driven insights. Whether it’s from surveys, focus groups, or analyzing social media trends, data helps you understand who your audience really is—their demographics, preferences, psychology, and most importantly, their pain points.

These insights let you craft a message that speaks directly to their needs and desires.

And let’s be honest—people pay attention when you talk about them. When you make it about solving their problems, not just listing your features, they’re far more likely to engage and convert.

How to Tailor Corporate Messages for Maximum Impact

Once you’ve got your research and audience insights in hand, it’s time to create messaging that lands with maximum impact. Here are a few tricks of the trade:
    • Keep it Simple: Corporate jargon is a fast way to lose your audience. No one wants to decode a message, so use clear, straightforward language that gets to the point.
    • Be Authentic: Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. Audiences can smell insincerity a mile away. Be transparent, honest, and relatable in your messaging. Build trust first, sell second.
    • Tell a Story: Want your message to stick? Wrap it in a story. People remember narratives much better than a dry list of facts. Use real-life examples, case studies, or a compelling anecdote to drive your point home.
    • Focus on Audience Needs: Your audience doesn’t care how your product works; they care what it can do for them. Make your message about the benefits they’ll experience, whether it’s solving a problem, saving time, or making life easier.  Focus on how it makes them feel.
    • Test and Refine: Even the best messaging can improve. Before you roll out a campaign to the masses, test it with a small segment of your audience. Use their feedback to fine-tune your message until it hits the right note.
The critical part of this is testing and refining.  Even the best laid, researched based plans can go awry in the execution.

Conclusion

In the end, crafting effective corporate messaging isn’t a guessing game—it’s a science backed by research. When you take the time to understand your audience and leverage data-driven insights, you can create messaging that doesn’t just speak—it resonates. Keep it simple, be authentic, tell a story, and focus on the benefits. And, of course, always be ready to test, tweak, and refine. With research as your guide, your corporate communications will make a lasting impact that doesn’t just land—it sticks – and maybe most importantly, in the long run the investment saves you money and limits mistakes.  
Extreme Voices and Interest Groups

Extreme Voices and Interest Groups

by | Sep 27, 2024 | Political Research

Someone recently asked me why I ditched “Science Fridays”—you know, the fun little deep dives into whatever academic paper caught my eye that week. Honestly? I had no good answer. So, in the spirit of not having a better excuse, we’re bringing it back!

This week, we’re diving into the world of interest groups and how our elected officials may interact with them.

 

Title: Extreme Voices: Interest Groups and the Misrepresentation of Issue Publics

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24546176

Peer Reviewed:  Yes

ASPA Citation:

Claassen, R. L., & Nicholson, S. P. (2024). Extreme Voices: Interest Groups and the Misrepresentation of Issue Publics. Public Opinion Quarterly.

Introduction

Political ignorance among the general public is often offset by the existence of *issue publics*—citizens who care deeply about specific topics and are well-informed about them. But the big question is whether these engaged citizens accurately represent the broader issue public, especially when they belong to interest groups. Spoiler: they don’t. This paper explores the disconnect between active interest group members and the broader public on policy matters.

Methodology

The study uses two large national surveys—the 2006 Cooperative Congressional Election Survey (CCES) with a sample size of 36,500 and the 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES). These surveys provided a rare opportunity to query individuals on both their interest group memberships and specific policy preferences. The researchers focused on 10 interest groups across various policy areas, including the NRA, AARP, unions, and advocacy groups like the Sierra Club.

Key demographic characteristics (e.g., gun ownership for the NRA) were used to distinguish group members from nonmembers within each issue public.

Results/Findings

Interest group members consistently express more extreme policy opinions compared to nonmembers in their issue publics. For example, NRA members are much more conservative on gun control than non-NRA gun owners.

This difference holds across nearly all ten groups studied. Importantly, the variation is largely driven by ideology and party identification, rather than other socio-economic factors.

One key finding is that the incentive structure of the interest groups matters. Groups offering expressive benefits (like NARAL) tend to attract more ideologically extreme members, while groups that offer material benefits (like unions) show smaller opinion gaps between members and nonmembers.

Critiques of the Research

While the findings are robust, the study is somewhat limited by its reliance on surveys that don’t always capture the full diversity of interest groups.

The study also focuses primarily on large, national organizations, which might not fully represent local or smaller groups’ dynamics. Furthermore, the mechanism behind why group members hold more extreme views remains speculative.

Additional research could explore how interest group recruitment strategies might further polarize these issue publics or explore the potential differences between national, state, or local levels.

Conclusion

This research makes it clear that interest groups don’t just amplify the voices of the engaged public—they distort them.

Members of these groups are not only more active but more extreme in their policy views, which can skew the perception of public opinion.

This misrepresentation may contribute to increased polarization in policy debates, as lawmakers often look to interest groups for cues on where the public stands on critical issues.

The takeaway? When politicians rely on interest groups to gauge public opinion, they might be getting a distorted view, leading to policy decisions that don’t reflect the broader public’s preferences.

Or “Just be careful not to get too far over your skis”

The Taylor Swift and Politics Post – A Study on the Impact of Celebrity Engagement on Civic Participation

The Taylor Swift and Politics Post – A Study on the Impact of Celebrity Engagement on Civic Participation

by | Sep 23, 2024 | Political Research

 

 AOL - Taylor Swift's Era's Tour has broken huge records in... | FacebookAs the father of a daughter who had Tay Tay on repeat 24/7, I wouldn’t call myself a full-blown Swifty—but I’ve definitely been Shake It Off-ed into submission.

More importantly, Taylor Swift’s most recent venture into political activism got me thinking: what happens when pop stars go from topping the charts to trying to have an effect on the political process?

Time to explore how much sway our favorite celebrities really have when it comes to politics!

 

The research:

Title: Celebrities Strengthening Our Culture of Democracy: A Study on the Impact of Celebrity Engagement on Civic Participation

Link: Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation – Harvard Kennedy School

Peer Review Status: This study is not a peer-reviewed academic paper but part of the Ash Center’s Policy Brief Series.

ASPA Citation: Spillane, A. (2024). Celebrities Strengthening Our Culture of Democracy: A Study on the Impact of Celebrity Engagement on Civic Participation. Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School.

Introduction

Celebrities have long shaped American culture, influencing everything from what we buy to what we care about.

The study focuses on a more critical aspect of their influence: boosting voter participation and civic engagement.  It expores  how celebrities use their platforms to engage fans in the democratic process, leveraging their fame to increase voter registration, participation, and overall civic engagement.

Methodology

The research draws on interviews with 15 participants, including managers, publicists, nonprofit partners, and celebrities. It also analyzes data from 10 different civic engagement initiatives by notable celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Kerry Washington. These initiatives vary in approach—some primarily used social media while others integrated offline efforts such as concerts and events.

Results/Findings

  •  Celebrities are effective in encouraging voter registration and participation. For example, Taylor Swift’s 2018 Instagram post led to 65,000 new voter registrations in 24 hours.
    • note:  within hours of Taylor Swift’s post about endorsing VP Harris in the 2024 election – the General Services Administration told ABC News that more than 330,000 people had visited the voter registration link shared by Swift.  (source:  ABC News)
  • Activations, like Ariana Grande’s voter registration booths during her 2019 tour, signed up over 33,000 voters.
  • Celebrities like Questlove and Kerry Washington have also spearheaded large-scale efforts to recruit poll workers and promote voting, contributing to significant spikes in civic action.

The impact varies based on authenticity and alignment with the celebrity’s existing brand. When executed well, these initiatives benefit both democracy and the celebrity’s public image.

Critiques of the Research

While the study provides valuable insights, there are limitations:

    1. The sample size of case studies is relatively small and mostly focused on high-profile celebrities.
    2. The study could benefit from more granular data on long-term voter engagement beyond the initial mobilization effort.
    3. There’s little focus on the potential negative backlash celebrities might face from politicizing their brand, which could affect their broader fanbase.  After all Michael Jordan famously said about his absence from politics “Republicans buy shoes too!”

Future research could expand to include more detailed metrics on the effectiveness of these initiatives over time and explore the dynamics of celebrity-led civic engagement in smaller-scale, local efforts.

Conclusion

The study concludes that celebrities play a meaningful role in encouraging civic participation.

Their ability to attract media attention and connect with diverse audiences makes them powerful allies in promoting voter engagement.

The key takeaway is that when celebrities engage authentically, they not only benefit democracy but also enhance their own public standing.

So to sum it all up, I am not saying Tay Tay is in charge of the world, but I wouldn’t cross her.

Difference between political affairs, public affairs, and public relations

Difference between political affairs, public affairs, and public relations

by | Nov 20, 2023 | Political Consulting

Often we get asked what is it that we do – exactly.  It is difficult to answer that in a elevator speech, but the best I have come up with is “We manage political affairs by  understanding and shaping political environments.  Ozean does this through research, data, message development, and media.”

So, public affairs?  Not exactly. but kinda.

So, public relations?  Not exactly, but kinda.

So, you do politics?  Yes.

What is Public Relations?

Public Relations or PR is the practice of managing an organization’s reputation and building relationships with its publics.  In theory, it is much broader than garnering press coverage, but in most smaller PR shops, they believe managing a organization’s reputation is primary done through the media.

What is Public Affairs?

Public Affairs is one hand a subset of public relations in that is target audiences are generally those involved in crafting public policy and on the other hand at times broader than public relations in that it works to build relationships with more than just media reporters such as lawmakers and regulators. Cynically, Public Affairs is what political operatives are called when laws won’t allow governments to hire public relations firms. 

What is Political Affairs?

Political affairs is the practice of influencing government policy and legislation via all legal means. At times this can be inside the building and at other times outside the building.

This means, depending on the situation, political affairs professionals could be identifying and targeting not only political elites but also public opinion.  Our activities could also be an attempt to bring indirect pressure on the process.

We do this through:

Research:  Can take the form of surveys, focus groups, and generating data sets or  studies and reports to be used in the process.  In addition, properly identifying all stakeholders can be a crucial and painstaking process.

Data:  This can be part of research or can be part of building and augmenting data sets to reach digital audiences.   Very often data services are intertwined with Research services.

Message Development:  developing persuasive messaging in today’s hyper-partisan and polarized political environment is much more delicate – often being nuanced to each identified stakeholder.

Media:  creating and executing media plans – whether paid or earning – whether in a traditional media or digital media – is in a sense putting it all together.

Shaping Political Environments

In a sense this at the heart of what Ozean does – shaping political environments, and it includes things that don’t always fall neatly into research, data, message development, or media.  We use all our knowledge to understand the political process and decide what levers to pull or sometimes more importantly not pull to win. 

After deliberate research, Ozean identifies the stakeholders and conceives different tactics to manage a clients activities and messaging to win.    At times, those activities don’t fall neatly into the services commonly thought of performed by public relations or public affairs officials.  These political operations could be before the voting, during the voting, or after the voting because frankly we believe that politics never stops.    

At times, we wear all the hats, but depending upon the scope and size of the project and because we understand all facets of the process, Ozean may act at the organization that assembles the team and coordinates efforts.

Political Affairs

So now you know the difference between political affairs, public affairs, and public relations.    All three fields play important roles in helping organizations achieve their goals, but they have distinct approaches and target different audiences.

 

Political Affairs: More Than Just Public Relations

Political Affairs: More Than Just Public Relations

by | Nov 16, 2023 | Political Consulting

In the bustling world of politics, where power and influence dance in a delicate waltz, a crucial role is played by those who navigate the intricate web of relationships and perceptions – the political affairs professionals. Often misconstrued as mere public relations practitioners, political affairs specialists possess a unique blend of expertise that extends far beyond crafting press releases and managing media relations.

Navigating the Political Landscape

Political affairs professionals are the strategists who guide organizations through the complex political landscape, ensuring their interests are not only heard but also considered in the decision-making process. They are the architects of influence, deftly weaving relationships with key stakeholders, from elected officials and government bureaucrats to industry leaders and community groups.

While public relations focuses on shaping public perception and maintaining a positive image, political affairs delve into the nitty-gritty of public policy development, legislation. and or regulatory environments. They are the advocates who champion their clients’ causes, presenting compelling arguments and building consensus among policymakers.

Beyond Press Coverage: A Multifaceted Role

The realm of political affairs encompasses a diverse range of activities, extending far beyond the realm of press coverage. Here’s a glimpse into the multifaceted role of a political affairs professional:

Identifying Stakeholders:  Identifying stakeholders, often with indirect associations, are the key to success or failure.

Lobbying: Engaging with policymakers to promote or oppose specific legislation or policies.

Grassroots Mobilization: Activating supporters to voice their concerns and influence decision-making.

Coalition Building: Forming alliances with like-minded organizations to advance shared goals.

Issue Management: Identifying and addressing potential challenges or crises that could impact the organization’s interests.

Demystifying the “Political” Aspect

The term “political” often carries a negative connotation, conjuring images of backroom deals and partisan maneuvering. However, in the context of political affairs, it is more about understanding and navigating the political process to achieve positive outcomes for the organization and its stakeholders.

Political affairs professionals are not merely spin doctors or political operators; they are experts in understanding the motivations and dynamics of the political sphere. They possess a keen understanding of the political process, the players involved, and the levers of influence that can be employed to shape policy and opinion.

A Crucial Role in the Modern World

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, where government policies and regulations have far-reaching impacts on businesses, communities, and individuals, the role of political affairs has become more critical than ever. Organizations across industries recognize the need for strategic engagement with the political system to protect their interests, promote their values, and contribute to a more informed and engaged public discourse.

Political affairs professionals play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the private sector and the public arena, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard and considered in the decision-making process. They are the architects of influence, the advocates for change, and the guardians of a well-functioning democracy.

Simply put, political affairs practicioners are much more than writers and distributors of press releases.