Creating an Aspirational Message

Based on the work of Doug Hattaway Hattaway Communications

Let’s get started …

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of Aspirational Messaging

The Four Pillars

Constructing Your Campaign Narrative Using Aspirational Messaging

Values I am running for office because I believe/This organization because we believe …

Issues & Obstacles

What do your voters hope for the most? What stands in the way of voters achieving their goals?

Campaign & Supporters

What kind of people support your campaign?

Vision How will things be different for your constituents if you win?

BioWhat was an important life decision or event that demonstrates

the candidate’s or campaign’s values?

Contrast What sets your candidate or campaign apart from your opponent?

Call to Action What do you want people to do?

Let’s take a look at some examples …

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Electoral

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Obama’s Narrative

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

Values. These are aspirational values – self-fulfillment through personal initiative, mutual responsibility and opportunity.

Issues & Obstacles. This shows economic issues as obstacles to opportunity and self-fulfillment.

Vision. This paints a vision of the kind of government he will deliver to help everyone achieve their potential.

Bio. This describes emphasizes his background as emblematic of America. It also echoes the values and goals in the narrative.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

Obama’s NarrativeYou have enriched my life, you have moved me again and again. You have inspired me. Sometimes when I have been down you have lifted me up. You filled me with new hope for our future and you have reminded me about what makes America so special.

We can do this. It will not be easy. It will require struggle and sacrifice. There will setbacks and we will make mistakes. And that is why we need all the help we can get. So tonight I want to speak directly to all those Americans who have yet to join this movement but still hunger for change - we need you. We need you to stand with us, and work with us, and help us prove that together, ordinary people can still do extraordinary things.

We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans?

Campaign & Supporters. This creates an emotional connect between the candidate and supporters.

Issues. These were the top issues on voters’ minds, given the wars and economic downturn.

Call to Action. This makes the campaign a meaningful experience for those who get involved, emphasizes the core appeal of the campaign (change), and ends on a positive note.

Contrast. This uses issues to tell a story about John McCain’s values and social set – he’s out of touch with real people and their lives.

Civic Engagement

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350.org’s Narrative Values. This is a statement of core beliefs that explains why the organization exists and what it hopes to achieve.. This should also reflect the values of voters.

Issues & Obstacles. This describes the problems that stand in the way of people’s hopes and values. It should reflect top concerns on voters’ minds.

Vision. This is the campaign’s vision and goals for what they will achieve if successful. It should be ambitious and inspiring.

Bio. This describes relevant aspects of why the campaign’s exists and why it came to be. It should references key events to show the campaign’s values in action.

Our theory of change is simple: if an international grassroots movement holds our leaders accountable to the latest climate science, we can start the global transformation we so desperately need.

What is 350? 350ppm is the number humanity needs to get below as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change. To get there, we need a different kind of PPM-a "people powered movement" that is made of people like you in every corner of the planet.

350.org was founded by U.S. author Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first books on global warming for the general public, and a team of university friends. Together, they ran a campaign in 2007 called Step It Up that organized over 2,000 rallies at iconic places in all 50 of the United States. These creative actions - from skiers descending a melting glacier to divers hosting an underwater action - helped convince many political leaders, including then Senator Barack Obama, to adopt our common call to action: cutting carbon 80% by 2050.

350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. Accelerating arctic warming and other early climate impacts have led scientists to conclude that we are already above the safe zone at our current 390ppm, and that unless we are able to rapidly return to below 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt.

350.org’s Narrative

Call to Action. The message concludes with a direct invitation to get involved. It also describes the experience people will have with the campaign.

Campaign & Supporters. This suggests how he will govern if elected. It also describes the people involved in the campaign.

2010 is the year we Get To Work. We're calling it the 10/10 Global Work Party, and in every corner of the world we hope communities will put up solar panels, insulate homes, erect windmills, plant trees, paint bikepaths, launch or harvest local gardens. We'll make sure the world sees this huge day of effort—and we'll use it to send a simple message to our leaders: "We're working—what about you? If we can cover the roof of the school with solar panels, surely you can pass the legislation or sign the treaty that will spread our work everywhere, and confront the climate crisis in time." 10/10/10 will take a snapshot of a clean energy future -- the world of 350 ppm -- and show people why it's worth fighting for. We'll get to work to start changing our communities, and get to work to make our leaders realize that they actually need to lead. It's a plan that may well break the logjam and get us moving. But only, of course, if we work together to make it happen.

Now, 350.org is building off of Step It Up's model of creative activism and making it global. Through 350.org, the team has expanded to include young people from all over the world, from Boston to Bangladesh,` from New York to Nigeria. This global team helped mobilize over 5200 actions in 181 countries on October 24th, 2009.

In Copenhagen that translated into 117 countries--most of the world's nations—supporting a tough 350 target. But it didn't translate into political victory. The biggest polluters wouldn't go along. So we still have work to do.

Contrast. What sets you apart from your opposition – and why are your solutions better?

Breakout - Create Your Own Campaign Narrative

Values I am running for office because I believe/This organization exists to …

Issues & Obstacles

What do your voters hope for the most? What stands in the way of voters achieving their goals?

Campaign & Supporters

What kind of people support your campaign?

Vision How will things be different for your constituents if you win?

BioWhat was an important life decision or event that demonstrates

the candidate’s or campaign’s values?

Contrast What sets your candidate or campaign apart from your opponent?

Call to Action What do you want people to do?

CriteriaEmotional - Feel It?If people don’t feel anything in response to your message, they

won’t remember it - much less be motivated by it. Does our message create an emotional reaction?

Authentic - Believe It?Voters can spot a phony a mile away. It is important that the

candidate comes across as genuine – and that starts with an authentic message.

Is the candidate passionate and convincing in delivering the message?

Repeatable - Repeat It? The language must use everyday words and phrases that the

candidate and everyone involved with the campaign will remember and repeat.

Will people actually say the most important elements of the message to others?

BREAKOUT – 30 minutes

Goals• Practice creating a message grid to capture the core

narrative of your campaign. • Use this grid when preparing materials to get out your

campaign story. Agenda1. Gather in your team. Choose a timekeeper and note-taker. Review the agenda below. 5 min.2. Use the worksheet below to draft your campaign message grid, drawing on the stories of self, us and now that you worked on earlier. Remember, details matter! 20 min3. Summarize your key learnings from this exercise. What are you taking away? 5 min

[NOTE: Comms Coordinator will present during debrief]

Debrief – 30 minutes

What was good?

What could be improved?

What was your favorite part?

Last Take-Away

Remember the BIG PICTURE