BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Pundits across the country continue to ask how the Democratic Party, which was riding so high less than a year-and-a-half ago, could have fallen far enough to lose the late Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate Seat. Some say it was voters’ reactions to health care reform. Others say it was unemployment. But according to data released earlier this month by Zogby International, it’s likely that the outcome had less to do with policy than how policy is communicated.

In examining public support for Democrats’ recent job creation proposals, the study found that while a majority of voters approve of the approaches Democrats have put forward, support dwindled when those measures were grouped together under the term “stimulus.”

According to John Zogby, that’s because Republicans succeeded in shaping the term “stimulus” to mean “government waste, more debt, and more handouts to the undeserving.” Now, Democrats must swim upstream against the well-entrenched perception that Republicans have established – regardless of the plan’s purported merits.

Why should any of this matter to private sector communicators? Because the study provides quantifiable evidence that whoever most effectively shapes an argument usually wins it – and that’s true whether a debate plays out on the House floor, the courthouse steps, or in the pages of The Wall Street Journal.

What’s most remarkable about this dynamic is the fact that this strategic high ground is usually captured by simply beating adversaries to the punch. When a company, country, or political party is first to articulate its side of a story, it takes control of the narrative from the outset and provides the context in which key audiences will form their initial perceptions. That puts opponents on the defensive and forces them to fight on someone else’s home turf.

Often in crisis, entities will wait for the other side to launch the first salvo for fear of publicizing a negative event. What Zogby’s data reveal, however, is that this approach only serves to cede influence to adversaries – especially in today’s media environment, where no story worth telling remains under wraps for long.

Michael W. Robinson is a Senior Vice President and Chair of the Corporate Practice at Levick Strategic Communications, the nation's top crisis communications firm. He is also a contributing author to Bulletproof Blog. Connect with Levick on Twitter: @Levick.