Marketing
This infrastructure function working group addresses ways to improve idea-marketing capacity for the progressive movement. While there are a number of moderate and progressive organizations that have capacity in areas such as issue research, policy development, marketing strategy, consumer (audience) market research (including psychographic and values research), frame analysis and development, and language and strategic narrative development, other functional areas will need to be further developed. As attention turns toward marketing of ideas, there will be a greater focus on taking new and existing intellectual content and packaging it into marketable idea-products, suitable for incorporation into various media formats.
There are many moderate and progressive organizations that have, as their sole purpose or as part of their operations, capacity in areas such as issue research, policy development, articulation of core progressive principles, marketing strategy, market/audience research (including psychographic and values research), frame analysis and development, language and strategic narrative development, frame and language testing, and branding. The emerging progressive movement needs to use these resources more effectively to reach new audiences with progressive ideas and values, and to move public opinion toward greater support of progressive policies and leaders. New programs, alliances, and even new organizations may be needed to achieve the most effective marketing of progressive ideas.
Members of the Marketing working group will exchange ideas and information about:
- The types of capacity needed for marketing ideas to specific audiences as well as the general public
- Existing resources and allies-who they are and what they do well
- Weaknesses and gaps-what needs to be improved or created
- How different types of organizations (501c3, 501c4, 527, PAC, for-profit, individuals, political entities) can and should relate to each other in their marketing and messaging efforts, to advance the progressive movement as a whole, as well as to promote individual issues most effectively
- How those engaged in idea-marketing might best relate to other parts of progressive infrastructure, such as media production; media dissemination, broadcasting, and distribution; independent journalism; digital communication forms; and political campaigns and parties
- How the marketing functions will relate to development of strategic plans for the movement, and how strategic priorities in turn are likely to affect marketing activities
- How to increase cooperation in marketing-related efforts, deal with conflicts and different approaches, and facilitate change when needed
During the March 2006 Progressive Roundtable convening, if Marketing is your
primary function area, you will have the opportunity to work with other members
of your group on specific plans for developing new marketing resources and capabilities
needed to satisfy pressing needs.
To get started, please contribute to the active forum topics for the Marketing working group, and visit the following marketing-related sections of our Resource Library:
- Audience Profiles
- Framing and Language
- Market Research Methodology
- Marketing Strategy and Techniques
- Media
The Commonweal Institute (CI) proposes to maximize the strategic gain of current market research efforts by serving as a bridging organization linking national marketing efforts to the thousands of grassroots organizations that do not currently see themselves as part of the greater progressive movement. The Progressive Resource Center – Commonweal PRC – will
- map, aggregate, and archive existing and new market and polling research from a variety of sources to create an online clearinghouse;
- offer marketing resources and toolkits on the PRC web site;
- build the capacity of independent voices – these nonprofit activists as well as bloggers and academics – to promote cross-cutting progressive values through spokesperson training;
- train strategists and communications professionals in the use of market research data in the PRC database; and
- conduct original market research in areas where research is not being undertaken.
Using its empirically-driven, cutting-edge values science, American Environics proposes to conduct annual social values surveys in 2006 and 2007, and to publish its Road Map for a Progressive Majority (currently these are produced every four years), in order to offer progressives an understanding of how values are changing year to year. In addition to producing the reports, American Environics proposes:
- improving on the existing Environics social values study and field analysis by applying a new annual survey tailored for progressive social change;
- creating and introducing three to five Strategic Initiatives into contested political space;
- advising on the creation of one to three organizations or cultural products that have bridge values at their center; and
- bringing together, in an annual meeting, the world’s leading values researchers to discuss new social change trends, the emergence of new values, and the withering away of old values.
Contact:
- Erin Malec, Strategist, American Environics
- 434-293-6361
