November 2, 2011
Happy Anniversary Alaskans!
After 30+ years in public relations, there have been many milestones in my career – serving as statewide volunteer coordinator for Oregon’s junior senator in his 1986 reelection bid, winning a Silver Anvil for work with the beef industry in 1991, securing my accreditation in 1995 and selection to the College of Fellows in 2003 to name a few. However, none compare to the six weeks I spent last fall on Senator Lisa Murkowski’s write-in campaign.
Many of my public relations colleagues from around the country thought we were crazy but we were a committed band of Alaskans who wanted to do what was right for our state. Over the course of six weeks, between September 17 and November 2 we made history.
I took a break from my business to volunteer as a senior member of the communications team. We were a steadfast band of seven communications professionals who kept the Senator’s messages in front of Alaskans, provided strategic messages to volunteers throughout Alaska and maintained an online and social media presence unlike any we have seen. We taught more thank 40 percent of Alaskans how to “fill it in – write it in” and spell: Lisa Murkowski.”
I blogged about the experience after it was over:
This Election Was Personal For Me
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
Your Mother Would Be Ashamed You Said That
Message of the Day…Seems Simple but not always…
Freedom of What?
Throughout it all, the team was supported by thousands of Alaskans also committed to sending the Senator back to Washington. These people eagerly took our messages and passed them on to others. They braved cold mornings to wave signs, distribute literature and monitor polls, making sure all Alaskans had the Information needed to write in Lisa’s name.
On election day, we called voters, and kept the social media and web campaign active. But we also did a lot of anxious waiting. We knew we had done all we could and just wanted the polls to close.
By the end of the evening we were celebrating the victory. The lawyers took over the next day and the election wasn’t certified for another seven weeks but we knew we had made history. As a public relations professional, I was extremely proud to accept a Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America on behalf of Alaskans for our effort. The Anvils are known as the Oscars of the PR field.
For me, the Anvil was significant. However, more important was the sense of accomplishment felt by Alaskans. At a pretty divisive time in our country, Alaskans gathered together to show what good can come from a collective desire to affect change. It is a lesson to others who believe in a cause or person. Together you can make a different. So, just do it!
What a run! Happy First Anniversary Alaskans!
Together. We made history. Together. We can do anything we want.
November 21, 2010
Note: This is the third in a series of election posts.
Numerous articles have already been written and I’m sure books will be written about Senator Lisa Murkowski’s write-in campaign and how it happened. I truly believe the campaign is a wonderful example of what a group of people can do if they put their minds to it, and work together for the common good. Sounds corny but it’s really true and I’m extremely proud to have been part of the team.
From the communications team standpoint, we were intensely focused on the job at hand – making sure Alaskans understood what Lisa Murkowski had done and would do for Alaskans and they knew how to fill in the oval and spell her name correctly.
Each day during the 8-week write-in campaign, the senior team (including the campaign’s communications director) met early to discuss polling, scheduling, word on the street, etc. Following that meeting, the communications team distilled the information to craft the message of the day, make assignments and move forward. That main message was broken into tactics including press releases, videos, tweets, Facebook posts, emails and text messages. Everything we did each day tracked back to the main message, even if we didn’t repeat that throughout the day. The intensity and focus of the 8-member team was incredible.
We planned communications to roll out throughout the day based on campaign messages, what we anticipated happening and the Senator’s schedule. This helped us stay on point and not be swayed by outside distractions. Eager volunteers wanting to tell us what they had heard, or the opposition spreading a rumor on social media were always out there to move us off point.
As a group, we were committed to a strict ethical sense. We would not respond to, or spread a rumor but instead took time to verify each story, lead or rumor. We were determined to run a positive campaign that talked about what would move Alaska forward and help those in need in our state. As long as we stayed focused on that we were confident we would be okay. Or, at least we knew we could hold our heads high.
Of course, since we were running a write-in campaign, the message of the day always included the Senator’s complete name. Where other campaigns could use just the first or last name, we knew it was important to ALWAYS say “Lisa Murkowski” since that’s what we needed voters to write on their ballots. Further, they needed to fill in the oval next to her name for their vote to count. “Fill it in, write it in” became the mantra and there were numerous jingles and television ads to remind voters.
In the end, the quantity of material distributed over eight weeks is still mind-boggling but more important is we energized and engaged an electorate in the Democratic process. More than 100,000 people successfully wrote in one person’s name and filled in the oval.
As much as I can write about the campaign from a pragmatic and straightforward manner, I will never forget the moment when the first numbers were displayed on election night. There were tears and hugs. We did something that hadn’t been done in more than 50 years. But mainly…we did what’s right for Alaska and the country.
Earlier: This Election Was Personal For Me
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
Your Mother Would Be Ashamed You Said That
Coming next: Freedom of What?
Photo Credit: Creative Commons; Mag3737
November 15, 2010
Note: This is the third in a series of election posts.
Your mom would be ashamed at what you said on Twitter during the election. In fact, if she was like my mom, she’d probably wash your mouth out with soapy water. Welcome to the third in my series of election posts about my experiences with Lisa Murkowski’s write-in campaign.
A lot has been written about the tone of people’s tweets and the fact many seem to feel they can say anything here without regard to others but I found the examples our group faced during the fall election cycle truly appalling. Some choice examples:
- “Lisa Murkowski said she regrets promising to honor the outcome of the Primary Election…I just regret that she was born.”
- “Legal does not equal right. Murkowski was wrong. She’s running counter to the democratic tradition and she’s an ass for it. “
- “Lisa Murkowski ought to be ashamed of herself. So childish.”
- “I’m trying to decide who I hate, loathe, and despise more: Barbara Boxer or Lisa Murkowski.”
- “Murkowski needs to shut her effing trap.”
There are those who may think this is okay but it seems to me that if this isn’t something you would say out loud and in public, it probably shouldn’t be said on Twitter or Facebook. And, if it is something you would say out loud and in public, maybe it’s time to think about how you interact with others.
It’s really pretty simple:
Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you.
I just have to wonder how the writers of these tweets would feel if someone spoke to them in this manner. As communicators, we have an extra obligation to make sure the words we put out are true. However, it shouldn’t just be communicators who are trying to maintain civil discourse.
Only through listening, respecting each other and working together will we solve the problems in our country and world. Only by caring about each other will we make the sacrifices we need to make in order to move forward and help others. Only by treating each other with the love, trust and compassion we expect from others will we build a better world for our young people.
So the next time you’re ready to launch off on a social network about someone else, take pause. It will likely save everyone embarrassment.
- Type the message and walk away.
- Come back in an hour.
- Only then hit the send button.
You probably won’t send messages like this:
- “Ladies and gentlemen, this woman is a snake.//insulting 2 snakes!”
- “Lisa Murkowski is an entitled sow.”
- “Really? That many people in Alaska can spell Murkowski?”
- “To the Murkowski person who just called my house and said my vote for McAdams was a vote for Miller. SUCK IT!”
- “Lisa Murkowski = the biggest idiot in the world. It is funny bc she lacks “intellectual curiosity” more than anyone. She’s jealous of Palin.”
As mentioned in part two of the series, my responsibility on the campaign included monitoring what others were saying in social media. It was interesting to watch those who disagreed with the majority of Alaskans and didn’t understand our state, trying to tell us what to do. Most mornings we reviewed social media, then discussed the campaign’s messages of the day with the communication team and then returned to another look at social media. A full evaluation through the lens of our strategy oftentimes meant not directly addressing the “antis” on social media.
What we found was most of the messages were originating from a relatively small group of individuals who were not aware of Alaska politics. While they did reach a few in Alaska, the majority of the messages did not have the capacity to affect our campaign. Obviously, we had to carefully and diligently monitor social media to make sure this remained true. As the final votes are counted this week, we’re fairly confident in our strategy. Time is of the essence in social media but sometimes it can be your friend as well.
How do you keep your cool on social media? Check your facts? Address inaccurate messages? Let’s all try to make sure our moms are still proud of all we do.
Earlier: This Election Was Personal For Me
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
Coming next: A Look at Strategy and Tactics…Sticking to the Message
November 10, 2010
Note: This is the second in a series of election posts.
This familiar phrase came to mind several times during this year’s political season. So does the image of Pinocchio’s nose growing in the famous children’s story. Candidates and their supporters often proclaimed outrageous statements without first checking facts. It seems the desire to make noise and create negative attention for an opponent was often more important than accuracy.
All this does is further erode trust in our public officials and the electoral process. Voters want to know why TO vote for someone, or what the person can OFFER. They tire easily when things get negative and especially sensational. Strong political campaigns and candidates tell a story about why the person or initiative will help the audience.
Research shows negative campaigning does work so that’s likely why it’s continuing but it doesn’t really explain why the untruthful campaigning continues. What I don’t think works is lying or embellishing. This is also becoming more of an issue resulting in the growth of websites such as factcheck.org.
Additionally, the tremendous growth in social media since the 2008 campaign means that virtually anyone can call themselves a journalist. Bloggers, candidates or individuals with some influence could send a message that was passed around social media circles in rapid-fire fashion without regard to the truth. As you can imagine, this could be quickly damaging to a candidate.
One of the roles I had on Senator Lisa Murkowski’s campaign was to monitor Twitter and Facebook. It quickly became apparent that individuals outside Alaska were attempting to influence the election through their accusations. One, especially, was so outrageous I won’t give it credence here. However, it was retweeted hundreds of times by the end of the day since the writer was “influential” among a group of conservative voters.
The challenge was in deciding which rumors merited a response taking us away from our strategy and message. Throughout the day, our team monitored traditional and social media to determine if changes in messaging strategy were needed. Interestingly, supporters addressed the vast majority of challenges on our Facebook page while the majority of untruths/rumors on Twitter did not reach most Alaskans.
As a result, we were able to stay mostly on message. What we did do, however, was modify emphasis based on feedback from research, more than from the social media universe. This allowed us to respond to what OUR audience wanted rather than the background noise.
I do feel, however, this may change over time as even more professional journalists turn to social media for information and sources. Just as professional journalists abide by a code of ethics, so should bloggers. Many rules are yet to be written for the free-wheeling community but I don’t believe this means slanderous writings should be left unchallenged. What do you think?
If you just cant’ get enough, check out these references for more midterm lies.
Coming next: Your Mother Would Be Ashamed if She Knew You Said That
November 4, 2010
I’ve been involved on the periphery of political campaigns since 1970 when I stood beside my parents as they volunteered on campaigns in Oregon. During the 1985/86 campaign I had my first taste of staffing a campaign when I led the statewide volunteer effort for Senator Bob Packwood. I did this because I believed in him and what he had/could do for Oregon.
As a communications professional I have always believed I cannot compromise my own beliefs or standards for any client or organization. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t worked so openly on a political campaign since 1986. But this year was different.
After my friend and Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski lost the Republican primary I joined thousands of Alaskans who encouraged her to stay in the race. We heard the pundits and the political experts who said it was a long shot and she couldn’t do this. We fought on fueled not only by Lisa’s commitment but also our belief it was time once again to show that Alaska is different.
I took a break from my own business and joined the write-in campaign as a volunteer member of the communications team. Wow! What a ride. It’s not over yet but we’re feeling pretty good about the chances to make history. I worked closely with Kristin Pugh Bundy, Steve Wackowski and others on the communications team to make sure our candidate’s belief in and commitment to Alaska, her positions and wonderful personality were out there for Alaskans to see.
Our challenges were greater than other campaigns because we also had to teach Alaskans how to complete a write-in ballot. However, the stakes for Alaska were high and we could see the momentum building. Alaskans were enthused and motivated to help with this race like nothing I have seen in my nearly 20 years living here.
The last time a write-in candidate won a statewide office was 1954…also the last time the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. The Giants won Monday night and “Write-In” won Tuesday night. Sometime before Thanksgiving, we hope Lisa Murkowski is the name replacing “Write-in” for Alaska’s history books.
In the next week, I’ll be posting additional thoughts about the election more related to communications. As you can imagine, social media added an entirely new dimension to the campaign. Working titles for upcoming posts include:
- Your Mother Would be Embarrassed That You Said That
- Liar, Liar Pants on Fire
- Freedom of What?
Who knows. I might add more to the series. What would you like to see?
Many of my public relations colleagues from around the country thought we were crazy but we were a committed band of Alaskans who wanted to do what was right for our state. Over the course of six weeks, between September 17 and November 2 we made history.
By the end of the evening we were celebrating the victory. The lawyers took over the next day and the election wasn’t certified for another seven weeks but we knew we had made history. As a public relations professional, I was extremely proud to accept a Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America on behalf of Alaskans for our effort. The Anvils are known as the Oscars of the PR field.
