Navigating the Summer Swing: Amplifying a Message on the Campaign Trail Amidst a Crowded Issue Environment
With the White House, 35 Senate seats, and all 435 House seats up for election in November 2024, countless interests will be vying for voters’ attention this summer – especially within the handful of “Swing States.” The crucial summer months of an election year can be utilized by interested parties to help elevate their issue with elected officials who are on the move. However, an effective communications strategy requires a surgical deployment of public affairs tactics that can position your issue on the campaign trail and beyond.
While nearly 250 million Americans are eligible to participate in the democratic process and vote this fall, it is forecasted that just six percent of voters in some six states will be the deciding factor in who occupies the White House come January of 2025.[1] Strategists and pollsters can project electoral outcomes in 43 states with near-perfect accuracy as fewer Americans identify as “swing voters.” Compounded with mediocre turnout rates – as seen with just 66% of eligible Americans voting in the 2020 presidential election – voters living in the contested states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will have an outsized impact on election outcomes.[2]
The 2024 elections will heighten political debates on issues that will have implications for many leading U.S. industries in 2025 and the years to come. The electorate is also pessimistic and anxious, with voters concerned about the American economy, inflation and rising consumer costs, conflict overseas, divisive social topics, and numerous other issues.
Recognizing the importance of swing states, national candidates, their supporting campaign apparatuses, and many issue- and cause-orientated interests will dedicate significant time and resources to these states. Each major party is expected to spend billions to reach these voters in the months leading up to the election, with estimates that more than USD$10B will be spent in total over the 2024 election.[3]
The Importance of Tactful Campaign Trail Investments
Organizations are right to recognize the value of being part of the conversations happening in these states and other key districts across the country during election season. Waiting until November is too late, as lawmakers – whether at the national, state, or local level – enter office with a point of view on issues and an idea of how they plan to govern. Proactive engagement is important to help shape the debate, influence policy and safeguard interests. Promises are made, issues are deliberated, and perceptions are formed on the campaign trail and during elections. But while many organizations make sizeable investments in public affairs and media campaigns, they often fail to devise an effective strategy to cut-through the clutter, and in turn stifle potential returns on their investments.
Proactive messaging that is executed with an effective strategy is important to help shape the debate, influence policy, safeguard interests, and cut through a crowded issues environment.
Our experience shows that there are several key steps to designing and executing an effective public affairs campaign amidst another highly contested election season – these revolve around local engagement, trusted channels, and targeted outreach.
The Strategy
Recruit Trusted Sources and Activate Through Trusted Channels
Recruiting and using trusted voices ensures that your message will cut through the noise and reach stakeholders. According to the Pew Research Center, Americans have greater trust in local news outlets than their national counterparts.[4] This means that it is integral to find the right individuals and organizations – often at the hyper-local level – who can carry your message with credibility and resonance. These meetings or digital engagements provide Members of Congress with the real-world context they need to understand your perspective on the policies before them, utilizing real constituent voices along with politically connected grasstops leaders from the local community to make an impact.
Don’t Compete, Capitalize on Attention Around the Election
Voters across the country will have their sights set on the upcoming elections. Rather than devoting resources to try and win their attention away from the elections, meet your target audience where they are. Whether it’s intercepts at a campaign rally, within a conversation at a civic organization, or on local earned media platforms – local talk radio, Letters to Editor, op-eds and the like – understanding where these conversations are taking place and how to insert your point of view into the debate, story, or event is critical to break through the clutter.
Make Strategic Investments in Targeted Paid Media
Yes, a lot of money will be spent on digital, TV and direct mail – and a lot of it will miss the mark. Nonetheless, paid media is an effective way to push your issue and message at scale – and is well worth the investment when done with sharp messaging, effective creative, and thoughtful targeting, which often requires a matching of on-the-ground intelligence, local events, and captivating moments.
How FTI Consulting Can Help
At FTI Consulting, our Public Affairs professionals support companies to manage change, mitigate risk, and navigate complex political landscapes. In addition to our in-house team of former senior campaign officials, we have on-the-ground resources in every political jurisdiction and media market through our nationwide field network of public affairs experts. Our in-house Data & Insights team offers clients research, creative and advertising capabilities to reach your target audience directly with the right message and the right content at the best time.
Learn more about FTI Consulting’s public affairs capabilities here.
Related Expertise
[1] Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei, “Behind the Curtain: 6% of six states,” Axios (May 6, 2024), https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/biden-trump-election-swing-states.
[2] Hannah Hartig, Andrew Daniller, Scott Keeter and Ted Van Green, “1. Voter turnout, 2018-2022,” Pew Research Center (July 12, 2023), https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voter-turnout-2018-2022/.
[3] Bill Allison and Gregory Korte, “Political Ad Spending Set to Reach Record $10.2 Billion in 2024 Campaign Cycle,” Bloomberg (September 12, 2023), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-12/election-2024-advertising-spending-to-hit-record-10-2-billion.
[4] Elisa Shearer, Katerina Eva Matsa, Michael Lipsa, Kirsten Eddy and Naomi Forman-Katz, “Americans’ Changing Relationship With Local News,” Pew Research Center (May 7, 2024), https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/05/07/americans-changing-relationship-with-local-news/
| The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and not necessarily the views of FTI Consulting, its management, its subsidiaries, its affiliates, or its other professionals. ©2024 FTI Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. www.fticonsulting.com |
