When you think of cutting edge humor on the topics of the day, the first two names you think of are Jon Stewart and … Margaret Spellings? Greg Toppo of USA Today asks the important “why” question. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-21-spellings-daily-show_N.htm?csp=34
While yours truly is quoted in Toppo’s piece on Spellings’ appearance on the Daily Show, it forced me to think a little more about the question. What exactly is the communications benefit of opening one up to Stewart?
As always, we have three simple answers:
* First, Spellings is trying put the scandals behind her. After IG investigations and new concerns on student loans, Spellings and her team have been playing defense for well over a year. Opening oneself up to Stewart’s probing, laughing with the audience when he points to the failings of the U.S. Department of Education, and then offering a public “we’ll try harder next time” allows Spellings to declare these issues over with. She’s talked them out with the national media. She’s met with the trade media. She’s convened the bloggers. Now she’s doing the comedy shows. It is time to move on to a new topic. She’s exhausted the issue. Nothing left to say, and no one left to say it to.
* Second, she needs to personalize the issue. When Spellings first took office, she entered with press any public official would envy. Glowing profiles in major publications. Nonexistent criticisms in the media. A general lovefest. Today, no mention of Spellings or ED is complete without the terms “scandal” or “IG.” Putting Spellings out in front reminds us of the person behind ED. It no longer is the bureaucracy that has corrupted student loans or “the man” who has botched RF implementation. Now, you are attacking a nice woman who reminds you of your next-door-neighbor or your kid’s teacher or that woman who sings at the church. An appearance on the Daily Show reminds us of who is really behind the curtain. And she comes with a fairly decent Q rating.
* Finally, it has reached the stage where any publicity is good publicity. Consider this the policymaker’s 10 steps to media recovery. She has listened to the criticism. She has vowed to follow the IG’s reccs. She has stood up before Congress and the media. And tonight she is standing up to a top Bush critic, probably second only to the likes of Michael Moore and Al Franken. This is win/win for her. If Stewart makes her look foolish (which he likely won’t) then it was to be expected. If she does well (which we should expect) then she stood in the lion’s den and survived. She showed she was fearful of no issue and no man, and we credit her with suffering the slings and arrows. She gets good pub for putting herself out there in the first place.
At the end of the day, we can only hope her public affairs team has properly trained her for the Daily Show, giving her talking points, writing some witty zingers and responses, and drilling her until she is comfortable with dry, wry, sarcastic humor. She will survive, and she may even make them laugh.
PR
Injecting the Education Continuum in the Campaigns
Kudos to Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik for today’s piece on how the 18 active 2008 presidential candidates are talking about education — primarily higher education. http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/16/election If the early results are any indication, it seems that college access and student loans are THE message with regard to education platforms.
Why?
* It is easy to define. Most Americans understand the value of a college education. They know college is expensive. They know student loans are available. These are terms of issues the average voter understands and can relate to.
* It’s a hot PR topic. The New York State Attorney General has made student loans (and student lender relationships) the scandal of the day. It is in the news, it is the focus of congressional hearings. From a communications standpoint, it is the current wave that most need to at least test out.
* It’s relatable. The rich can afford to go to any college. Funny thing is, most Americans perceive themselves as being in the middle class, even if demographically they are not. When you start talking about fairness and ensuring the middle class have access and funding to attend the college of their choice. When those swing voters in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nevada, Florida and the like here the argument that we need to make college more affordable for the average American, they think the candidates are talking to them.
What’s missing, though, is an equally passionate debate on the education continuum. Postsecondary education is important for virtually every student in America. But what will the candidates do to ensure that students are prepared for college? How will they deal with the 1.1 million high school dropouts each year? How about the 30-50% of college students who have to take remedial courses to get up to speed? And how will they ensure that students are gaining knowledge and skills related to what they want to do with their lives?
The general silence on K-12 issues at this stage of the presidential campaigns can only mean one of two things. Either all candidates agree that NCLB is essentially steering us in the right direction, and requires only the moderate tinkering Congress and its influencers are discussing or they simply don’t have answers (or even thoughts) on how to further improve primary and secondary education in the United States.
Unfortunately, it is probably the latter, and not the former. So I’ve got three pieces of advice for the candidates, Democrat and Republican, to remember when crafting their messages:
* As in generations past, we all want to see our kids do better than us. The key to that is education. Making sure they are achieving at grade level by fourth grade. Instilling independent thinking in the middle grades. And advocating for both rigor and relevance in high school. Success requires an education continuum, not just a college degree.
* K-12 education touches every U.S. citizen. We all went to school. We all pay taxes to support our schools. We all have or know of children in the schools. Promise us you will ensure that those kids are getting the best and that our taxes are being well spent. And tell us how you will measure it and hold policymakers and schools and teachers accountable.
* Education is not just a learning issue, it is a work issue. Too many people put school in one bucket, career in the other. A strong K-12 education is necessary to a strong, effective workforce. Whether you be wearing a blue or a white collar, you need core reading, math, problem solving, and teamwork skills to succeed. Want a good job, you need a good education. And it is up to the President, the Congress, the Governors, the Mayors, and the Superintendents to ensure that our schools are delivering such an education. It is the only way to truly keep our economy, and our nation, strong.
Now is the stage of the campaign where candidates start telling us what they stand for and what they believe in. And their are few issues that define character and a campaign than education and education improvement. Here’s wishing these ideas start making their way into stump speeches and campaign commercials.
Winning the Hearts and Minds of Youth
Recently, I was asked to write an opinion piece, entitled “Winning the Hearts and Minds of Youth,” for O’Dwyer’s PR Report (www.odwyerpr.com). The goal was to detail how to effectively market to youth. But the lessons move beyond simple youth marketing. They also have relevant application to education reform, where an increased focus on high school reform and transitions to college requires effective communication with the very students we are looking to educate and prepare for productive futures.
I won’t bore you with the full piece (if you’re interested, just email me). But my three recommendations are important for marketing to youth, adults, and any and all interested in improving our educational offerings. It comes down to three simple words — respect, preparedness, and diversity.
First, respect your audience. Nothing is more frustrating than warmed over rhetoric or materials that were clearly created for someone else. It shows a lack of respect and an absence of understanding. Understand the audience and communicate directly with them, on their terms. Can you imagine selling charter schools by using the same messages or brochures for teachers, school administrators, parents, and the business community? Of course not. We respect the actors in education reform too much for that. Or we should.
Second, do your homework. It’s Media Relations 101. Find the right media, and apply the right messages. It may mean moving out of your comfort zone, but it about reaching your audience. If you are asking them to change their behaviors, you have to be prepared to do the same to convince them. Instead of seeking coverage from NPR or The New York Times, you may have to look to YouTube or Flickr or MySpace.
Finally, integrate and diversify. There is no one-stop shopping in education communications. We have too many stakeholders. Too many demographic differences. Too many histories to expect one-size-fits-all solutions. Success comes from multiple activities hitting multiple audiences multiple times. It is the only way we move from informing folks to changing the way they teach, learn, and behave. Education conferences. Radio coverage. WOMA. Blogs. They all play a role in convincing a community (either geographic or demographic) to embrace a change.
Simplistic? Of course. Good communications usually is. More importantly, though it works. Such communications approaches should be non-negotiables for any education reform initiative.
Eduflack By Patrick R. Riccards 