Messages - 1Mississippi

Introduction to Values-Based Messages

A message is a clear, compelling short paragraph or a few short paragraphs.

Messages:

Gives your audience a reason to care about your issue by appealing to their values.
Describes a threat and suggests who is responsible for the problem.
Provides a solution and describes what specific action will help solve the problem.

Making sure your message speaks to the way people sort through problems can strengthen a message. Does it appeal to their emotions? Does it provide them with information? Does it offer a solution? Does it give them something to do so they can respond to the threat? Is it specific about what actions to take?

Here is an anatomy of a message from the Biodiversity Project’s Great Lakes Forever campaign:

A message contains the core argument and rationale of a campaign, and frames the language and tone for overall communications. A good message is the staring point for more detailed communications.

Most campaigns have an overarching message that can speak to a broad pool of audiences; see Mississippi River Network’s overarching message as an example (located at the bottom of this page). Specific messages can be designed for particular target audiences or on issues relevant to the campaign goals. See Mississippi River Network’s issue specific messages for examples.

How Messages are Used

Clear, easy to repeat message make the biggest impact on audiences.

A slogan and a sound bite can be easily lifted from the message. A slogan might be: “Let’s keep the Mississippi River rolling clean.” A sound bite might be: “We must protect our cultural identity. If the Mississippi River is polluted, our quality of life and economy is at stake.” These are shorthand extracts from your message that can be useful as a tag line in communications, but they are not a substitute for a thoughtful, well-constructed message.

Repeat your message in a variety of ways to keep reinforcing key themes and actions to take. It is important to stay on message, regardless of the situation; keep reinforcing values about why people should care. Lead with values (pride, responsibility, accountability, legacy, beauty, health), address concerns (toxic pollution, water quality), describe the threats and offer hope and inspiration with doable solutions.

Ideally, you would pre-test your message with your target audience to make sure the values, threats, solutions, as well as images, messengers and pathways, will connect with your target audience.

Using Messages in Communications Campaigns

There are some basic steps for successfully using messages in communications campaigns.

These steps include:

Be clear about your communications goals: know what you are trying to accomplish and your time line. Be as specific as possible.

Determine your audience(s). Chose a target audience that can help you accomplish your goal. The general public is not a target audience!

Determine why the audience should care about your issue.
What are their concerns –what about your issue is important to them? What core values in your audience do these concerns speak to?

Articulate your message in a short paragraph that answers these questions:
Why is this issue important for your audience? (Refer to the values and concerns.)
What is the threat and who is responsible?
What action will address the need and the threat? Give people something to do.

Use language that speaks to your audience.

Your choice of messenger depends on your message and your target audience. All three must complement each other.

Be ready with anecdotes, i.e. real, human stories to illustrate and amplify your message.

Use images to tell your story as well as words, but make sure your facts are handy.

Distill the essence of your message into a slogan, a media “hook” or a soundbite that succinctly communicates your essential action.

Determine how you will get your message to your target audience. What are the pathways or points of access to this particular audience — mass media, community organizations, trade publications, church groups, special interest magazines, the web, etc.?

General Language Tips for Messages

The Mississippi River Network’s public opinion research revealed some insights about how people understand and talk about issues.

Here are some useful tips about language that emerged from the data:

Public audiences already see the River in a positive light, but they aren’t necessarily passionate about it. Invoke a sense of pride (America’s greatest river) and legacy (protecting the River for our children and grandchildren). Audiences want enforcement (accountability and fairness) to stop polluters and others that harm the River, but Mississippi Mavens and Distant Connecteds also feel a strong sense of obligation to make a difference (personal or shared responsibility). Bring positive passion for the River to the debate.

Again, here are the primary values that the public audiences care about:

Community pride and regional identity; the Mississippi River is a national treasure
Accountability and fairness to enforce existing laws for pollution cleanup
Shared responsibility to preserve the River, fish and wildlife
Generational legacy and care for families and children

Reference Concerns: What’s really at stake here?

Nearly all public audiences recognize some benefits from the River. Chief among them are economic benefits from navigation, industry, tourism and agriculture. Reference economic benefits – especially from increased federal spending in the region – but also note the important role the River plays in the region’s cultural and historic identity and sense of place. Among Mississippi Mavens and You-First Neighbors in particular, the River is a place for recreation, scenic beauty and family.

Teach people about the connection between their drinking water and the Mississippi River — few audiences understood this. Therefore, when talking about public health and safety concerns, you will have to educate people that the River is a source of their drinking water first. When talking about threats to the River, talk about threats to “quality of life,” such as toxic pollution, untreated sewage and chemical runoff. When talking about solutions, talk about how the solutions address multiple concerns (e.g. protecting and restoring the River will create jobs, revitalize our riverfront and attract new business and residents, etc.). “Use and protect” language appeals to peoples’ needs for both scenic beauty and use of natural resources for practical purposes.

Again, a summary of the concerns and benefits the public audiences identified:

Economy and jobs (navigation, industry, farming, tourism)
Quality of life (recreation, community events and festivals, family experiences)
Sense of place (history and culture)

Emphasize Saliency and Urgency: “Can’t this wait?”

Support for the River and increased funding to protect it is already significant. However, due to a lack of passion – and other priorities – our audiences need to hear messages that emphasize saliency (“Why should I care?”) and urgency. Appealing to our target audience values and concerns will help you make the saliency case, especially if you provide examples through human stories. Urgency is a significant hurdle for most environmental campaigns. Use a combination of urgency language (“the longer we wait, the worse the problems will get and the more solutions will cost”) and simple actions that target audiences can take in just a few minutes, like signing a petition, etc. Also to convey urgency, images must be visually striking, vivid and emotional.

Give Hope and Offer Solutions: “Isn’t it too late to make a difference?”

Troubles on the Mississippi River aren’t necessarily news. While we must discuss problems and threats, this campaign will make news by focusing on action and solutions. Emphasize how truly manageable the proposed solutions are (e.g. “We know how to restore wetlands and we know that it works”). Demonstrate the economic benefits of action and the costs of delay. Reference shared responsibility (we all have a role to play) and accountability (maybe we don’t need new regulation, let’s start by enforcing existing laws). Be positive and celebrate success.

Provide a Simple & Meaningful Action: “What can one person do?”

This is very audience and issue dependent, but always be specific about the action. For example, rather than asking your audience to reduce polluted runoff from their homes, let them know how they can do it (e.g. bury pet waste, pick native grasses that thrive without pesticides, etc). These actions can vary depending on your immediate needs – donations, signing a petition, participation in a meeting or public event, etc – but make sure that the “ask” is simple, meaningful and measurable.

Use “Protection” Rather than “Restoration”

The public opinion research showed that audiences preferred the word “protecting” to “restoring” or “revitalizing.” The latter words were considered to be unrealistic, and the River is already considered to be a vital waterway.

Protect Local Tributaries

Emphasize the need to protect local rivers and tributaries that lead into the Mississippi River. A local river may inspire more passion or concern.

Acknowledge Regional Differences

In the lower River (Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi), audiences are more likely to identify with the “Mississippi River region.”
Invasive species and overdevelopment are seen as more serious problems in the upper River region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa) than in the lower River.
Concerns about flooding are highest in Missouri and Louisiana.
In Louisiana, the US Army Corps of Engineers and state and local emergency personnel have far few lower levels of credibility than elsewhere.

Specific Campaign Issue Message: Social Messages

The Biodiversity Project and Mississippi River Network staff and advisors crafted issue specific messages based on the 2007 public opinion research findings and the Mississippi River Network’s “Land, Water and People” restoration goals. Along with the overarching message statement, these messages are the basis for the Tool Kits.

The Mississippi River flows through many aspects of our lives and we all share a responsibility to protect it. Our greatest authors, musicians and explorers have been inspired by its power, but sometimes, even a river this powerful needs help. Today, the once mighty Mississippi River is vulnerable and needs our protection.

The Mississippi River system has defined our region’s history and landscape and it is an economic engine for our region’s tourism, agriculture and industry. The river hosts our celebrations, provides drinking water and recreational opportunities for our families. We are a river people – when we protect the river, we protect our communities.

Threats to the river, such as pollution from factories, farms and untreated sewage, poorly planned development and mismanagement of the river’s natural flow are threats to the very fabric of our river communities.

It doesn’t have to be this way. A diverse coalition of non-profit, farm and business interests have developed a plan that will help us protect Mississippi River systems while fostering economic growth in the region. Protecting the Mississippi River will revitalize our communities and provide opportunities for everyone in the region. Learn more about the Mississippi and get involved.

For actions we can take to protect our region’s cultural identity and quality of life, check out the Economies and Communities fact sheet in the Everyday Toolkit.

Specific Campaign Issue Message: Hydrology and Flow

The Mississippi River flows through many aspects of our lives and we all share a responsibility to protect it. Our greatest authors, musicians, and explorers have been inspired by its power, but sometimes, even a river this powerful needs help. Today, the hydrology and flow of the once mighty Mississippi River is threatened and needs our protection.

The waters of the Mississippi River are more than a highway that sustains shipping and navigation interests, they’re also an important source of drinking water for our community, a vital home for wildlife and a destination for tourism and recreation.

Unfortunately, changes to the natural hydrology and flow of the Mississippi River have compromised its ability to protect itself. This disruption of how the River’s functions leaves our communities vulnerable to flooding and threatens our economy and way of life.

A diverse coalition of non-profit, farm and business interests have developed a plan that will help us protect Mississippi River systems while fostering economic growth in the region. Simple changes in how we manage the River will restore balance to the system and protect our jobs and our way of life. Together, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy the benefits of the River tomorrow, just as we do today.

For actions we can take to protect the mighty Mississippi River’s waters and flow, check out the hydology factsheet in the Everyday Toolkit.

Specific Campaign Issue Message: Fish, Wildlife and Habitat Protection

The Biodiversity Project and Mississippi River Network staff and advisors crafted issue specific messages based on the 2007 public opinion research findings and the Mississippi River Network’s Land, Water and People restoration goals. Along with the overarching message statement, these messages are the basis for the Tool Kits.

The Mississippi River flows through many aspects of our lives and we all share a responsibility to protect it. Our greatest authors, musicians, and explorers have been inspired by its power, but sometimes, even a river this powerful needs help. Today, the once mighty Mississippi River is vulnerable and needs our protection.

The Mississippi River is much more than just water. It is a vibrant ecosystem that is teeming with life. The Mississippi River system supports our hunting, fishing and tourism economy, provides a vital home for fish and wildlife and special experiences for families and recreation.

Just as pollution from factories, farms and untreated sewage, poorly planned development and mismanagement of the Mississippi River has compromised its ability to protect itself, it has affected the wildlife that lives there as well. The loss and degradation of vital river systems rob fish and wildlife of critical habitat and threaten our economy, recreational opportunities and our way of life.

A diverse coalition of non-profit, farm, and business interests has developed a plan that will help us protect the Mississippi River system. It’s time to invest in our future by investing in our River. Together, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy the benefits of the River tomorrow, just as we do today.

For actions we can take to protect and improve the Mississippi River’s wildlife and habitats, check out the wildlife factsheet in the Everyday Toolkit.

Specific Campaign Issue Message: Agriculture and Water Quality

The Mississippi River drains one of the most important agricultural regions in the world. According to the National Park Service, agricultural land makes up more than half of the Mississippi Basin (58%) and more than half (52%) of America’s farms are part of the Mississippi River basin. These farms produce food, fiber and fuel to contribute to our economy and quality of life, but they also contribute to water quality problems in the Mississippi River.

America’s greatest river is an important source of drinking water, an economic engine for our state’s tourism, agriculture, and industry, a vital home for wildlife and a place for families and recreation. Good agriculture practices can help protect our greatest river, but poor practices threaten its future. Farmers can protect water quality and the Mississippi River through soil conservation and nutrient management. Many farmers are applying state-of-the-art soil and nutrient conservation practices, but much more needs to be done.

A diverse coalition of non-profit, farm and business interests has developed a plan that will help us protect the Mississippi River waters. Clean water is vital to the survival of our families, wildlife and way of life. It’s time to invest in our future by investing in our River. Together, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy the benefits of the River tomorrow, just as we do today.

For actions we can all take to protect and improve the health of our mighty Mississippi River, check out the agricultural factsheet in the Everyday Toolkit.

Specific Campaign Issue Message: Water Quality

The Mississippi River flows through many aspects of our lives and we all share a responsibility to protect it. Our greatest authors, musicians, and explorers have been inspired by its power, but sometimes, even a river this powerful needs help. Today, the once mighty Mississippi River is vulnerable and needs our protection.

America’s greatest river is an important source of drinking water, an economic engine for our state’s tourism, agriculture and industry, a vital home for wildlife and a place for families and recreation.

Unfortunately, pollution from factories, farms and untreated sewage has compromised the River’s ability to protect itself. Threats to the River are threats to our communities, wildlife, our economy and our way of life.

It doesn’t have to be this way. A diverse coalition of non-profit, farm and business interests have developed a plan that will help us protect and clean up our Mississippi River waters. Clean water is vital to the survival of our families, wildlife and our way of life. It’s time to invest in our future by investing in our River. Together, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy the benefits of the River tomorrow, just as we do today.

For actions we can all take to protect our water quality, check out the water quality factsheet in the Everyday Toolkit.

Campaign Overarching Recommended Actions

Act Locally
Is your city putting off improving its sewer system? Is it filling in wetlands to build an industrial park? Does a local business contribute to hazardous waste accidents and spills? In many communities, just a couple of persistent citizens can motivate local officials to do a better job. Speak up and demand that polluters and others who threaten the River’s health be held accountable. Ask for clean water protections for you, your family and your community.

Volunteer on the River in Your Community
Nearly every Mississippi River community holds an annual river cleanup. You’ll meet other river lovers, introduce kids to river stewardship and spend a day in nature. Give something back to the River and your local community by joining like-minded volunteers who are working to improve and protect the Mississippi River for the families of our next generations.

Reduce Yard Chemicals
Be careful when using costly and dangerous chemical fertilizers and pesticides on your yard and garden. Many of the chemicals used in the U.S. are applied to lawns, and some of these herbicides are far more potent and dangerous than those allowed on food crops. These chemicals, which are often over-used, are carried in run-off from rain and sprinkler water into local storm drains, which may pour into the Mississippi River and pollute its waters and wetlands.

Buy Organic, Locally-Grown Produce
When you buy organic, locally-grown produce, you’re playing a key role in reducing the leading source of pollution in the Mississippi River: fertilizer. In addition to supporting your local economy, organically-grown foods are a great choice for your family because they taste great and don’t rely on the phosphorous and nitrogen-based chemicals that pollute the waters and kill off fish and other aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico.

Be a River Citizen in your Community
If you love the Mississippi River, don’t be shy. Tell your friends, neighbors and elected officials that the Mississippi River is important to you. You can make a difference.

Respect the Storm Sewers
Stormwater is a major contributor to water pollution in the Mississippi River and its many watersheds. Household waste, from pets and garden chemicals to automobiles and street litter, are carried into our community storm sewers by rain and snowmelt. Although each storm sewer drain contributes just a small amount of pollution, there can be thousands of such sewer inlets around your community! These storm sewers often drain untreated waste water into local streams, rivers and wetlands. You can help reduce stormwater pollution by never pouring paints, oils, and other chemical wastes down the sewers and by committing to keeping a drug-free lawn.

Landscape with Native Plants and Trees
The Mississippi River region is home to an endless supply of beautiful native plants, flowers and trees. When you choose native plants for your lawn and garden, you not only save yourself money and trouble, you also help to reduce flood levels in your community. Native plants are accustomed to our local soil types, weather patterns, pests and diseases. Not only are they beautiful to look at, they support our wildlife and natural systems of flood control.

Support River Access
Parks, gardens and recreational trails beautify our communities and, when properly managed, help protect the Mississippi River. Green spaces filled with native trees and plants and managed with limited chemical fertilizers and pesticides provide homes for wildlife, clean our air and help maintain our underground water resources. River trails, boat launches and other access points bring added value and tourism dollars to our communities.

Support Wise Land Use
Soil from eroded lands fills in backwaters needed by fish and birds, and the pollution it carries contributes to the hypoxia problem in the Gulf of Mexico. Whether you are a suburban or rural landowner, a farmer or a city dweller, there are things you can do to reduce erosion and your impact on the Mississippi’s banks and waters.

Look for ways to maintain more vegetative cover of your property, especially if a stream runs through it. Create buffer strips of native grasses and trees along stream banks. Plant large gardens or farm fields to cover crops in fall to decrease erosion and improve the soil. Fence livestock from stream banks. As a city dweller, look for opportunities to reduce your impact on your property and keep watch on your community’s actions, too. As a rural landowner, check out conservation incentives available to you through your local NRCS or Soil Conservation District. Together, we can all make changes to protect the River we count on.

Get to Know Your River
Never been to your nearby riverside park? Pack a picnic and your kids, grandkids or neighbors and head out to explore America’s Greatest River at your doorstep! Sign up for a canoe trip and have fun identifying waterfowl and other wildlife. Visit an interpretive nature center or join other families at a community riverside event. Research your town’s historic River connections and discover why the Mississippi River is an important part of your community and family heritage.

Campaign Overarching Message

This overarching message was developed by the Mississippi River Network staff and advisors with two elements in mind: the values and concerns of the target audiences as identified in the public opinion research and the outcomes to achieve in order to reach restoration goals. This message can also be adapted for your communications campaigns.

The Mississippi River flows through many aspects of our lives and we all share a responsibility to protect it. America’s greatest river is an economic engine for our state’s tourism, agriculture and industry, a vital home for wildlife, an important source of drinking water for 18 million people and a place for families and recreation. Our region’s greatest authors, musicians and explorers have been inspired by its power, but sometimes, even a river this powerful needs help.

Today, the once mighty Mississippi River is vulnerable and needs our protection. Pollution from factories, farms and untreated sewage has compromised the river’s ability to protect itself. Poorly planned development and the loss of wetlands near the river threaten wildlife and expose our communities to unnecessary flooding. Fortunately, it’s not too late to make a difference.

A diverse coalition of non-profit, farm and business interests have developed a plan that will help us protect and clean up our Mississippi River waters. Clean water is vital to the survival of our families, wildlife and way of life. Our communities and the river will benefit when we enforce the Clean Water Act and hold polluters accountable for their actions. Fishing and navigation interests will benefit when we provide farmers with simple solutions that protect farmland and the river by controlling polluted run-off. And our families will benefit when we preserve wetlands and create riverside parks for wildlife habitat and recreation.

It’s time to invest in our future by investing in our river. Please take action today by (insert one of the 10 Things). Together, we can ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy the benefits of the river, just as we have.