» Research Commentary

How to Spend Money on Surveys that Don’t Get Results Part 2

Amy Showalter — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:00:24 +0000

Here's how to really determine if ads are effective: advertise some products, and don't advertise others. Then see which sells. All those "advertisements that don't work" will sell the product. Those that are unadvertised will sit on the shelf. When you ask people why they bought the advertised product, they will mention positive product attributes, but seldom advertising. No matter if you are selling a message, a request for action, or a PAC contribution, the lesson for government relations professionals is this: unsophisticated "merely asking" type of research won't give you the insight needed to create compelling lines of persuasion. So, that’s a long explanation of the number-one way to spend money on research that doesn’t get results: incorrect methodology. Here are...

How to Spend Money on Surveys that Don’t Get Results Part 1

Amy Showalter — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:00:34 +0000

No, that’s not a typo. Although many organizations have the best intentions when it comes to conducting influence campaign research, I’ve seen some rival the “burn rate” of a circa 2000 internet start-up company without persuading their audiences. That results in wasted resources and a credibility hit for the government relations professionals at the scene of the crime. On a somewhat related note, it reminds me of a comment (and I’m not making this up) at a recent conference where someone who was the victim of an “influence in a box” product pushed at them by an outside vendor, exclaimed: “We spent $400,000.00 (again, unfortunately not a typo) on a grassroots influence campaign and all we got was a lousy web...

Banish These Words

Amy Showalter — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:32:17 +0000

I always instruct my presentation skills clients to do their best to avoid common clichés and phrases. The goal is to be unique, and when we spew common clichés, we become forgettable. We need to be original to be heard. To that end, one of my favorite web sites is the annual list of banished words published by Lake Superior State University. Anyone can recommend a word for banishment (is that a word?!), and the best part is the reader commentary, of which I’ve selected my favorites. My favorites from last year, and the ones I am guilty of over-using:

Czar Teachable moment

"This phrase is used to describe everything from potty-training to politics....

Why have a PAC?

Amy Showalter — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:45:06 +0000
This is why... Innovate to Motivate faculty member Brett Kappel weighs in on new research from Vanderbilt University: The research finds that corporations gain clear financial benefits when individual employees make political donations. What they describe in a new research paper is strong evidence that individuals who make political donations – whether at the behest of companies or not – directly benefit businesses in their communities. “The reason we looked at individual contributions is because it accounts for about two-thirds of all the money given directly to politicians,” said Ovtchinnikov, noting that only about 10 percent of firms are actively involved in campaign finance. “Individuals are the big players in this game.” The 2010 U.S. congressional elections saw an unprecedented boom in campaign...

Mixing Business and Politics

Amy Showalter — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:40:29 +0000

You may have seen the recent research from the University of Tennessee, in which Russell Crook, David Woehr and Sean Lux have found that yes, indeed, mixing business and politics makes good financial sense. If you would like a copy of the full academic report -...

Amy in the News

Amy Showalter — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:35:05 +0000
I made some predictions in a February 2009 Politico article http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18915.html on the sustainability of the Organizing for America movement. That led to an interview with In These Times magazine about my additional thoughts on the enthusiasm gap among Democratic voters in the 2010 election. Bottom line? The new (first time voters) 2008 Obama voters want immediate gratification, and that’s not reality: http://inthesetimes.com/article/6535/minding_the_enthusiasm_gap And now, the college students are admitting it: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/44093.html

How to Prevent Burnout of Your Most Valuable Advocates

Amy Showalter — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:55:26 +0000
If you have a non-stop stream of enthusiastic grassroots advocates who are willing to repeatedly contact lawmakers when you ask, read no further. If you have advocates who consistently leverage their personal legislator relationships for your cause, read no further. If you don’t, there’s research that reveals what you need to do to keep them interested and motivated (and it has nothing to do with plaques and awards). The surprising results are based on The Showalter Group’s proprietary research with hundreds of quality grassroots advocates - the ones who attend your annual Lobby Day events, D.C. Fly-In’s, testify before legislative committees, write and meet with their lawmakers when asked, etc. They come from a variety of professions and interests, including, but...

Could Corporate New Voter-Drive Initiatives Backfire?

Amy Showalter — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:18 +0000
After shunning politics for years, Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, launched a voter registration and education campaign targeted at its 1.3 million employees. Wal-Mart’s initiative is not without precedent. A growing number of corporations, including Nationwide, ExxonMobil and DaimlerChrysler, have organized in-house voter registration efforts, making it easy for workers to download voter-registration forms and apply for absentee ballots. But it takes more than handing out a few forms to get people to the polls. Companies thinking that with a little help their employees will vote for candidates who support the corporation’s goals are being unrealistic. Creating an emotional allegiance to your issues so that employees know whom to vote for without being told whom to vote for is an entirely...

The Influence Tactics of Fortune’s “Power 25”

Amy Showalter — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:35 +0000
Background It is our interest in excellent government relations programs and “best in class” organizations that inspired our second research project with Fortune magazine’s “Power 25.” The first project focused on how they recruit, retain, and motivate their most productive grassroots advocates. This research seeks to answer a second vital question: “What influence tactics predict success when attempting to gain legislative support”? We believe the answers are vital, because there are competing mythologies about what works in the legislative influence arena. For example, when a group wins a high-profile campaign, the campaign is usually dissected for strategies and tactics, disregarding the influence context or the influence target that helped those tactics succeed. We were also intrigued that workshop audience members (government relations staff and...

How Your Audience Uses Media Can Impact Decisions about Grassroots and PAC Participation

Amy Showalter — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:13 +0000
I have found some outside research that should be of interest to anyone who needs to get the attention of their audience. Some of you may find yourself in this group. Ketchum, a global PR company, conducted research with USC’s Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center regarding how consumers use media. Their findings have immediate applications to those of us in the government relations profession, which you will see in my commentary after I outline a couple of the findings. TSG has been admonishing the profession for quite some time that people rely most on personal experiences, word of mouth, and friends when making decisions. They rely on it not only for what kind of shampoo to buy or where to vacation, but...