Public Opinion is a term used to describe the sentiments of the public on a particular issue. The term is used so frequently and so arbitrarily that it may have lost its credibility in some circles. Yet, the stakes are high for many organizations and causes that need public opinion to survive.
Take the NRA (National Rifle Association) as an example. Each time there is a tragedy in the country that involves firearms, the cry increases for tougher gun control laws, sometimes for laws that will place new restrictions on hunters and those who seek to protect the constitutional right to bear arms. In an almost knee-jerk reaction, the NRA turns up the heat on its lobbyists and resorts to advertising to make sure that public opinion does not turn against them. In their case, public opinion might mean dividing the public view sufficiently so that there is no groundswell of opinion against them. They are a perfect example of where a split public is the desired status-quo.
Marketers believe that these campaigns can be extremely effective if only for the reason that they reinforce the opinions of those that traditionally agree with a given position. Just when some of the public might weaken and perhaps consider the toughening of gun control laws comes the reminder about the wonderful people who enjoy hunting as a recreation, the restrictions on liberty and, of course, the constitution.
Ambassador Ronald Lauder, an unsuccessful candidate for the mayoralty in New York, did manage to convince New Yorkers of the merits of term limits. He simply outspent those that were opposed to term limits and effectively attracted many people who were either not committed or had no views on the subject to appreciate that term limits would be good for governance in the Big Apple.
In the Jewish community, candidates for elected office often place ads with the signatures of Jewish community leaders or rabbis in an effort to win votes. Some point to the sheer number of endorsements as proof of the validity of their candidacy while others go for broke with a picture of a Torah giant with the candidate to make their case. These ads too are credited with swaying blocs of Jewish voters towards one candidate. These voters assume that the endorsers are responsible leaders who above all select candidates based upon their record and future performance on behalf of Jewish causes.
Various studies have shown that we do not always believe what we read, but that we tend to be influenced by some of the material we read. We are particularly vulnerable when we have either no position or at best an undeveloped position. The marketers recognize that phenomenon, which is why they devote so much attention to us.
I am sure that you recall election campaigns where the polls indicate that there is a sizeable number of “undecided” voters. These are people who either cannot make up their minds about a candidate or simply have not had the time to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each of the candidates. These voters become an enormous challenge for marketers since they can have an enormous impact on the outcome of an election.
One leading marketer once said that it is good policy to always consider your audience as being “undecided.” The reason, he noted, is that you do not take people for granted and that you sharpen your message which in the end has a better chance of success.
Sometimes the battle for public opinion can get downright ugly. We saw some of that several decades ago when consumer advocate and subsequent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader accused the automakers of making unsafe cars. The messages were almost tit-for-tat. Nader accused and the auto industry responded. But in the end history will record that Nader did influence the production of safer cars.
Public opinion is so important to different institutions that they constantly take the temperature of the public. In addition to surveys and research, the White House monitors all phone calls to its switchboard, albeit that it is aware that some of the calls may be part of an orchestrated campaign. Many large companies also take the pulse of their consumers through keeping tabs on their consumer hotlines. Private interest groups know that and often resort to organized phone campaigns to make their case.
Buisnesses often have to face the wrath of a narrowly focused interest group and it can even tie up a company in knots. Recently a Wisconsin group accused Wal-Mart of misidentifying organic food products. When the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture sent a letter to the giant retailer, the Cornucopia Institute claimed victory. Of course, Wal-Mart dismissed the whole thing, but it did manage to keep the company PR people busy for weeks. In the end, even though Wal-Mart flatly denied any wrongdoing in mislabeling organic products, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman admitted that the giant retailer had put into place new protocols to assure there was no confusion in its signage about organic products.
Public opinion, as nebulous and unclear a designation that it might be, remains a very powerful concern for those who need the public to survive, whether it is an elected official or a business. Today, marketers believe in being proactive in helping shape public opinion, which accounts for so much of advertising revenues nowadays. The oil companies seem to always be justifying their exorbitant profits and for some reason an obedient public simply seems to bear the brunt of the sky-high prices at the pump. Yet, they want you to believe that they are only the funnel in a pipeline for which they have no control.
The concern with public (however significant that public might be) opinion has pre-occupied my practice for almost a quarter of a century. It is a fundamental part of the marketing profession, which means that you need professionals who can understand and interpret public opinion. So what do you think?
Out of the Box is a collection of strategic marketing articles that Lubicom has published on various topics, trends and ideas in the marketing world. The articles have been published in the Hamodia weekly newspaper circulated on three continents to a readership of well over 100,000.
The name, "Out of the Box" is a term used frequently in business nowadays to describe creative thinking that is not the norm. It is meant to help a business pull away from the pack or separate oneself from the competition. It is to some extent fraught with risk, simply because it is not the run of the mill thinking, but it is at the same time the key to reaching the next opportunity.