PSG Consulting and Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy have launched a series of webinars focused on narratives, the power of themes and storytelling. This webinar will explore the crucial role media and entertainment play in amplifying values and ideals central to a strong democracy. Panelists will examine how storytelling can bridge divides, counter misinformation and inspire civic engagement.
In an era of information chaos, language isn't just communication — it's power. We discussed how words shape reality, dissected the metaphors that move movements, and thought about language that can cut through the noise, tell our story and reach people where they are.
Page Gardner kicked off the series on narratives, beginning with a discussion on definitional issues. Moderated by Erica Williams Simon, the expert panel included Laura Hughes and Joseph Phelan, who explored how to craft memorable and transformative narrative arcs.
Key Takeaways From the Discussion:
Narrative is more than a story — it’s the deeper patterns of meaning that connect stories together.
A strong narrative arc begins by defining the problem (the world as it is), ends with a compelling vision of the world we want, and places “us” — our solutions and actions — in the middle.
Successful narratives have driven social change, from the civil rights movement to marriage equality, showing that we have the ability to shape history through storytelling.
We need to reconnect with the art of narrative building by understanding audiences on a deeper level — not just through demographics, but through culture, values and lived experiences.
Join the next generation of leaders, including Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, North Carolina State Senator Sydney Batch and Hollywood filmmaker Billy Ray as they discuss strategies to address our current crisis, plan for the long term and counter the threat of an increasingly authoritarian Right.
In this special edition of the First Mondays Podcast, Page talks with Robert Jones, President and Founder of PRRI.
"Down the home stretch of the campaign, Donald Trump has doubled down on his message of Christian nationalism and white grievance. While his speeches have indeed become more meandering and more extreme, they nonetheless contain a coherent appeal that taps key elements from authoritarian playbooks around the world, including 1930s Nazi Germany..."
PSG Consulting and Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy worked with TargetSmart to conduct dial testing during the September 10 presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The research used live dials and pre- and post-debate surveys with an audience of swing voters and Democratic-leaning mobilization targets.
This study used moment-to-moment dial testing and hot button analysis, which focused on emotional responses and a series of metrics, ranging from head-to-head support and favorability to specific candidate traits and issue trust.
Worthy Strategy Group developed a “Critical Six” list of top leadership qualities voters seek.
Our speakers for Monday’s discussion included:
Gretchen Barton, Founder & Principal, Worthy Strategy Group, LLC; Lead Convener, the American Leadership Project
Henry Fernandez, CEO, Fernandez Advisors
Ben Lazarus, Director of Research Solutions, TargetSmart
Along with our series host, Erica Williams Simon, Narrative Strategist; Author; Co-Founder & Principal, Story Strategy Group
The US Elections Project data show that the elections of 2018, 2020 and 2022 were three of the highest-turnout U.S. elections of their respective types in decades. The turnout in 2020 was the highest rate for any election since the 1900s, with about two-thirds (66%) of the voting-eligible population participating that year. In 2018, 49% of the voting-eligible population participated. The 1941 elections were the last to see that kind of turnout. The latest midterm in 2022 had a 46% turnout, only exceeded by the turnout in 1970.All of these years were marked by singular moments in American history that resulted in surges of various demographic groups, both numerically and level of candidate support.
The real keys to understanding these elections are not only the number of people who voted but the types of voters who turned out, the margins of support for candidates, and their share of the overall electorate.
Sydney Batch, North Carolina State Senator
Tom Bonier
Geoff Garin
Carlos Odio
Joe Trippi
Dr. Christine Slaughter, Boston University
along with series host Erica Williams Simon
This episode marks the start of our four-part First Mondays September Series, where we delved into the forces threatening America’s democratic institutions and the 2024 elections.
Our distinguished panel of experts, including Tiffany Muller, Maya Wiley, Michael Waldman and Ben Scott, provided an in-depth analysis of the ongoing challenges facing American democracy. From voting rights and election manipulation to the influence of money in politics and the impact of disinformation, our speakers laid bare the critical issues undermining civic society.
They highlighted how we’ve arrived at this precarious moment and stressed the urgent need for long-term, interconnected strategies to safeguard and strengthen our democratic institutions.
In short, it was one of the most compelling and interesting discussions I’ve had the pleasure of joining.
The 2020 elections saw enormous changes in how campaigns were conducted and how people voted. This is the first presidential election after the height of COVID-19. Will this be an election in which — as someone has said before — the more things change, the more they stay the same?
We have a rematch at the top of the ticket. Both candidates are unpopular, and it will be a close race. Voting patterns have altered among some voters, and states have changed rules governing registering and voting. There is a significant third-party vote, as of now, although it seems to be reducing in size. Double negative voters are also substantial in size once again, and segments of the base don’t seem to be performing as expected.
For the complete webinar as well as resource files, please visit the PSG Consulting Website.
The 2020 elections saw enormous changes in how campaigns were conducted and how people voted. This is the first presidential election after the height of COVID-19. Will this be an election in which — as someone has said before — the more things change, the more they stay the same?
We have a rematch at the top of the ticket. Both candidates are unpopular, and it will be a close race. Voting patterns have altered among some voters, and states have changed rules governing registering and voting. There is a significant third-party vote, as of now, although it seems to be reducing in size. Double negative voters are also substantial in size once again, and segments of the base don’t seem to be performing as expected.
For the complete webinar as well as resource files, please visit the PSG Consulting Website.
Quite a bit has been written about the use and misuse—or the potential for good and evil—of AI, particularly as it relates to the 2024 elections. The only limitation to the use of this powerful tool is our imaginations. On Monday, April 8th at noon, Eastern, the First Mondays webinar will feature experts in the use of AI.
Samir Saluja and Darin Klein from Derive One bring decades of private sector experience in the use of AI and other advanced technologies. Using an array of tools, their firm advises clients in a three-dimensional approach—understanding how customers think, feel and decide. They are experts at market research and behavioral analytics and now bring this expertise to the electoral arena, particularly through their work with Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy.
Also joining the conversation this month is Matt Lackey, who has connected with others to begin Tavern Research. This new effort is grounded in Generative AI and could serve as an important, multifaceted tool for campaigns and organizations—a tool that can help combat information overload and provide customizable access to a common data architecture built on multiple, reputable sources.
Women have made innumerable contributions to this country and its economy. They have made advances and breakthroughs in the fields of science, technology, sports, medicine, the law, art, pharmaceuticals, the Armed Forces, food, conservation and on and on and on. We owe much of our quality of life and global standing to women.
This month also has a “not so happy” quality to it. March reminds us of the increasingly virulent attacks on women — from taking away the right to determine the future of their own and their families’ lives, to attempts at legislating behavior (aside from reproduction). There is a centuries-old, continually ongoing struggle to be paid equally, to be represented equally in medical and other research, to possess equal rights, and to have the opportunities equally afforded to others to achieve the American dream.
Women are NOT a monolith. Nor do they vote as a bloc. There are differences, like marital status, that determine whether or not a woman registers and votes. Race, religiosity, and social and economic status are all examples of factors that must be considered in describing “women voters.”
One thing they do have in common is their power to change electoral outcomes, even when one group of women votes dramatically differently than another.
To shed light on “women voters”, we are joined this month by three women pollsters who are considered the best of the best in their profession: Anna Greenberg, Celinda Lake and Molly Murphy. They have been the strategic advisors and pollsters to the most competitive and “impossible-to-win” races in the country. They will provide us a rich view of how women, with all their differences and similarities, could shape the 2024 operating environment and election outcomes.
25% of the electorate may be at large — “Double Negative” voters who do not like President Biden and do not like Donald Trump, and a subset of this group won't vote for either, leading to a substantial third-party vote. This potentially game-changing segment of the electorate has not been identified, has not been modeled and has not been targeted precisely with nuanced communications.
But now, we may have a model to change that elusive standing. Listen to learn more about a new, unique model identifying these “Double Negatives.”
The team on this project carries with it the experience of decades in the field of electoral politics, research and targeted messaging. Applying practical knowledge to this pivotal issue are TargetSmart, represented by veteran political strategist Tom Bonier and predictive modeling expert Danny Metcalf; Geoff Garin, President of Hart Research; and Page S. Gardner, Principal of PSG Consulting.
$18 billion dollars — that is what experts forecast will be spent in 2024 by candidates and political organizations. But in a stunning new book, Reinventing Political Advertising, strategist and consultant Hal Malchow provides a rigorous look at the cost-benefit analysis of political advertising as it is now practiced. He argues that as currently designed and used, paid political advertising generates somewhat meager results. He urges practitioners to pay attention to research that could make ads much more effective.
The webinar considered some key questions posed by Hal and discussed in his book: What has gone wrong? What needs fixing? Hal makes the case that the answers to these questions could reshape results in 2024 campaigns.
Aaron Strauss, former Executive Director of the Analyst Institute and current Program Director at OpenLabs, will join us and give his views as one of the key players in Future Forward, the independent effort supporting President Biden with millions in advertising dollars.
Donald Trump's supporters have produced a video saying he was sent by GOD to rescue America from the "heathens" (very broadly defined). How do we understand the appeal of this approach and identify the segment of voters with whom it resonates?
Iowa tells us that Trump's strength with Evangelical voters will help secure his nomination — and possibly — his election. New Hampshire's result, although a smaller margin, provides another example of the rapture Trump evokes among many of his supporters. To understand the strength of these voters in the battleground states, their overwhelming support for Trump, and their ability to rationalize such support is the focus of February's webinar. Joining us will be three of the most knowledgeable experts who have a deep understanding of this segment of voters: Dr. Robert P. Jones, the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, and Katherine Stewart.
To view the webinar and access resource files, please visit PSG Consulting's website.