Cornering the Market: Lessons from Industry about Shaping Public Opinion
Abstract
We all remember television commercials with the Maytag repairman -- the poor guy who sat there waiting for the phone to ring, but it never did. The purpose of the commercial was, of course, to shape public opinion about the reliability of Maytag appliances and encourage consumers to buy them. Corporate America is in the business of shaping public opinion to achieve desired results, which are presumably greater sales and market share. The Army has also recognized a need to shape public opinion. Most familiar is the "Army Strong" theme and recruiting efforts aimed at the enlistment-eligible population. Army leadership has identified the need to more effectively communicate strategic themes as well. Spearheading this effort is the Office of Public Affairs in conjunction with the recently established Strategic Communication Coordination Group (SCCG), whose goal is to unify Army strategic communication in support of The Army Plan. The need for these thrusts is difficult to argue against, but their scope and breadth bear closer scrutiny. This paper explores Army efforts to shape public opinion via strategic communication and contrasts them with efforts by industry to do the same. Common themes from numerous industry case studies are identified and compared with the Army's approach, revealing omissions and lessons learned from industry's example. The paper concludes with strategic communication recommendations for senior Army leadership to consider.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 24, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA493826
Entities
People
- Kenneth R. Tarcza
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin