Main Street Contract for the American People 2011 Communications Plan

The Main Street Contract for the American People is a nationwide campaign created by National Nurses United to reverse national priorities and policies that have placed the interests of Wall Street over the economic crisis facing American families today. The Main Street Contract campaign is being spearheaded in Michigan by the Michigan Nurses Association, which has 11,000 members who work in 60 Michigan facilities. The University of Michigan and Sparrow Hospital are their largest facilities, and they have strong concentrations of members in Lapeer, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Alpena, Marquette and throughout the Upper Peninsula. The goal of the Main Street Contract is to chart a new contract for the American peoplefor a better life today and a more secure future for our children and future generations tomorrow. The Main Street Contract is a pledge to the nation that includes seven key provisions: Jobs at living wages for everyone Guaranteed healthcare for all A secure retirement, with the ability to retire in dignity Equal access to a quality education Good housing and protection from hunger A just taxation system where corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share A safe, clean and healthy environment Politicians at the state and national level have continued to put Wall Street and big business ahead of Americas and Michigans working people. The foundation that Michigans economy was built on and that created the middle class in America is being eroded, as the states working families are enduring high unemployment, low wages, exorbitant healthcare costs, severe school cuts, increased poverty and foreclosure rates, a degraded and endangered environment and a tenuous retirement. Meanwhile, government continues to cater to Wall Street, deep-pocketed special interests and wealthy CEOs. Through lobbying, grassroots organizing, citizen activism, third party support and an aggressive communications and media relations effort, the Main Street Contract seeks to change that, bringing the power back to the people and returning the state and the nations priorities back to where they belong. The Main Street Contract campaign effort in Michigan will seek to reach audiences across Michigan and in every corner of the state with their message of hope and security, with a primary focus on the major metropolitan areas and media markets. The Main Street Contract campaign stands to be a significant facet of the ongoing political conversation and upcoming state and national campaign cycle in the state, culminating in September 2012. Some overarching message and other considerations:

While messaging and structure must remain relatively consistent with the national campaign, tweaks should be considered to address the following challenges: 1) Main Street Contract may be a difficult metaphor to carry through a campaign; its a dry, businesslike legal term that may be tough for the average person to relate to; trying to reclaim a corporate term can have mixed success. In addition, while a contract is a two-way document, the campaign does not identify the parties involved. Also, for some, Contract for the American People conjures up the Bush-era Contract on America, which could prove distracting. Suggested solution, since rebranding is not an option: Add a tagline Main Street Contract for the American People: Its Our Turn. Its Our Turn evokes the anger and betrayal that people feel. Injecting emotion, inclusiveness and an usversus-them mentality will add fuel and identity to the campaign. Its Our Turn also fits well with the Bill of Rights theme that the campaign plays at the edges of, at least nationally: Corporations have more rights than the American people, and thats wrong. Its time for us to have our turn. The villain can also change as the narrative requires: elected officials, conservatives on the campaign trail, corporations that outsource or pollute, special interest groups, etc. b) The ask is unclear. The campaign uses the terms charting a new contract, chart a better life, and pledge to the nation. There is a resolution form (with two separate resolution paragraphs) and an endorsement form. Suggested solution: Ask for one initial action (sign the form endorsing the campaign) and refer to it by only one term (rather than interchanging endorsement, form and pledge). Use the resolution as only an information sheet/affirmation.

Campaign Goals:
The goals of the Main Street Contract communications campaign in Michigan would be: 1. Have at least 150 organizations and businesses sign the Main Street Contract campaign endorsement form over the next twelve months. 2. Build visibility and public support in Michigan for the Contract through earned and social media and other online tools as well as some targeted paid media.

Campaign Objectives:
In order to reach the goals of the Main Street Contract campaign in Michigan, the campaign must secure widespread support for and endorsement of the Contract and active participation in its promotion by related stakeholders and third party organizations; garner significant attention and ongoing coverage in the mainstream, niche and social media on the Contract; generate significant interest and engagement in the general public, and most importantly in the demographics most affected by the Contract, to call for action on the issues included in the Contract. Secure the endorsement of the Main Street Contract by all of Michigans sitting Democratic national legislators and permission to use their name in support and possible participation in events.

Get at least three positive editorials from Michigan newspapers supporting the Main Street Contract. Place three to five Letters to the Editor supporting the Main Street Contract in Michigan newspapers each month. Garner positive media coverage of campaign rollout, achieving one hit per medium (print, radio and TV), per market. Achieve ongoing media coverage of the Main Street Contract, generating three positive stories per event and one positive story per press release. Create a Facebook Fan Page for the Main Street Contract in Michigan and achieve 1,000 Fans. Establish a list of 5,000 e-mail supporters and communicate with them on a monthly basis, providing updates on activities and events, action items, legislative progress and media coverage.

Research:
Progress Michigan has a variety of resources and capabilities that can assist with the quantitative and qualitative research necessary to successfully complete and execute this plan and achieve the stated goals and objectives. Quantitative Research: Survey the current political climate and polling and see what issues are currently resonating with voters, especially in Michigan. Send e-mail survey to Progress Michigans 70,000 online activists and ask whether they feel the responsibility for tackling Michigans economic woes rests more with the federal or state government, what their approval rating for Governor Snyder, Congress and President Obama is and how they would rank the seven priorities of the Main Street Contract in order of importance to them. Qualitative Research: Conduct focus groups with registered voters from various demographics to test key messages, concerns and priorities among the pieces of the Main Street Contract. While the Main Street campaign is still in its infancy, work with National Nurses United and any other state groups that have undertaken the Main Street Contract campaign to see what their response and participation has been, how partner groups and businesses have reacted to the campaign, and what feedback they are receiving from the media. Coordinate with National Nurses United to compile legislative and policy research that has possibly already been conducted on the seven issue elements of the Main Street Contract.

Target Audiences:
In order to effectively achieve our goals and objectives, the following key audiences must be reached and engaged. While the Main Street Contract should resonate with these audiences as a whole, they each have key concerns that are of particular interest. Internal Audiences:

Michigan Nurses Association staff, Board of Directors, Congresses and Committee members, Local Bargaining Units and members

External Audiences: Other interested Healthcare Organizations Labor Organizations (UAW, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU, UFCW and their Locals and Local Bargaining Units) Senior Organizations (AARP, Area Agencies on Aging) Education Groups (MEA, AFT and their local chapters, possibly ECIC) Human Services Groups (Michigan League for Human Services, local United Ways, possibly the Michigan Catholic Conference) Environmental Groups (Sierra Club, MEC, Clean Water Action) Other Progressive and/or Affected Groups (NAACP, Planned Parenthood, Equality Michigan, Michigan Association for Justice, possibly the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, Michigan State Police Troopers Association, Michigan Professional Firefighters Union and other law enforcement and fire protection groups, Veterans organizations including VFWs, American Legions and veterans homes) Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs and other Business Groups Small Business Owners Blue Collar Workers and Union Households Educators and School Workers Senior Citizens Parents Working Families Unemployed Workers State and National Legislators State Democrats News Media Activists and Progressive Community Michigan Citizens

Messages:
To motivate our target audiences to be enthusiastic and get involved in the Main Street Contract campaign and take action, we must develop a key message that universally galvanizes all audiences and secondary messages on the more specific interest areas and concerns of the individual audiences. Key Message: The Main Street Contract calls on our state and federal government to stop serving Wall Street over Michigan families and to uphold the values that made Michigan who we are and will get us back to where we need to be. The Main Street Contract for the American People: Its Our Turn. Secondary Messages:

In these tough times of low wages and high unemployment, everyone deserves a job at a living wage and the attack on Michigans middle class and union workers must stop. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and should be guaranteed for all Michigan citizens from our kids to our seniors. Michigans seniors worked hard to build a life here, and deserve to be able to retire in dignity and with financial security. Our children deserve equal access to a quality education, but instead Michigans schools are being cut and our teachers are being made the scapegoat. Michigans economic struggles have led to a foreclosure crisis and drastic increases in poverty, and we need to make sure our citizens and their families have access to good housing and protection from hunger. Corporate profits and CEO salaries continue to skyrocket while the rest of the state and country suffer, and its time for a just taxation system where corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share. Michigans known for its Great Lakes and abundant natural resources, but the hope for a safe, clean and healthy environment is constantly under attack as environmental quality standards are cut to benefit Big Business.

Communication Tools and Tactics:

Campaign Rollout
Launch of the campaign will consist of same-day coordinated press conferences and a branded website. All messaging, communications and organizing should be made relevant to Michigan, as one of the states that has been hardest hit by the recession, attacks on workers and erosion of the middle class. Press conferences will be held in key media markets, including Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, Detroit, Macomb County, Oakland County and Marquette. They will emphasize the broad, coalition-based, grassroots nature of campaign; lead speaker would be a local nurse designated as a capable spokesperson by the MNA or prepped by Progress Michigan; other speakers would be a local small business owner and local members of labor, environmental, womens health and social justice organizations they should tell compelling stories; have a good turnout of members of partner organizations as background. Press conferences should be held at sites that evoke the impact of the current contract, such as a foreclosed home (with vetted local resident with story), closed school, closed factory, building that houses a corporation that did not pay its taxes or fair share of taxes (as long as it is not a local employer). Press packets should include facts provided by Media Matters and the Center for American Progress (cite original sources to avoid appearance of bias); all material in packets should also be available on the website at the time of the press conference, for journalists convenience. All stories, speakers, and information should be localized as much as possible to make the event/campaign more attractive to local news outlets; in press releases, if possible, provide quotes from local affected real

people so journalists have a ready source and can sell story to editor; be prepared to get reporter in touch with that person. A possible visual element could be a Main Street-type standup/backdrop of homes and people that can travel. It would list the elements of the contract and have plenty of room for people to sign. Signing would be an action that people could take at rallies/protests and wherever the campaign stops. Taking concrete action increases buy-in. (Producing this visual element requires a financial commitment that may require some creative thinking.) Another idea would be producing large replicas of the current Wall Street Contract and the Main Street Contract and ripping up the Wall Street Contract at events. The website will be created by Progress Michigan with the Main Street Contract logo and brand. The site will include: Email button to sign up to endorse the campaign new subscriber should receive a screen with thank you and tell a friend email setup Videos and short write-ups of stories of affected people Tell your story in writing or submit a video Twitter feed from account: @MainStContract News feed from Facebook fan page: Main Street Contract YouTube channel: Main Street Contract News tab, About tab Downloadable sign to print for home or car window: Main Street Contract for the American People: Its Our Turn with URL of website

Reaching the goals and objectives for the Main Street Contract campaign in Michigan will require the aggressive, extensive and effective use of ongoing communication tools and tactics including: Organizing/Field Activities: Letter of Support: Write a letter soliciting support for the Main Street Contract and submit it to the heads of all related third party organizations with a stake in the seven provisions covered by the Contract. Set follow up meetings to firm up commitments and discuss involvement and participation. Partner E-mail: Write an e-mail call to action to share with partner groups for distribution to their members and heads of their local unions and chapters. Partner Article: Write an article for partner groups to include in their member newsletters, magazines, E-newsletters and other publications. Media Training: Conduct media and speakers training with the Michigan Nurses Associations messengers and similar representatives from other organizations. Public Speaking Engagements: Reach out to local Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs and other business organizations to find friendly groups that might allow a speaker to come in and present on the Main Street Contract and encourage businesses to sign up. Strategic Partner Program: Identify 10-20 key community/group leaders and ask them to become Strategic Partners in promoting the Main Street Contract. These leaders would lend their names and support to the effort and could be used for earned media efforts and appearances. Local Business Participation: Work with local County Democratic Parties and Chambers of Commerce to distribute information on the Contract and secure support from local businesses, both in signing the pledge and in participating in earned media activities. Personal Testimonials: Through online activities and coordination with partner groups, identify individuals who are willing to provide testimonials for the importance of the Main Street Contract: workers, families with healthcare concerns, seniors, teachers and parents, families affected by foreclosure and poverty, local business owners and environmentalists and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Doors: Work with Clean Water Action and other organizations involved with canvassing to coordinate promotion of the Main Street Contract as part of their work. Town Hall Meetings: Town hall meetings are a good way to engage the public AND get media attention. They could be particularly targeted to small business owners to discuss the Main Street Contract and encourage them to sign the pledge. Earned Media: Press Releases: Write and distribute one to two items each month, or as hooks arise; releases should focus on Contract activities and events, comments on relevant and timely legislation at the state and federal level, both positive or negative in relation to the provisions in the Contract, milestone reports on Contract activitiesprogress on pledge signatures, endorsements; niche media including ethnic, labor, senior, environmental and political outlets are key to this effort as well. Other hooks could include national stories on issues, federal and state unemployment numbers, state or national reports on education, foreclosure,

poverty, start of school year, when seniors begin filling out taxes, holidays (Labor Day, Veterans Day, Grandparents Day, Tax Day, Earth Day). Follow Up Press Conferences/Targeted Releases: After the initial rollout of the campaign, additional press conferences should be scheduled every two months reaching out to other media markets (Muskegon, Alpena) and with a more targeted focus on one provision in the Contract. (Ex. Holding a press conference in Muskegon with environmental groups and local concerned citizens to speak specifically to the need to maintain a safe, clean and healthy environment.) Could coordinate events in line with pertinent news hooks as discussed above. OpEds & Guest Columns: The Contract campaign should regularly offer guest opinion columns to newspaper outlets statewide on Contract efforts, from organizational supporters, local business owners and concerned citizens. These can be broad promoting the campaign as a whole, or discussing one of its provisions. Targeted columns should also be written and offered to senior, labor, environmental and other niche publications. Letters to the Editor: Draft sample Letters to the Editor or supplemental talking points in support of Contract goals to be offered to Contract participants and supporters to submit. They should also be encouraged to develop and administer their own Letters to the Editor campaigns on through their organizations and at the local level. Submitted locally every other week, or more frequently when appropriate (relevant legislation introduced, up for a vote, etc.) Letters should be coordinated with media events and coverage and OpEd placement. Editorial Board Meetings/Calls: Assist in scheduling editorial board meetings for Contract leads at major news outlets across the state, focusing on the 10 to 15 largest Michigan daily newspapers. Ideally, three to five positive editorials will be secured from these meetings and will develop relationships to assist with pitching OpEds at a later date. Informal reporter coffee meetings can also be scheduled regarding Contract legislative updates. Public Affairs TV Appearances: With the buzz around statewide and nationalespecially the 2012 presidentialelections, metropolitan public affairs TV programs will be an excellent avenue for discussing the Contracts goals and promoting them to a captive and engaged audience. We can also work with legislators to appear on their cable shows (see below). Broadcast Media: Radio interviews should be scheduled at key points in the campaign, with a focus on high-volume talk radio stations around the state. These interviews reach a prime target audience of politically-minded individuals, but will require significant flexibility and commitment as many of these programs are in the early morning and after work drive time slots. Milestone Reports: Periodically release milestone reports updating progress being made in implementing the goals of our strategic plan. These can be used in a multitude of formats, both traditional and new: press releases, press conferences, E-newsletters, Facebook posts, Tweets, and blog posts.

Electronic Communications: The Main Street Contract campaign will coordinate in-house expertise with the Michigan Nurses Associations Internet technology staffer to make use of social media tools to organize online activists and promote the objectives of the Contract. E-Mail Blasts: Send an e-mail survey on the issues covered by the Main Street Contract to Progress Michigans list of 70,000 online activists. Follow up with an e-mail announcing the Main Street Contract and encouraging support. Can continue to intermittently e-mail this

group in relation to rallies and media events while also trying to build a separate e-mail list specific to those interested in the Main Street Contract. E-Newsletter: Establish a list of 5,000 e-mail supporters and communicate with them on a monthly basis, providing updates on activities and events, action items, legislative progress and media coverage. Create Website: Develop and maintain a Main Street Contract website (www.mimainstreet.com) repurposing the existing content on www.minurses.org. This new website can include an online pledge form for signing the contract, a Contact Information field to secure personal information and e-mail addresses of interested parties, news coverage, videos and other activities. With an independent website, we can also develop a link/ad for other member groups to include on their websites. Tired of Wall Street? Then Meet Me on Main Streetto Stand Up for Michigan Workers (Seniors, Schools) and the link. Blogs: Develop active blog on Contract website; work with blogging community to highlight Contract activities and goals; coordinate cross-promotion of blogs and news releases; have campaign supporters post on outside, relevant blogs. Countdown Clocks: Create countdown clocks on relevant legislation for use on Contract website. Can be used to denote time left for action on certain legislation, time that has passed since bills have been introduced or time until certain legislation (Pension Tax) goes into effect. Facebook Page: Develop a Main Street Contract Facebook Fan Page to rally citizens, update supporters on events and activities and link to recent blogs, news coverage, etc. Encourage supporters to post a link in their status: Tired of Wall Street? Then Meet Me on Main Streetto Stand Up for Michigan Workers (Seniors, Schools) and the link. Could also suggest personalized promotion: Im a Main Street mom (biz, worker, teacher). Twitter Account: Develop a Twitter handle related to the website domain name and send out Tweets on call for signatures, media coverage and important issues. Flash Mobs/Meetups: Organize a flash mob where people across Michigan are encouraged to meet and rally at a coordinated date and time on Main Street in their town, or coordinate Main Street Meetups where interested supporters can gather for events. In Lansing, the event could include meeting on Main Street and marching to the Capitol. (Possible messaging: Marching Down Main Street, Meet me on Main Street; Follow me to Main Street; Take Back my Main Street). Could also organize a Flash Shop like a flash mob where supporters descend on a specific town or business district to spend their money, while promoting the Main Street Contract to the businesses and encourage them to participate (Buying Power to the People: Our Money, Our Vote).

Paid Communication: The Main Street Contract campaign has a budget of $50,000 for paid advertising. The following are suggestions on possible ways to appropriate that money. Google Ads: Advertising money can be spent with Google to promote the new website and keep it at the top of searches relative to major issues in Michigan like unemployment, universal health care, pension tax and school cuts.

MichLib Sponsorship: Sponsor MichiganLiberal.com for a day or week. This reaches a politically-active, uber-engaged and tech-savvy audience that can help promote the Main Street Contract website and pledge. Targeted Radio Advertising: Pursue some targeted radio advertising during political programming during heavy drive time, like The Big Show with Michael Patrick Shiels on WJIM 1240 AM (with several affiliates around the state). Outdoor Advertising: Look into costs associated with outdoor advertising on 127 and 96/496 to consider purchasing timely billboards in relation to specific legislative issues to remind legislators that The Road to the Capitol is Main Street, not Wall Street on their way in.

Evaluation:
The success of the Main Street Contract communications effort and campaign as a whole will be determined by comparing thorough, quantifiable results to our clearly stated goals and objectives. Stakeholders: How did your stakeholders react? How many organizations signed the Main Street Contract pledge? How many businesses signed the pledge? From what regions? Did elected officials make endorsements of the Main Street Campaign? How many? Were any pieces of legislation passed that can be directly connected to the campaign effort? Was the campaign considered successful on the national level? In other states? Media Coverage: How much coverage did you receive? Were the number of stories placed commensurate with stated objectives? What was the tone of that coverage (positive/negative)? Which media outlets was the coverage in? Where in those outlets (placement)? Whats the audience of those placements? Did you achieve the desired visuals? Did they pick up your key messages? Were your spokespeople quoted? Were the mentions of your initiative the focus of the coverage, or a side note? Interactive: How many visitors saw your content? How long did they spend on the site? What pages did they visit? How many Facebook supporters were achieved? Were they interactive and responsive? How many Twitter followers were accumulated?