Message Development
How campaigns craft the core narrative that tells voters who the candidate is, what they stand for, and why the election matters.
The Message Box
Every campaign needs a message that can be stated in one sentence. Not a policy platform, but a reason to vote. Obama 2008: 'Change we can believe in.' Trump 2016: 'Make America Great Again.' Macron 2017: 'En Marche,' a forward-looking break from the old left-right divide.
Campaign consultants use the 'message box,' a four-quadrant framework. The top-left is 'what we say about us' (our positive narrative). The top-right is 'what we say about them' (our attack on the opponent). The bottom-left is 'what they say about us' (their attack, which we must prepare for). The bottom-right is 'what they say about themselves' (their positive narrative, which we must undermine). A winning campaign controls all four quadrants.
