Finding Common Ground: Old and New Supporters

How can you simultaneously meet the needs of both long-term and fledgling supporters in ways that don’t patronize or confuse anyone? Let’s apply common ground messaging theory to answer this question.

• Triggers: Long-term supporters value long-term relationships; repetitively explaining things that they already know will break trust. New supporters will feel alienated if they aren’t offered context in order to follow campaign updates.
• Common ground: Both groups share a desire to end animal suffering. Both groups support the organization’s mission. Both groups want to feel ‘in the know’.
• What to avoid: Explanations that sound like explanations will be off-putting to highly engaged supporters. References to issues without context will be confusing for new supporters.
• What to highlight: ‘Incidental’ explanations will serve to inform new supporters and double as ‘head nods’ to long-term supporters with higher levels of awareness. Both groups will be more motivated to act if they are casually reminded about why issues are important.

More examples

Here are some other scenarios where common ground theory can help make messaging more impactful and inclusive:

• Animal welfare lobbying
• Meat reduction messaging

From: Find common ground