GROUND

🔥 Just two days until the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit! Are you ready to see what GROUND can do for your campaigns? 🚀 Imagine your storytelling powered by data, research, creativity, and cutting-edge #AI – sounds. Does that sound like something your brand could use?  You’re INVITED to get a taste of our dynamic storytelling, research-based platform #STORYHEAT with our live demos in the Georgetown Boardroom! Can you handle the HEAT? Join us! 💬 Plus, join our CEO David Rochkind on the panel, “The Future of Strategic Storytelling,” where we’ll dive deep into research-driven creativity, AI-powered innovation, and community engagement. This is where insights meet impact. Are you in? https://marcomsummit.co/ #MarCom #MarComSummit #GROUND #GroundMedia #Storyheat

Over $20M spent across 49 states—only to drive division. Our latest research uncovered something alarming: despite the heavy investment, Donald Trump’s recent anti-trans ad isn’t changing voter behavior. What it is doing, however, is making our country more dangerous for transgender people. Our randomized control trial on the Swayable platform revealed: 1. No measurable impact on who likely voters intend to vote for. 2. A significant decline in support for transgender acceptance across the board. 3. A sharp drop in policy support for healthcare access for transgender youth. This is more than just a bad political strategy—it’s a cynical misuse of messaging. By weaponizing transgender identity, these ads drive fear and division, without achieving any meaningful political goals. When we see results like this, it drives home the point that storytelling is a powerful tool for impact. There are gaps in everyone’s lived experience, and when the opposition fills those gaps with harmful lies, it becomes even harder to speak the truth. Every day, we must work to present authentic, honest, and powerful stories across the issues we care about. It's the most powerful tool we have to build the world we want to see. #StorytellingThatMatters #PoliticalStrategy #TransRights #GroundMedia #InclusiveCampaigns

Are you ready to make your campaign unstoppable? 🚀 After having the privilege of powering campaigns for brands like The Walt Disney Company and National Geographic, and being finalists in four categories in the The Anthem Awards, we are thrilled to share that GROUND is a platinum sponsor at the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit next week in Arlington, VA. Join us next Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at the Convene Conference Center in Arlington, VA, where you can experience first-hand demos of StoryHeat in the Roosevelt Room. PLUS, don’t miss our panel, “The Future of Strategic Storytelling: Research-Driven Creative, AI Integration, and Community Engagement,” from 11:45 to 12:30, featuring our CEO David Rochkind. Looking forward to seeing you there! https://marcomsummit.co/ #MarCom #MarComSummit #GROUND #GroundMedia #Storyheat

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! GROUND, in collaboration with GLAAD, has been named a finalist in 4 categories at the 4th Annual The Anthem Awards for our “Here We Are” campaign! And voting has commenced. As a finalist for the Anthem Community Voice Human & Civil Rights - Awareness Category, we would love your support!    We are excited to see this message reaching so many people and truly making a difference. It is an honor to see our campaign among the highest-scoring entries from 2,300 submissions. Winners will be announced on November 19, 2024, including the Anthem Community Voice Award. Here’s YOUR chance to have YOUR voice heard! 🗳️Vote for Ground Media and GLAAD’s Here We Are campaign until October 31, 2024. Your support can make a difference! Cast your vote on the Anthem Awards website. Support us: https://lnkd.in/eprd4nvw Check out the campaign: https://lnkd.in/eYd8ekwQ #HereWeAre #AnthemAwards #TransVisibility #DiversityEquityInclusion #GLAAD #GroundMedia #VoteNow #LGBTQAcceptance

GROUND is beyond excited to share that our trailblazing campaign, Here We Are, created in collaboration with GLAAD, is a finalist for four The Anthem Awards! 🎉 This campaign amplifies the voices and stories of extraordinary individuals who bravely share their lives, hoping for a safer and more inclusive world, like Nadya (picture below), who was named a 20 Under 20 Changemaker by Teen Vogue! 🌟 #anthemawards #hereweare #ground #gladd #storytellingforchange

Are Reproductive Rights a deciding factor in 2024? Campaigns have to do more than air the issues—they need to drive vote choice and energize undecided voters. How can a campaign balance the complexity of an issue with messaging that resonates across ideological divides? In our latest Stories That Win analysis with Swayable, we tested three ads from the Harris campaign focused on reproductive rights. Here's 3 Key Insights: 1) IVF Messaging Shifts the Electorate -An ad focused on IVF boosted Harris’s vote choice—even among moderate Republicans and 2020 Trump voters, opening a new door for persuading traditionally resistant voters. 2) Crucial Gains in Swing States - The ads significantly moved audiences in Rust Belt and Sun Belt States. - Framing reproductive rights around IVF can shift voter sentiment in battleground regions. 3) Emotional Storytelling Leads -Personal stories, especially around IVF, seemed to have more consistent impact. -Empathy and shared values are key drivers. ------------------------------ This is just the start. Want to see how strategic storytelling can reshape your campaign’s impact? Reach out for insights from our data-driven analysis.

Such a thrill to see Nadya using her powerful voice to advocate for a better world. "As an artist, I want to see more trans actors cast for traditional roles. I want to see stories about trans joy, the full spectrum of our experiences, and all the colors of our lives." We have loved getting to know her through the Here We Are campaign with GLAAD and will keep working to shine a light on her! https://lnkd.in/e7Sg4Tit

Shane Diamond is such a transformational leader and we love having a chance to collaborate with him and GLAAD. Our Founder and CEO, David Rochkind, had a chance to present a keynote with Shane about our groundbreaking Here We Are campaign at Gov. Hochul's 2024 LGBTQIA+ Convening, and we are excited to keep working on Here We Are in the coming years!

What can we learn from a campaign ad that actually drives away voters? Our latest Stories That Win analysis with our partners at Swayable show that a traditional Harris campaign ad actually causes backlash for Harris, whereas a story-based ad does make some important gains.   While most of us aren't directly involved in the presidential campaign, and I won’t presume to give advice on that front, many of us are working on crucial issue-based campaigns that we deeply believe in. Even if we’re not working on behalf of a future president, what lessons can we draw from this for our own work? Here are some key takeaways: Authenticity is Key: People respond far more powerfully to authenticity than to scripted messaging. Backlash is real: When the stakes are high any backlash could be decisive. From day one, research must guide the creative process. Political Change May Not Require Policy Messaging: Finding the right combination of words to insert into our messaging will not simply change people’s mind. Be clear on your goal: The only way to transform a mountain of research and creative ideas into a targeted and successful strategy is to have clarity on the ultimate goal. Check out the deck below, and comment or send me a message if you want the full report. —--------------- We know how complex and challenging it is to create campaign content. Since we weren’t involved in the decisions behind these ads, we approach this analysis with respect for the work already done and with recognition that we don’t hold all of the answers. It’s always easier to offer feedback than to create, and we’re mindful of that. Our focus is on providing constructive insights, not armchair analysis.   Follow along to see our next installment of Stories That Win.

Can storytelling help Harris win the campaign? Our latest installment of Stories That Win with our friends at Swayable helps us answer that question. What drives voter persuasion -storytelling or policy? We tested two ads with distinct approaches for Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign: A “character-driven” ad that highlights her personal journey and connects on an emotional level. A “policy-focused” ad that dives into her track record on border issues. The results? The character-driven ad made gains without generating backlash. It resonated across key demographics, particularly in regions where immigration is a top concern. The policy ad led to unintended consequences, causing backlash in some key constituencies and failing to motivate vote choice for Harris. Some of what we believe the data is telling us—and that we can all apply to our own campaigns: 1) Authenticity wins – Voters respond more to stories that feel genuine, not scripted. 2) Mind the backlash – Even well-crafted messages can backfire if they amplify perceived vulnerabilities. 3)Clarity is key – Focus on what truly matters: moving the needle on vote choice, not just delivering a message. The stakes have never been higher, and every vote counts ------ Learn how to change the way you tell stories, so you can tell stories that change the world. Click the follow button for our next Stories That Win release.