You won’t hear much about the merits.
You win or lose on an emotional level.
NIMBYism. Not a new concept. Not always straightforward, either.
The truth is, We see what we want to see. Or what others want us to see.
Sometimes people are upfront about motives: I’ve got mine, and I won’t give it up.
Like owners of oceanfront property in New Jersey who won’t let the government build a giant dune to protect communities from being flooded by rising seas. Why? It would ruin their view.
Other times, rationales seem contrived. Like environmentalists trying to stop oil-field equipment from being trucked through Idaho to tar-sands projects in Canada. The stated reason: To protect “aesthetic, spiritual and recreational values” along the travel route, which includes tribal lands. No mention that environmentalists believe tar sands are filthy and oppose them on principle.
Similarly, starkly different visions of what to expect are presented by proponents and opponents. Like a proposed waterfront project in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. A rendering by architects for the developer shows eight clean, shimmering towers enhancing the Manhattan skyline. A rendering by critics shows dark, bloated buildings towering ominously against Manhattan.
Which rationale is legitimate? Whose view is true? Those are the wrong questions.
Ultimately, only one thing matters: Who wins? That depends on who’s perceived as most sympathetic, whose argument is most compelling, and who’s most persuasive.
Enter those who influence public opinion, including Crisis & Reputation Management.
Which tactics will work best — and which won’t?
Spite (à la the N.J. oceanfront homeowners) usually doesn’t win wide support. Neither does a philosophical battle balancing individual property rights versus public well-being.
The anti-tar-sands group is on the right track, appealing to hot buttons (aesthetics, sacred lands, recreation) that are difficult to oppose. They’d have a harder time selling their case as the perceived evil of tar sands versus the health of the economy and the public’s need for fuel.
The Greenpoint dispute is a straightforward appeal to the emotions of the project’s neighbors — to their hopes and their fears.
In none of the cases will you hear much talk about the actual merits. To triumph, you need to win over your constituency on an emotional level.
Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.
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We learn this lesson big time with trial juries. If a juror identifies with one of the parties, that’s what decides the case for that juror — — without regard to the facts. We had female judge once who had a crush on one of the very much younger attorneys. We got some crazy rulings from her in that case. The emotion factor applies across the boards.