STATE OF PLAY
Even though U.S., Mexican, and Canadian leaders signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Congress needed to ratify the treaty for it to take effect. The Republican Administration threatened to withdraw from the existing NAFTA if Congress didn’t approve USMCA.
ACTION
Narrative developed and implemented a comprehensive plan supporting final approval of the USMCA trade agreement. We built the messaging framework that drove a full-scale advocacy and public affairs campaign, incorporating research and data, media relations, advertising, member relations, and digital strategy to engage lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the importance of ratifying the largest trade agreement in a quarter century.
Message Development – Utilized focus group research and polling data to identify the most effective messaging points for both Congressional Republicans and Democrats. These messages were the foundation for a USMCA Playbook that was distributed to our client’s member companies to inform their CEOs and employees to communicate with lawmakers from both the industry leader and grassroots level. Narrative built messages, sample internal and external communications, contact lists, industry-specific summaries of key provisions, and action checklists so member companies could efficiently activate voices throughout their leadership team, workforce, and supply chain. Messaging was continually evaluated and updated, with new polling questions drafted throughout the campaign, to reflect shifts in public and lawmaker perception.
Content Production – Developed both internal and external communications collateral, including copy for Phone2Action campaigns; digital advertising copy; radio ad scripts; action alerts, toolkits, and other member communications; press releases and statements for reporters; weekly social media content, and website content.
Landscape Analysis – Tracked all public Congressional support for USMCA in real time, provided comprehensive whip lists for both the House and Senate on a daily basis, and tracked all media buys from opposition groups. These analyses allowed us to double down on our efforts where needed and be nimble when the landscape shifted.
IMPACT
USMCA passed in both the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law, thanks in part to sustained advocacy collateral and timely content produced by our team.
