To Trump the Competition, Frame the Fight

Framing the issues, defining the enemy matters in redefining the competition and rallying your followers.

The US Republican Party, presidential candidates, and their advisers are struggling right now, to find a way to deal with the unexpected surge engineered by Donald Trump. But what the narcissist real-estate mogul, celebrity judge of The Apprentice has been doing is nothing new. Compared to the rest in the field, Trump is simply better at connecting with the frustrations on the ground, defining the issues and framing the 'enemies' with controversial and at times, outrageous statements. The case he is making is: the politicians have failed you, let someone who has found personal success, lead the highest office in the land so that the US can win again. According to the latest poll, by Economist/YouGov, 28% of registered voters who identified themselves as Republicans would choose him as their nominee for the US presidential ticket.

The effects of effective framing will only last for a while

Karl Rove, the political strategist who helped George W. Bush succeed in two presidential elections would probably advise the other 15 candidates to do a better job at framing the issues and the enemy. After all, that was how he helped Bush beat his last contender by framing John Kerry as a flip-flopper. 

Obviously just being good at framing the enemy is not enough, one must be able to follow up with your own solutions, or else after a while, whatever support that you have built up will simply fade away. Pope Francis, an excellent operator in framing his enemies; in his case, the Devil whose work according to the Pontiff can be seen in unbridled capitalism or greedy capitalists - seems to be facing that problem when the latest poll indicated that his support among Catholics in the US seems to have taken a hit. Not that the Pope should to be concerned, since he is the last absolute monarch in the West and his address does not carry a US postal code. But it just shows that whatever goodwill one has built up from effectively framing the issues can only last a while. After that, the real action has to kick in. So if Trump wishes to take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he needs to come up with some concrete plans soon or else he will be fired himself.

The systemic method to define the fight and frame the enemy

Too many business leaders use generic statements to define their strategy: we are here for a better environment, we promise you great customer service or we aim to innovate to deliver solutions for the future. The problem is: these are the things that you are supposed to do anyway. Sounds like the standard pitch that many of the US presidential candidates are making: we will deliver a better America, every American needs a champion and I want to be your champion.  The question is, what are you fighting for? So many business, political or organizational strategies are communicated so poorly these days that they do not galvanize, raise the tension in the room and get people to stand on their feet. That is also why most strategies fail because they are so insignificant.

In our work to help CEOs redefine the issues so as to change the competitive landscape and rally their followers, we have found that the following approach works:

Step 1: How to frame effectively

One person who was great at defining the fight and framing the enemy effectively is Steve Jobs. From the earliest days of Apple and over the years, Steve managed to define the fights and the enemies that the company has to overcome in every age. In the earliest days, Steve framed IBM as this large behemoth aimed at the total annihilation of creative thinking (impersonal computers versus the personal Mac), then for a long while it was Microsoft, the uncreative giant and just before he died, he framed Google as the greedy thief, the next Microsoft. But the fight between Apple and Microsoft was so long that it defined the PC battle for quite a while. And Apple had a lot of interests to keep that battle alive as it helped the company stay relevant as it only commanded a small market share in the PC market then. Here is a video which showed how Apple cleverly played up the fight with Microsoft which in turn drove sales for the Mac - which ironically is actually another personal computer (PC).

 Framing is obviously easier said than done, so to be effective in this art form, the following factors will matter:

1. What frustration or problem are you addressing?
2. Who is the most obvious personality or entity associated with that problem?
3. Do you have a clear alternative solution that will give you the greatest contrast versus this personality or entity?

In Apple's case, the frustration that the Mac was addressing is this uncoordinated and stressful experience of using the PC because of the compatibility issues caused by multiple vendors. Microsoft became the obvious candidate because the software it provided was the common denominator for all of the PCs out there. Apple could not compare its products with only HP though, at that time, it was the largest PC maker. And because Apple had both hardware and software, it can ensure a more seamless and integrated experience, this provided that obvious contrast. So, in this case, it worked extremely well. This framing approach paved the way for Apple to introduce the iPhone. Again, in this case, consumers were suffering from horrible user experiences and Apple had to do something to save them.

Poor execution in reinforcing the spotlight on the battle or being distracted by another issue are common causes for failure.

Step 2: Keeping it in the mind - Conditioning

In our experiences with clients, the number one reason why they tend to fail even after they have successfully framed the fight is the lack of discipline to keep up with it. Poor execution in reinforcing the spotlight on the battle or being distracted by another issue are common causes for failure. In Apple's case, they succeeded because they tend to be disciplined in follow-through by redefining the battle for years, just to ensure that customers understand what the battle is all about. From ads,  marketing copy to product launches, they never fail to emphasize their focus on good and well-coordinated user-experience versus the stressful experience provided by other brands.

To Steve, it was not so much about the competition but something fundamental, the essence of the role of the PC as a tool for the mind rather than for productivity alone. To Steve Jobs, the PC is definitely more than just a product. So this inherent belief that design matters, not merely for packaging or to sell but to enlighten, to delight and to unite, enabled Apple to consistently focus on what this battle is truly about.

Therefore to condition effectively, ask yourself:

1. Is this a battle that you believe in fundamentally or is it just a spin?
2. Are you using all ways and means to educate your insiders, followers, and the market to share your belief?
3. Review what you say and how your company communicate, are you conditioning consistently?

Who am I to judge? - Pope Francis

Step 3: Respect your followers, engage them at their level.

Pope Francis understands the power of his gestures so the powerful phrase: "Who am I to judge?" had a powerful effect of redefining the relationship between him and his 1.2 billion flock. But in effect, it also opened doors for him as more people outside of his flock became open to his message. According to a report measuring who is the most influential twitter user on earth, the pontiff came out tops. He has fewer twitter followers than Obama but on average his tweets get retweeted 9,929 times compared to the US President whose tweets get an average retweet of 1,210. This shows that the Pope's message approach of getting his message across - his desire that the church becomes more like a field hospital -  is working.

This next step of engagement is the most important and we are not just talking about social media but about the fight that you have defined. It is about building a movement based on the issues that you have raised. Steve Jobs beliefs and design-led principles obviously had an effect because when he died, there was an almost universal outpouring of grief over his death which was unprecedented for a tech mogul who wasn't even a philanthropist or even any business man.

Steve Jobs and Pope Francis share something in common, they were willing to speak the language of the common folks. The way, Apple communicates its products tends to be simpler and less about confusing you with multiple product models as if everyone is a tech nerd. Similarly, Pope Francis speaks with large crowds in a folksy manner as if both of you are having coffee instead of being a professor teaching theology.

Both men understood how important it is for people to understand complex issues in simple ways. So at Apple, you have the Genius bar where staff at Apple can show you how amazing and useful Apple products are. It is one of the reasons why the Apple stores are the best performing retail business in the world. Pope Francis is launching the Holy Year of Mercy and to make sure that his message of mercy got through, he has appointed a special army of priests of mercy who will spread that message throughout the world.

 To find out if you are engaging your followers in a respectful manner, follow this checklist:

1. Are you putting yourself in the shoes of your followers on the issues that you have raised?
2. Are you allowing them to participate in any meaningful way such as learning or volunteering?
3. Are you communicating with them in a way that they will understand or are you simply following a template or script?

At the end of the day, the victory cannot be all about you or your organization, it has to be about your followers.

Step 4: Give them something to own - Takeaway

If you set out to define the fight then you have got to be prepared to share the spoils. At the end of the day, the victory cannot be all about you or your organization, it has to be about your followers. It will be interesting to see how Donald Trump manage this last part. Obama won in his first electoral challenge to be President largely because he managed to include the aspirations of minorities unto his own.

A successful takeaway has the following signs:

1. Do the followers believe that this battle or movement belongs to them?
2. Do the followers take up the cause and contribute?
3. Do some followers emerge as leaders and help to lead the movement?

Obama's second victory was shaped by a large volunteer organisation who managed to turn out the voters to support his re-election. Donald Trump may have all the money, but he will still need a movement to ensure that his cause will triumph. Steve Jobs understood this and he constantly cultivated a growing cult around Apple. It has become the norm to expect lines outside Apple stores whenever the tech giant launches a new product, so the latest understated launch of the Apple watch may have been a wrong move.

Ultimately, a war without followers who believe in the fight is not worth fighting for. Too many companies produce meaningless scripts, adding to the din of an already noisy world. It is time to give clarify, define the fight, identify the enemy and rally followers. This is what disruption means, to redefine so as to shape the outcomes to your favor.

About Consulus

Since 2004, our fight has been about helping organizations find meaningful purpose so as to shape a better world. We have redesigned countless businesses to help them define a creative purpose and redesigned their organisational structures and experiences to drive growth and innovation in over 18 cities in the world. Read about our business design solution that has changed the destinies of many Asian firms - PurposeCore programme

About Lawrence Chong

He is the Co-founder and CEO of Consulus, an innovation consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary design capabilities. Lawrence is a featured speaker at global events such as World Marketing Summit and World Brand Congress. He is the Immediate Past President of Design Business Chamber Singapore. His thoughts on innovation and creativity appear frequently in regional media such as Marketing Magazine, and VTC10. In his personal capacity, he is a member of the Focolare, working for peace through dialogue with friends from all faiths.