More in Common needed to spread word about their research study that explored the forces pulling Texans apart — and the shared values bringing them together — to create a brighter future for Texas.
More in Common US is a national nonprofit with a mission to build a more inclusive, united, and resilient America that can withstand the divisive forces of political polarization. With a belief that “the story of ‘us’ is more powerful than ‘us versus them,’” they launched the Threads of Texas research study. Through large-scale statewide surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and stakeholder engagement that explored Texas identity, values and beliefs, the future, and attitudes toward change, More in Common identified seven distinct groups of Texans—the seven Threads. These threads unveil a new way of understanding the political and cultural landscape of the state. Our assignment was to promote the study through earned media and engagement with civic, business, and political leaders. The long-term goal is to lower political divisiveness and helpTexans understand how their shared values and beliefs set the stage for navigating a bright future together.
We began by successfully negotiating an exclusive to break the story with theTexas Tribune, an influential, digital-first, nonpartisan media outlet that reports about public policy, politics, government, and statewide issues. We then identified business, civic, and political leaders across the state and arranged a series of virtual briefings about the study to preview the findings. Our request of leaders was to promote the study to their networks once the Tribune story broke. Additionally, we identified several statewide leaders who agreed to byline op-eds promoting the study and its findings that we placed in major dailies. Our work also included pitching for news coverage in media outlets across the state.
We recruited more than 50 leaders across the state for our series of preview briefings, with participants including statewide and local elected officials, business and academic leaders, as well as executives and board members from advocacy groups representing a range of political beliefs. The Texas Tribune broke the story, and their coverage was picked up by dozens of news outlets statewide. We placed op-eds and news stories in three major market Texas dailies, with one of them penning their own piece from their editorial board. Our outreach also secured news coverage on TV, radio, and in several secondary market dailies. Ultimately, we drove several news cycles about the study and its findings supporting More in Common’s ultimate goal of introducing a new and hopeful narrative about the political and cultural landscape of Texas.
