Joseph Lavoie’s Post

Let's be honest: most of us don't put in the time to write a good creative brief. Then we wonder why the creative missed the mark. Let's fix that with a detailed creative brief that gives your team the clarity they need to produce amazing work. In tomorrow's edition of 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙄, I've got a 6-prompt guide to help you write a detailed creative brief. You'll have to put in some work, but you'll get to use ChatGPT to make the brief even better. Only available to premium subscribers. Feel left out? You can subscribe with the link in the comments. 👇👇👇

👇This is why I had Christine on the show this week. Full uncut interview is out now: https://lnkd.in/geHzaqM4

The possibilities are endless:

Electoral maps matter. Case in point: To understand how Labour will govern in the UK after last week's big win, you need to understand the constituencies where the party made surprising gains. Don't take it from me. Take it from Christine Quigley. She knows Labour politics unlike anyone else in the UK. She shared with me how the electoral map is shaped, and what it means for business leaders in the UK. Tomorrow I drop the uncut version of our full conversation. You'll need to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Search for "Business is Politics".

“How can we go viral with our campaign?” I cringe at that question. It comes from a good place—a desire to get your message out, change public opinion, and grow your cause. But in public affairs and regulatory campaigns, chasing virality is a misguided goal. Here’s the truth: Scaling a movement too quickly builds weak connections. You might get a burst of virality, but it rarely leads to real change. In public and regulatory affairs, we aim to create real change. That means changing people’s beliefs and behaviors, which doesn’t happen overnight. People change when they’re exposed to an idea repeatedly by people they relate to. So, what should we focus on? Building sustainable, redundant messaging through trusted networks. I stopped trying to build large grassroots movements quickly. Fast growth is built on weak connections and high churn rates. Instead, I methodically and slowly build movements with resilience and redundancy. I start at the periphery and work my way in. Contrary to popular advice—find the influencers first—I say no. Starting with the most connected influencers stalls the movement. We’re influenced by the ratio of people we know adopting a belief, not just the total number. Movements always start small. Often, they need to stay small before they can go big. I focus on overlapping networks of strong ties, not just reach. What’s your approach to building sustainable movements?

“Do I need to run a campaign?” I get this question a lot, especially when an organization is already knee-deep in advocacy efforts. First, let’s clarify: by advocacy, I mean lobbying. It’s crucial to differentiate between campaigning and advocacy because they serve distinct purposes. Campaigning involves public engagement to support policy goals. Whether it’s two people or two million, campaigns need public backing to succeed. Advocacy focuses on influencing decisions within political, economic, social, and regulatory institutions, often without public involvement. Understanding this distinction is key. So, what factors should you consider to determine the right approach for your objectives? I could bore you with a complex decision-making matrix, but it boils down to these three factors: 1. Need public support? Run a campaign. 2. Need to influence policy directly? Adopt an advocacy strategy. 3. Need both? Go for an integrated strategy combining campaigning with advocacy. Simple, right? Knowing when to campaign and when to advocate is essential for achieving your goals. What’s your experience with balancing these strategies?

My colleague Christine Quigley is brilliant:

Every business is in the business of politics. Spotify is a prime example. Spotify’s decision to bundle music with audiobooks has sparked a political battle. How? Let’s dive in. In the US, a 1909 law—yes, from over a century ago—is at the center of a conflict between songwriters and Spotify. Back then, Congress believed songwriters and music publishers had a monopoly on player piano rolls, so they mandated licensing with government-set royalty rates. Fast forward to today, and the law still impacts how bundled products (like music and audiobooks) are paid for. When Spotify reclassified its Premium subscriptions as bundles in March 2024, songwriters were hit hard—an estimated $150 million in lost royalties in the first year alone. Why? Spotify pays discounted bundle rates for premium streams, meaning lower royalties for songwriters. No surprise, the National Music Publishers Association is fighting back. They’ve filed a complaint with the FTC and are rallying state attorneys general to investigate. You might wonder, “Did Spotify give me a choice to opt out of this bundle?” That’s the crux of the Association’s argument—Spotify converted premium users to the bundle without explicit consent. This US debate has global implications. It could set a precedent affecting markets like Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and New Zealand. So, if you’re seeing calls to boycott Spotify on social media, now you know why. It’s very political.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆: When mobilizing a movement around your regulatory issue, you might think of rallying your consumers. After all, they buy your products and love your brand. But here’s the truth: your consumers might not care about your regulatory challenges or engage regulators on your behalf. It takes a special kind of person to dive into the political or regulatory process. It takes a citizen. 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀 know their rights and responsibilities go beyond buying power. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 pay attention to citizens, not consumers. If you want a favorable regulatory environment, consider focusing on citizens too.