We’ve found that the word “preparedness” isn’t the biggest problem, and shifting to “safety” isn’t the real answer. Trying to convince the majority of the public that they are not safe, and that they must do standardized recommended actions to be safe, is still an anxiety-producing, threat-based, negative message: You’ll still be fighting human nature with that approach.

The bigger problem is that as a nation we have blanketed the whole country (not a target market) with a generic message of doom, framing preparedness as “the thing you have to do because really bad things like disasters happen.” Funders and government officials have designated particular messengers — FEMA, Red Cross, Fire Departments, etc. — whose true expertise is in “disaster” RESPONSE for the masses, NOT in PREPARING specific people or communities during “peace time.”

Targets, Frames and Messengers matter. A lot.

Imagine if we blanketed the whole country, framing weight loss as “the thing you need to do to look like Paris Hilton” and then only funded messengers from diet supplement companies to speak and provide services. We’d reach a tiny fraction of the populace — and not those who need the message most. And for those taking action, is it really sustainable? Isn’t this just like the results of the majority of our national preparedness efforts?

Similarly, picture what would happen if we blanketed the nation with a generic message, framing sex as “the thing married people do when they want to have children” and then only funded and empowered religious organizations to offer sex education and related services. Targets, Frames and Messengers matter.

Those scenarios would sound crazy to most people. But in this country, over the last 2 decades, we have spent many BILLIONS — in dollars, in-kind donations, and in human hours — on preparedness campaigns and programs that have not worked, were never sustainable, and we have insisted on using the same disaster-focused messengers.

It is very exciting to read that FEMA and others are now seeing what nonprofits in the Bay Area have been pushing for over a decade now.

At CARD, we’ve gone for extreme targeting of messages; crafting relentlessly positive, fear-free framing; and the shameless empowerment of agencies serving the most vulnerable people in our communities.

For us, it’s not about getting ready for disasters — it’s about preparing communities to prosper!

Thanks for the informative article John!

Ana-Marie
http://www.LinkedIn.com/MsDuctTape
http://www.Twitter.com/CARDcanhelp