MassACT!: Public Affairs, Messaging

In 2005, the Massachusetts Affordable Care Today! coalition prepared to launch a ballot referendum to create health care coverage for more than half a million Massachusetts residents who had no health insurance. Ultimately, 2,000 volunteers gathered nearly 140,000 signatures in favor of the Massachusetts Quality Affordable Health Care Act.

To prepare for a media campaign that would accompany the signature drive, MassACT! partnered with Mills & Company to develop messaging that would resonate with media audiences, as well as the general public.

Because the proposed law touched on a diverse range of issues and interests – including, care for children and elders; sliding scale assistance, small business coverage, increased taxpayer costs – the MassACT! was challenged to encompass its core message without losing focus of the overall program.

Working closely with MassACT!'s campaign managers, Mills & Company successfully developed a messaging strategy that assured the coalition of clarity and power in all of its public pronouncements The coalition used this message in its media outreach campaign, which helped build momentum for a campaign that changed the face of Massachusetts' health care industry .

• Client requirements
  • Messaging to support grassroots coalition's ballot referendum regarding health care reform to Massachusetts
• Challenges
  • Coalition lacked clear message
  • Messaging reflected diverse nature of organization, which included labor activists, religious institutions, health advocates, business leaders, elected officials and civic organizations, and multi-faceted ballot question
  • Four week time frame
• Strategy
  • Develop clear, concise messaging that streamlined multiple issues into a rallying call
  • Enlist key stakeholders in coalition to support simplified messaging, using existing data from polls, focus groups, and feedback from government officials
• Execution
  • Aggressive message development over a four-week span
  • Face-to-face stakeholder engagement to ensure buy-in of messaging
• Results
  • Messaging developed for use in coordination with media campaign surrounding signature gathering efforts
  • Coalition, which collected nearly 140,000 signatures, used messaging as platform to address media audiences
  • Momentum of campaign resulted in passage of Massachusetts' historic health reform law, negating need for ballot referendum
  • New law expanded affordable health insurance coverage for Massachusetts' residents and restored certain benefits for low- to moderate-income residents