Ground Rules

A Practical Guide for Managing Your Message Mix

Even the best communicators can lose track of their message mix. Some messages are missing. Others are overused. A few may be working against each other without anyone noticing.

The Ground Rules offer a simple way to check your coverage. Each “ground” represents a type of message and a posture you can take in different situations. Together, they form a checklist you can use to:

• Audit your existing messages to find gaps or redundancies

• Plan campaigns with a full range of message types

• Train teams to recognize when and how to shift their communication stance

Think of them as building blocks for a comprehensive and adaptable message mix. Stay grounded my friends.

1. Ground Zero: Identity messages that establish where you stand. Your facts, values, and intent. Start here before you speak. This is where you plant your flag so there’s no confusion about who you are or what you represent. Example: Patagonia’s mission-driven statements on environmental activism make their values clear before any product pitch.
   

2. Ground Floor: Positioning messages that establish credibility from day one of a launch or initiative. Shape and own your narrative early. This is about setting the frame before someone else does it for you. Example: Apple’s “Think Different” campaign reframed its brand identity at the start of Steve Jobs’ return, setting a tone for future launches.
   

3. Groundswell: Messages that lean into momentum. When interest builds, amplify and engage to ride the wave. This is knowing when the wind is at your back and steering into it. Example: LEGO embraced adult fan enthusiasm on social media, fueling product collaborations and fan-designed sets.
   

4. Breaking New Ground: Messages for innovation. Push boundaries purposefully and earn trust before asking your audience to leap with you. This is about making the unfamiliar feel safe and exciting. Example: Nintendo’s launch of the Wii reframed video gaming as a social activity. Playful messages about simplicity and movement made the technology approachable to non-gamers.
   

5. Proving Ground: Messages that test new ideas or product concepts in a contained environment before scaling. This is about nurturing ideas, markets, or communities where growth can thrive. This is where you experiment without gambling the whole farm. Example: Starbucks pilots plant-based menu items in select markets before a nationwide rollout.
   

6. Boots on the Ground: Sales enablement messages. Equip frontline teams with the tools, stories, and language they can use immediately. This is where consistency becomes a force multiplier. Example: Salesforce providing industry-specific case studies and sales playbooks for its reps.
   

7. Common Ground: Messages that seek connection by finding shared language, values, and understanding with your audience. This is where you turn “us vs. them” into “we.” Example: Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign spoke to universal desires for authenticity and self-worth.
   

8. Middle Ground: Messages that bridge divides and build consensus between competing viewpoints. This is where you focus on what unites groups so that differences don’t define the conversation. Example: Microsoft’s “One Microsoft” initiative united internal teams around a shared vision after years of product silos.
   

9. Higher Ground: Messages that emphasize integrity. In times of tension or crisis, rise above noise and defensiveness. Lead with transparency and long-term thinking. This is about taking the long view and being the adult in the room. Example: During the fraudulent dot.com bubble, Charles Schwab leaned into messages about investor education and empowerment.
   

10. Ground Cover: Intentionally measured language used during sensitive negotiations, transitions, or high-stakes situations. This is how you say enough to reassure without saying so much you lose control of the outcome. Example: Disney’s cautious public statements during acquisition talks with 21st Century Fox, balancing legal constraints and market confidence.

    
    

Extended Field Guide – Situational Plays

The ten “Ground Rules” cover the essential message types. These additional “plays” address the situations you may encounter where standard messaging won’t be enough.

1. Ear to the Ground: Maintain active awareness of audience sentiment, market shifts, or competitor moves. Supplement messages with real-time intelligence. Example: Netflix adjusting its promotional messaging and scheduling based on social media buzz around breakout shows like Stranger Things.
   

2. Terra Firma: Messages that restore stability and reassurance after a crisis. This is how you help audiences feel steady and confident again. Example: After a surge of “Zoom-bombing” incidents disrupted public meetings, Zoom responded with new default security settings, a privacy overhaul, and user education to restore confidence in the platform.
   

3.  Stand Your Ground: Defend your reputation and core principles when they’re under challenge. This is where you signal that some lines aren’t negotiable. Example: Ben & Jerry’s reaffirming its social justice commitments in response to political criticism, reinforcing alignment with its brand values.
   

4. Shifting Sands: Adaptable messages for dynamic environments. When conditions change, re-evaluate and reframe to stay relevant. Example: Airbnb pivoting its messaging to emphasize local, longer-term stays during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
   

5. Quicksand: Accidentally vague or slippery statements that can trap you in confusion or controversy. This is where you clarify before the narrative gets away from you. Example: United Airlines reissued a clear, plain-language apology after its initial corporate-speak response to a passenger incident, it began to regain control of the story.