The Corporate Storyteller

Regardless of your political views, Meg Whitman's campaign for governor of California is a clear example of how to tell your story to different audiences. Changing the medium to grab the attention of each key audience across the state, Whitman's campaign messaging also speaks each group's language--literally in some areas. Some campaign materials are written in other languages and favorite colors of different ethnic groups to reach large Spanish-speaking and Asian populations, and the media chosen include, as other recent campaigns have, mobile devices and social media to reach young voters.

For those of you who wonder what I mean when I say you need to adapt your story to appeal to top-of-mind issue among each audience, I strongly advise you to study the campaign's approach. Whether the Republican candidate overcomes considerably odds in a Democratic state to win the election, her messaging strategy could become a classic case study on targeted communications.