David Ocamb

As I’ve already discussed, it is vital to engage in negative messaging.  However, public affairs campaigns often face a seemingly insurmountable obstacle… how do you push back against a cause that has overwhelming public support?  When an issue advocacy group is defending a position that has 80% public approval, how can you possibly attack it?  The simple answer is… don’t attack it!  One very effective technique is to not directly attack their position but instead to push that group to the absolute extreme and reframe the debate attacking the group for holding an extreme position.  Read the rest of this entry →

The final episode of Jamie Oliver’s television program, Food Revolution, is airing tonight.  The show has garnered surprisingly good ratings for a Friday night slot . Jamie Oliver’s show follows in the relatively new movement of muckraking movies, television shows and books focused on America’s eating habits like the book Fast Food Nation and the movie Supersize Me.  Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me successfully reached influentials, but did not penetrate the public at large.  It remains to be seen if the ratings Jamie Oliver has achieved created a buzz big enough to reach the public at large in a meaningful way and push society over the tipping point.  If it did, the question is … what happens from here? Read the rest of this entry →

Going to the dentist has always instilled fear in the hearts of grown men.  Traditionally, that fear has been over either the pain that will inevitably result or, more likely, the knowledge that you haven’t always flossed, brushed and used mouthwash as often as you should… and you just know the dentist will nag you about that.  However, I just experienced a new fear for the first time, a fear that has become a systemic problem and contributes to the spiraling increase in costs in the entire medical field… the fear of being ripped off by someone we’re placing a very deep and very intimate trust in.

NOTE: This is a very long blog entry, but I felt the narrative experience shows how this scam is carried out every day in dentist offices across the country and might help you recognize the signs before it’s too late. Read the rest of this entry →