When traditional tools aren’t enough
The Topos approach is designed to go beyond conventional research and strategy — which has often led advocates to a “plateau” of support that they can’t seem to get beyond — by taking into account the cognitive and cultural foundations of a public interest issue. Our unique and innovative approach to developing framing strategies synthesizes new methods adapted from the cognitive and social sciences with the more familiar methods and perspectives of public opinion research and communications practice, in a single process that leads to new insights, uncovers hidden directions, and provides advocates with new options for success.
In this video, advocates reflect on the value of communications strategies developed by the Topos principals. The new approaches, disseminated primarily through Demos trainings around the country, have helped communicators reach new audiences, create more engaged discussion, and achieve real policy goals.
Topos Posts
Framing is a term that has become popular in political and advocacy circles, but it is used in such different ways that it risks becoming just a trendy word for communications. This short paper is intended as a useful resource to help advocates, funders, and others understand how frames act as "organizing ideas," and why framing can make the difference between effective and ineffective communications.
Topos Blog
Business to Business marketing expert Ray Schultz blogs about recent Topos research and how it uncovers important insights for anyone who is working to communicate to their audiences about problems and solutions.
At first glance, a New York Times article on Chinese pollution seems designed to heighten both knowledge and concern about China's environmental problems. A simple, common framing mistake, however, means that from an advocacy perspective the message will be much weaker than it could be.
A climate change website addresses promising graphics for teaching people about the CO2 problem.
The New York Times offers a sobering run down of pollingin the US and Europe that shows public understanding of global climate change has been declining.
The Progressive States Network discusses states’ progress in increasing revenue, and the importance of careful framing.