ITK Quick 15 | October 24

Here are today's actionable insights for better communications:

1. Argentina Election 2023: Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian, performed worse than polls predicted and will face Sergio Massa, Argentina's economy minister, in a run-off election on November 19.

2. Today, Emmanuel Macron visited Israel.

3. According to Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, The Israel Defense Forces' operation to remove Hamas could take months.

4. The State Department told non-essential staffers at the US Embassy in Iraq to leave due to increased threats.

5. According to the British defense ministry, 190,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or maimed in the Ukraine war. Some analysts have suggested the ratio of severely injured to killed Russian soldiers in Ukraine could be as high as 1.7 to 1.

6. Turkey's president submits a bill to ratify Sweden's NATO membership: Erdoğan signs protocol and sends it to the Turkish parliament after agreeing to Sweden's membership at the NATO summit in July.

7. Australian PM Anthony Albanese arrives at the White House for an official visit today.

8. Argentina holds the world's third-largest lithium reserves. Along with its neighbors Chile and Bolivia, the three countries make up the "lithium triangle," which is estimated to account for 50% to 60% of the world's lithium reserves.

9. In 2022, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon spent a combined $198.9 billion on research and development, while the Pentagon spent $132 billion on testing and evaluating new weapons and tools.

11. Japan is investigating Google over alleged antitrust violations.

12. Microsoft to invest $3.2 billion to boost AI and tech in Australia.

13. Chevron to buy Hess for $53 billion.

14. Within a few days of Lionel Messi's move to Miami announcement, Adidas received almost 500,000 requests from stores and suppliers for the Inter Miami jersey.

15. On Sunday, Max Verstappen won his 50th F1 race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX.

Need more?

Caracal is here to help navigate today's interconnected business environment with intelligence, strategy, engagement, and education.

Caracal works with senior executives responsible for geopolitics, corporate affairs, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, and communications.

#AlwaysBeCommunicating

-Marc

ITK Quick 15 | October 23

Here are today's actionable insights for better communications:

1. Argentina Election 2023: Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian, performed worse than polls predicted and will face Sergio Massa, Argentina’s economy minister, in a run-off election next month.

2. Emmanuel Macron will visit Israel on Tuesday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

3. The US will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and additional Patriot air defense missile system battalions to the Middle East

4. China has deployed six warships to the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates, according to reports.

5. Wednesday: President Joe Biden hosts Australian PM Anthony Albanese at the White House.

6. South Korea’s military held its first trilateral aerial drill with the US and Japan.

7. Wednesday: The first anniversary of Rishi Sunak becoming UK prime minister after the resignation of Liz Truss.

8. Web Summit Chief Executive and founder Paddy Cosgrave resigned on Saturday after comments he made on the Israel-Hamas.

9. LinkedIn issues warning to a site shaming pro-Palestinian sentiment.

10. Friday: First anniversary of Elon Musk completing the acquisition of the social media platform Twitter, renamed X in July this year.

11. The Japan Mobility Show, renamed from the Tokyo Motor Show, will open for the first time in four years in Tokyo on Thursday.

12. Sunday: UK: Daylight Saving Time ends

13. Friday: The Major League Baseball World Series begins.

14. Saturday: South Africa takes on New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris.

15. QOTD: "No matter how hard you train, somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, somebody will run harder. No matter how much you want it, somebody will want it more. I am somebody." -- Steve Prefontaine

Need more?

Caracal is here to help navigate today's interconnected business environment with intelligence, strategy, engagement, and education.

Caracal works with senior executives responsible for geopolitics, corporate affairs, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, and communications.

#AlwaysBeCommunicating

-Marc

Three actionable lessons of an Oval Office address

President Biden will address the nation to discuss our response to Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine.

This speech will be delivered from the Oval Office at 8:00 pm ET.

-- Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on President Biden's Oval Office Address

An Oval Office address is among the most solemn settings for a speech made by a US President.

The format is often delivered to announce a significant new policy initiative or during times of national emergency.

John F. Kennedy's 1962 news of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Gerald Ford pardoning of Richard Nixon.

Jimmy Carter's 1979 "Malaise" speech.

Ronald Reagan's speech following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

George W. Bush's address on the evening of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Following Joe Biden's wartime visit to Tel Aviv, he is taking this rare step to address his fellow citizens and the world on how invested the United States is in the outcome of Israel's war with Hamas and Ukraine's war with Russia.

The address will mark the second time Biden has delivered formal remarks from the Oval Office since becoming President.

Reports suggest Biden's speech will argue that supporting Ukraine and Israel is a matter of US national security when the world is at an inflection point and democratic stability is threatened across the globe.

Presidents have used an Oval Office address to communicate with the American people and move public opinion directly.

The Oval Office address is traditionally delivered with the President sitting at the Resolute desk speaking to the camera.

Some argue that the traditional Oval Office address is falling out of favor in our modern, over-stimulated, defused communications environment.

I disagree.

Since the tactic of an Oval Office address is used infrequently and because an evening address allows for a full day of news coverage, few tactics can match its punch.

The address also was part of a week-long communications effort involving a 60 Minutes interview, a bold trip to meet with members of Israel's War Cabinet, a rare appearance in the press cabin at the back of Air Force One, and now a primetime Oval Office address.

Few of us, well none of us really, will ever have the communications power of a US president, but we can undoubtedly learn and execute like a US President.

Three actionable lessons of an Oval Office address:

First, you need to sort out the comms strategy at the start of the event or activity.

For Team Biden, the strategy is that the world is at an inflection point, and America has a vital role to play. Full stop. So, all of Team Biden's comms and activity this week reinforced this perspective.

Second, you need to identify a mix of tactics to be executed.

As psychologist BF Skinner discovered, when working with rats in a laboratory, the rats were more motivated by unpredictable food rewards than by predictable ones.

So, like rats in a lab, humans respond well to unpredictable and different communications. Executing various comms tactics grabs attention in a way that a steady pay-off never could.

For Team Biden, they are executing high-low communications tactics - from a solemn Oval Office address to wearing a light blue casual sweater and having a media scrum on the back of a plane.

Third, your communications needs to be consistent.

The best practitioners look at daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual communications.

Since the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, Team Biden has communicated daily this week in a way that reinforces the world is at an inflection point strategy.

Successful comms is a vibe. A mindset. A way of life.

You can perform inflection point communications as a US President or a startup entrepreneur.

Be mindful of the three actionable ideas; you will be well on your way to success in communications.

If you need help with communications, Caracal is here to help.

Caracal believes successful communications requires intelligence, strategy, engagement, and education.

Caracal is here to help you succeed in today's interconnected business environment.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc