Ever wonder what America’s past and present Presidents enjoy doing outside the Oval Office? Given that being Commander-in-Chief of the United States is more than a full-time job, we wondered what these seemingly larger-than-life figures do when they seek rest, reflection, or respite. What do Presidents do when they want to be just…people?

From stamp collecting to shooting hoops, each President’s hobby covers a wide range of interests. The top among them? Fishing. Herbert Hoover - deemed The Fishing President - sought relief from the stress of The Great Depression by casting a line. His hobby became a lifetime passion, and in his book -  Fishing For Fun—And to Wash Your Soul - he writes:

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"...all men are equal before fish".

But, are all fish equal before men?

Reeling in the ocean’s blue marlin requires different bait, rods, and techniques to that of a freshwater trout (not to mention boasting clout among anglers).

Without additional context - a fish is just a fish. The same claim could be said of people. A person is just a person. In a world now exceeding 8 billion people, breaking it down into binary descriptors hardly seems realistic. Context is essential to building the proper marketing, community, communications, or product engagement strategies. It helps reveal the why behind the why. And without it, you’re just casting an empty line.

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Understanding the context of context

When developing the best strategies to maximize objectives or goals with a particular audience, understanding which context helps narrow the focus of a particular research or engagement initiative. There are six significant areas of context to consider: cultural, economic, social, technological, historical, and environmental. 

Cultural context

Working within diverse cultural settings requires considering your target audience's beliefs, values, and practices.

• When it applies: From the upcoming ‘it’ generation to communities rich with cultural diversity, this context can help inform and shape regional product launches, brand perceptions, program activations, and campaign messaging to resonate with a core audience(s). 

Economic context

Economic environments change at micro and macro levels, impacting how an individual, business, or government operates. Economic activities, decision-making, and spending priorities also respond to these ever-shifting levels.

• When it applies: Awareness of economic context can inform and shape strategies around pricing based on purchasing power, product positioning around consumer behavior or donor engagement strategies. 

Social context

Encompassing cultural, institutional, and interpersonal factors, social context considers how individuals and groups perceive and respond to the world around them. 

• When it applies: Understanding the social dynamics of a community can help with mission alignment. Awareness of social context can aid in shaping services that align with community priorities, guide engagement with key stakeholders and influencers, and develop products mindful of social trends.

Technological context

Access to and adoption of technology, its everyday applications, and its impact on various aspects of life can dramatically affect community engagement strategies.

In today’s digital world, understanding the technological context is critical. Low adoption or lack of access to technology informs how an organization delivers services to their target audience.

• When it applies: Awareness of technological context can help inform platform preferences, engagement channels, and touchpoints (digital vs. physical) that are most fruitful in connecting with common allies. 

Historical context

The circumstances, conditions, and events surrounding a period or situation influence the actions, attitudes, and outcomes of that time. It helps explain why events or outcomes unfold in a particular way. 

The political environment, economic conditions, social and cultural norms, technological developments, environmental factors, or intellectual movements of a specific period can be better understood by exploring the historical context. 

• When it applies: This can influence program development strategies, the re-evaluation of campaign approaches based on previous successes or failures, or even brand identity.

Environmental context

The natural and built surroundings where individuals, communities, and organizations operate.

This includes the natural environment, climate and weather, geography and topography, sustainability practices, and the architecture or development of a particular location.

• When it applies: Understanding environmental context can inform and shape an organization’s need to meet consumer expectations around sustainable practices and products, community priority shifts due to unforeseen weather events, or advocacy efforts.

Other types of context to consider: competitive, legal & regulatory, temporal. 

Context helps shape how data is interpreted and insights are drawn. Whether it's tailoring programs to cultural nuances, adjusting strategies based on economic conditions, or responding to urgent social issues, understanding the various contexts ensures organizations effectively fulfill their missions and make a meaningful impact.

How context and engagement swim together

If someone were to say this is an image of a fish, they would be correct. This is -in fact - a fish.

An avid angler, like President Hoover, may recognize this fish as a Striped Bass. 

An avid angler based in the New England region of the U.S. might refer to this as a “Striper” while an ichthyologist (fish scientist) would define it as a Morone Saxatilis.

And each of those definitions is correct: This is a fish, a Striped Bass, a Striper,  and a Morone Saxatilis.

This is why context matters in the school of fish -er - life. How each individual defines a fish says so much about their hobbies, geographical location, and profession. 

As we dive deeper, we reveal even more about this singular fish.

In this particular case, the Striped Bass has a rich history as a valuable resource to the region’s Indigenous tribes - a relationship that began thousands of years ago. How native tribes to New England see this particular fish might be inherently different from descendants of earlier settlers or recent transplants. To a scientist studying the movements and life cycles of the Striped Bass, they are keenly aware of its contribution to the ecosystem in managing prey populations (which may drive recent campaigns to maintain the revived populations of this particular fish). 

To these audiences, this isn't just a fish. It's a source of rich nutrients and a critical contributor to the natural world. When we look deeper into the fish - we see how valuable their role is in their respective communities. 

On the surface, a fish is a fish is a fish. Gaining additional historical, environmental, cultural, economic, and even yes, technological context, this fish is now a rich resource of information essential to ecological, community, and policy work on every level.

More context, more connection

The Striped Bass illustrates why context is essential to building strategies that resonate. Context drives understanding which in-turn, facilitates connection, and then inspires action.

The first image at the surface is just a “simple fish.” Within moments, however, the fish became a complex creature full of essential nuance. To men, all fish may be equal when hooked on a line - but when we dive deeper in - we find they are, in fact, not equal. They are diverse and complex - just as we each are as individuals, as communities, as cities, and even as Presidents. 

Nobody likes to feel like a fish out of water. When campaigns are designed with a deeper understanding of the environment, behaviors, and influences of a target audience or community of people, you can more authentically connect and build meaningful values-aligned relationships.

Movements start here. Let’s fuel them together! 

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Ready to fuel your movement? Uncover the motivations behind decision-making and develop opportunities to inform and inspire action.

At CommonAlly, we help you to:

• Transform data collection practices
• Build meaningful relationships with desired audiences
• And, understand how to interact with key demographics through reimagined campaigns, robust personal engagement strategies, and community values-alignment.

Want to learn more? Send us a note and we’d love to chat!

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