Bush Lessons

• The medium really is the message. Marshall McLuhan’s famous work has become a clich . But for executives, it could not be truer. Bush has mastered the art of using the media to communicate his message.

• Use the hunger of reporters for a good story to hone the message. Bush’s media team has mastered the art of feeding the media beast. Reporters constantly bristle at the control that Team Bush exerts over what they do and how they do it, but that control produced unusual clarity of message.

• The whole package makes the message. The administration has used all the tools at its disposal to package the message and how it looks. That lessens the chance that the media can mediate or alter the message, and it improves the direct tie from Bush to the American people.

• Focus the message by repeating it. And repeating it. Team Bush proved remarkably successful at keeping the message focused—and in getting debate back on message—by a simple technique. Whenever the president or his aides speak, it’s news. Repeating a message over and over again constantly reinforces what they have to say and provides little chance for the agenda to slide off message.