introduction to campaigning techniques and tools chris rose campaign strategy ltd denham, uk,...

Introduction to Campaigning Techniques and Tools

Chris Rose Campaign Strategy Ltd

www.campaignstrategy.co.ukwww.campaignstrategy.org

Denham, UK, January 2010

http://www.campaignstrategy.co.uk/

Who I am• Live in Norfolk UK with two children, partner, two

scotties and a spaniel• Communication and campaigns consultant• Scientist, writer, campaigner eg with WWF Intl,

Greenpeace Intl., Friends of the Earth• Clients include Amnesty International,

Greenpeace, Soil Association, Home Office, UNICEF, Natural England, Environment Agency, National Trust, Unilever, WWF, Centre for Sustainable Energy

Pub www.earthscan.co.uk

www.campaignstrategy.org

What are campaigns?

1. Directional activity designed to achieve a particular purpose

Not education, advocacy, lobbying or peripheral communication activity

Enlist a wider public Aim to catalyse significant change to the public

benefit; to go beyond ‘business as usual’

What are campaigns?

2. An expression of the deeper, long term strategic objectives of an organisation

Aim to reaffirm/strengthen an organisation’s identity

Operate on the basis of principle (‘it’s the right thing to do!) as well as strategy

What are campaigns?

3. A form of public politicsA way of getting things doneconvert values into actionexist where the commercial market and

formal politics fail to convert values into action

These are

• Campaigns to create change

they are not the same as

- Advertising campaigns

- Fundraising campaigns

- PR campaigns

- Electoral campaigns- Social marketing campaigns (these aim at the individual

level)

The first (enviro) campaigner ?

• John Muir• Use of law and media -

stories (the public)• Led to Sierra Club• Led to FoE• Led to Greenpeace• Involved direct action,

drama, discovery

Black arts and Belief - origins of campaign techniques

7 Principles Of Campaigning

• Be multi-dimensional - communicate in all the dimensions of human understanding

• Engage by providing agency – give supporters greater power over their own lives, let them know they can be part of the solution- ‘can’t do it without you!’

• Be legitimized by a moral deficit- people must feel that there is a gap between what is currently happening and what SHOULD be done.

• Provoke a conversation in society- This often involves arguing and disagreement. If agree all the time, not much to talk about.

• Meet a need - solve a problem. • Be strategic • Be communicable - verbally - as a story - and visually- use

stories about real people

How do campaigns achieve change?

Through a conversation with society which provides: The Motivation to act - expressing where society knows it

ought to be – that “something must be done - urgently” - and asking for help – “only with you can we make a difference, only with you can the impossible become possible” – it is a call to arms or an invitation to join an adventure

The Means to act – engages by providing agency – providing the tools and mechanisms for action. People must feel that they can contribute to part of the change- that without them, we will fail.

Provoke a conversation in society

activities

events communication

results

What we are trying to get to

The consequences = our objective

Not to ‘get our message across’

Before you start. Think.

Ask yourself … (reality check) why do I need to campaign ?

Issue map

Intervention - chose and test

Plan and test critical path

Refine for effective communication

No ‘right answer’ - a toolkit

How to do it - short version

• KISS• Be visual• Create events• Tell stories with real people• Be proactive - don’t just respond• Start from where your audience is

Maybe we can all

But with training, practice and knowledge - we can do better

imagine

you are in bedin a hotel room

you can smell smoke

the issue is

IF YOU FIND A FIRE

1. Raise the alarm

2. Go immediately to the place of safety

3. Call the fire brigade

IF YOU FIND A FIRE

1. Network with your neighbours

2. Explain the issues and the processes of ignition, fuel effects, oxidation and ion plasmas, and address the social and economic justice dimensions

3. Educate decision-makers regarding the establishment of an adequately resourced fire brigade and fire-prevention culture, and ask your

neighbours to join in

Effective communication is not accidental - it follows patterns

Fire Awareness

We are all in danger Alignment

Let’s go this wayEngagement

We are leaving Action

motivation sequence

awareness > alignment > engagement > action

ignorance

interest

concern

anger

engagement

Commitment - action

satisfaction

The public sees

nothing

victims

enemy

solution

opportunity

we win

problem solved

It doesn’t have to be like this !

Problem and victim

Enemy – responsibleagent

Solution - answer

Engagement mechanism

Opportunity

Problem solved

nothing victim enemy answer opportunity We win Problem solved

Identify problem Identifyenemy

Identify solution

Supply engagement mechanism Call to action React and report

nothing interested concerned angry engaged committed satisfied

phase

R + D awareness alignment engagement action

Application

I don’t believe it - needle boxes in the toilets !

That’s a problem - it’ll attract addicts !

problem

I don’t believe it - at last there’s needle boxes in the toilets !

We’re always the last to know

Survey shows needle problem

COUNCILLOR DEMANDS NEEDLE ACTION

Dear Resident,

Why we are ...

solution

Usually cannot go …

Awareness

Alignment

Engagement

Action

Usually cannot go …

Awareness

Alignment

Engagement

Action

Eg “Policy literalism”

Why ? Because

Motivational values – it may not meet my needs (unconscious)

Framing – I may not be using your frame

What interests you may not interest me

I may not be hearing/ seeing you

I may already be undertaking a behaviour in conflict with what you say

AttentionOpportunityLanguageFilteringChannel choiceCompetition/pollution

ContextPersonalisationImmediacy

RecognitionResolution logic

Emotional rewards

DilemmaDiscomfort

I perceive I lack the means to actAbilityAgency

CAMP CAT

Seven important components for effective ‘communications.

context audience messenger programmechannel action trigger

‘message’

CAMP CAT

•Context – where the message arrives (time of day, who

you’re with, what else is happening?)

•Audience – who we are communicating with•Messenger - who delivers the message•Programme – why we’re doing it (not for external

communication)

•Channel – how the message gets there •Action – what we want to happen •Trigger – what will make that happen (don’t assume that

your triggers are the same as someone else’s)

Communication

• is not about sending {not our ‘message’}

• it’s about what is received

Chicken- what chicken ?

start from where your audience is

CAMPCAT - Context

CAMPCAT - audience

CAMPCAT - messenger

CAMPCAT - channel

“it’s a complex issue”

Don’t communicate ‘the issue’

Communicate one line of it

Communicate one line of it - one step at a time - one step per project

In practice, for each project, one step

What are the critical steps, the changes you need to see, to achieve the objective ?

Critical paths

Example Brent Spar

EDCB FA

ZA

Clean seas

No waste dumping in NE Atlantic - OSPAR region

radwasteSolid waste Oil installations 95

Brent Spar

hazchems within a generation

EDCB FAPublish case - autumn. Call for policy change (OSPAR)

Occupy Spar AprilLobby NSMC/Ospar - May- June

Broadcast from Spar - touchstone/ symbol/ prism

End of towing season October

Object to Spar licence

February

Brent Spar Original plan/concept

21 43 5

activity activity activity activity

audienceaudience audience audience

message message message message

medium medium medium medium

Campaign steps/sub-objectivesStart here

Finish here

Instrumental campaign communications strategy

Campaigning is motivation for action.

It’s not ‘education’

problem

awareness

concern

urgency

action

anger

campaign model

problem

awareness

knowledge

understanding

confusion

reflection

education model

educationCampaigning/ advertising: motivation

Awareness of complexity: more possibilities Motivation to act: fewer

possibilities

narrower

Opposite processes

Create events where the picture-tells-the-story: not

meetings or processes

Convert these to

Evidences -write your story (campaign) in pictures

Use stories- we remember them

Use people - we can identify with them

Story approach

Report on Non Accidental Wolf Related Deaths

Historical statistics showing trend in wolf-related non-accidental injuries involving minors (under the age of 16) in Central Regions. Daylight hours observations only. After column 3 the basis of calculation changes but the base sample reamins the same. The trend is not significant but individual cases remain a cause for concern, especially in the small number which result in fatalties or close escapes. The figures speak for themselves.

A campaign to promote sustainable lifestyles in the city of Brighton & Hove

nine people...nine weeks...nine ways to change your life...click to enter...

Campaign elements/ dimensions

Science/ technical

Political/ Corporate

Economic

Spiritual/ psychological/ emotional

Campaign realms/ spheres/ dimensions

Science/ technical

Political/ Corporate

Economic/ Legal

Spiritual/ psychological/ emotional

Be multi-dimensional


PSB (eg for interviews)

• Problem- “what’s the problem Mr Smith ?”

• Solution - “what’s the solution Mr Smith ?”

• Benefit - “what’s the benefit Mr Smith ? Why should the people of Bedford care ?”


Use it

• In interviews

• Back in the office

• It’s half way to a communications strategy


2 Minute PSB

SOLUTION

PROBLEM

BENEFIT

EXERCISE


Responsible party-Who can stop the problem? Not

necessarily who is making the problem. Who is in control of the system? Ex: government responsible for traffic problem not the individual driver

Action needed

Solution

Problem

Benefit

RASPB Propositions


Coastal realignment


Problem

• eroding cliffs• rising seas• shrinking marshes• no safe places to

build homes• vanishing beaches• living in dangerous

homes


Problem/solution

• eroding cliffs• rising seas• shrinking marshes• no safe places to

build

• vanishing beaches• living in dangerous

homes

• concrete walls• taller walls• create more marsh• allow building

uphill/inland• beach creation• help to move to safety


PROBLEM

SOLUTION

BENEFIT

Problem/solution - fit test

SOLUTION


What sort of problem is it ? Defined by the victim

Rule is - have the most empathetic (victim) on your side

Engage by providing agency

Planning star

Campaign concept

Campaign assets

Ambition: what we want to achieve (objective)

Actors, obstacles interests

Social weather conditions – how change is happening

Communication desires

•Context – where the message arrives

•Audience – who we are communicating with

•Messenger - who delivers the message

•Programme – why we’re doing it

•Channel – how the message gets there

•Action – what we want to happen

•Trigger – what will make that happen

Common problems

Too much attention

Lack of investment in qualitative research into motivation or ignoring results

Trying to make others think

like them

Using only

people like them

Policy literalism

Common problems

Campaign concept

Campaign assets

Ambition: what we want to achieve (objective)

Actors, obstacles interests

Social weather conditions – how change is happening

Communication desires

Get stuck hereToo much attentionPolicy literalism

Not developed (eg cultural) or not used, eg rely on ‘media’ = press; used too late in planning

Desire for profile impedes collaboration and scale

Lack of investment in research and intelligence

Lack of investment in

research or non-application of

research

“argument is constructed in one way and government in

entirely another”

Macaulay

Events drive politics

Make events happen

Do, don’t argue

Why we must have a narrow focusWith big aims you need strategic change


For strategic change you need strategic targets as objectives



To reach a startegic objective you need a Critical Path to follow




To move along a Critical Path you must tailor communications by the CAMPCAT

factors





factors

To make the CAMPCAT factors work you must do nothing unless until that sub

objective is achieved





factors

To make the CAMPCAT factors work you must do nothing unless until that sub

objective is achieved

So you can’t campaign on ‘the issue’, only on changing one thing at a time in the issue

introduction to campaigning techniques and tools chris rose campaign strategy ltd denham, uk,...

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