Introduction to Campaigning Techniques and Tools Chris Rose Campaign Strategy Ltd Denham, UK, January 2010

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

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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 politics  A way of getting things done  convert values into action  exist 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 eventscommunication 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 bed in 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 FireAwareness We are all in dangerAlignment Let’s go this wayEngagement We are leavingAction

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 – responsible agent Solution - answer Engagement mechanism Opportunity Problem solved nothingvictimenemyansweropportunityWe winProblem solved Identify problem Identify enemy Identify solution Supply engagement mechanism Call to actionReact and report nothinginterestedconcernedangry engagedcommittedsatisfied phase R + D awarenessalignment engagementaction

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 Attention Opportunity Language Filtering Channel choice Competition/pollution Context Personalisation Immediacy Recognition Resolution logic Emotional rewards Dilemma Discomfort I perceive I lack the means to act Ability Agency

CAMP CAT Seven important components for effective ‘communications. context audience messenger programme channel 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

EDCBFA Z A Clean seas No waste dumping in NE Atlantic - OSPAR region radwaste Solid waste Oil installations 95 Brent Spar hazchems within a generation

EDCBFA Publish case - autumn. Call for policy change (OSPAR) Occupy Spar April Lobby 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

activity audience message medium Campaign steps/sub-objectives Start 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

education Campaigning/ 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

R esponsible 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 A ction needed S olution P roblem B enefit 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 here Too much attention Policy 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 focus With big aims you need strategic change

Why we must have a narrow focus With big aims you need strategic change For strategic change you need strategic targets as objectives

Why we must have a narrow focus With 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

Why we must have a narrow focus With 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

Why we must have a narrow focus With 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 To make the CAMPCAT factors work you must do nothing unless until that sub objective is achieved

Why we must have a narrow focus With 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 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

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