Heuristics – Rules of Thumb Session 4 Finding the Critical Path to Change: Planning and Implementing a Successful Campaign February 7-11, 2011, Doubletree by Hilton Cambridge Garden House Hotel Chris Rose - Campaign Strategy Limited

What if it’s hard to decide ? conflicting signals

Facts, asks, arguments (campaigners opinions) Audience thinks about it analytically – weighs pros and cons Audience decides, changes opinion Audience acts, changes behaviour REFLECTIVE THINKING - conscious REFLEXIVE THINKING - unconscious What advocacy and conventional campaigns assume happens Facts, asks, arguments (campaigners opinions) Audience can’t think about it analytically – resorts to heuristics, values, framing Audience acts (may mean no change in their actions) Audience adopts opinion in line with behaviour What actually happens

Facts, asks, arguments (campaigners opinions) Audience continues behaviour and resolves dilemma by concluding you must be wrong (about facts, arguments, opinions) Audience tests it against behaviour and opinion And … with a mature issue they already have made up their minds about Audience finds conflict (not comfortable) REFLEXIVE THINKING makes up most (98% ?) decision making Not how science works Not how the media and philosophy say politics works

heuristics Liking Similarity Effort Exchange Cooperation/groups Authority Representativeness Consistency Commitment Confirmation Social proof Scarcity (availability) Availability (recall) Adjustment from anchor

Heuristics are one reason why CAMP CAT factors are important 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

changed Messenger and utilised Liking Authority Consistency Similarity

Consistency Opinion driven by behaviour

Commitment

Confirmation I love Cornflakes because ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………….. A Customer Name ………………………………………….. Address……………………………………… ………………………………………………… Return to PO Box A secton A To win your prize

Effort PAY PACKET

Social

Similarity

Liking

Groups and cooperation

Authority

Scarcity

Representativeness

Availability, Recall and Vividness

Adjustment From An Anchor How much further or nearer is London to New York than 2,000 miles ? 2,000

Take your example Think about audiences Apply triage Already agreeMight agreeProbably won’t agree Target audience Quick campaign (re)design

Target audience (pick one audience) What are they like ? What might work for them ? Victim/problemSolutionWay to actBenefit of success Tip: try not to make it like what you do for those who already agree Can also use CAMPCAT and RASPB Do it in pictures – Use visual language - Use at least one heuristic

How to make my national dish 1 st step2nd step3rd step4th step (etc) End objective – end result 1 st activity 2nd activity 3rd activity 4th activity 5th activity …(etc) I want … my national dish

Campaign to un-ban my national dish 1 st step2nd step3rd step4th step (etc) End objective – end result 1 st activity 2nd activity 3rd activity 4th activity 5th activity …(etc) I want to be able to make my my national dish