campaignstrategy.org - don't send messages


	campaignstrategy.org	modest suggestions for anyone trying to save the world

12 basic guidelines


	12 basic guidelines: Don't send messages


	12 basic guidelines index:

	Introduction Reality check! Motivation, not education Analyse the forces K.I.S.S. Right components... Start where your audience is Construct a critical path Campaign v. the unacceptable Make real things happen Say what you mean Find the conflict Communicate in pictures

	Don't send messages


	Campaigning is a conversation with society - a two way process like a phone call. It is not a one way broadcast of your views or 'messages' like a radio programme. Talk, listen, hear, respond, engage. What are the activities going to be that you do with your target group? How will you campaign together?

	Communication occurs when your ideas get into the head of someone else and it is understood - not just when your message is sent, not even just when it arrives at 'their end'. Useful communication occurs when their ideas also get into your head. Many campaigns fail because they are communicating only with their existing supporters, and not with the audiences who can bring about change. Others fail because campaigners are more concerned with getting 'coverage' - getting on tv or radio or in the press - than they are in looking for signs of the effect of the campaign. Remember that your ears are as important as your mouth is. 'Communication is the act of sending information from the mind of one person to the mind of another'. P R Smith, Chris Berry, Alan Pulford Strategic Marketing Communications Kogan Page 1997