I’ve been doing some research and reading on effective behaviour change campaigns recently, and something that so many successful campaigns of this kind have in common is – they let their supporters adapt and spread their message. This may sound like a no-brainer, but in reality loads of causes are still broadcasting their message rather than engaging in conversation, and are rigidly holding on a model where they create all the content and there’s no collaboration with supporters.
An article from Contentious called ‘Activists, Not Parrots’ covers why ‘decentralised’ campaigning is so important, the reasons so many charities get it wrong, and some examples of how it’s been done well. Great insights and some really useful recommended reading provided too.
Contentious, by the way, is a digital content agency set up by Julius Honnor and Laura Robertson, formerly of Bond and pals of mine from the ECF. Their website is full of good stuff.