led by Liz Butler and Cristen Perks
Notes by Tate Hausman
Think of a campaign you've run or want to run
We all talked out our campaigns in 1 minute to one other person. Then shared how those discussions happened with a group.
Campaign strategy is NOT organizational strategy. An org should already have a strategic plan. And it also should have a separate plan for each campaign. The two together should be given to the technologist, to let him/her pick/build the right technology that helps both.
Liz then went through her PPT.
Mapping -- visually representing the problem / strategy / power structure -- is the most underutilized tool for campaigners. It's very very useful. Get the data to map through research.
It's very dangerous to lead this planning process with tactics, but very common.
Make sure that campaign tactics are aligned with overall organizational strategy, so that you win-win.
Tactics should increase in intensity -- build the pressure, don't put it all out there in the first shot.
Christen:
Before any technology discussion, she has a strategy discussion with the client; even if its just to review their fully baked strategy. They very much demand success benchmarks. Then they get down to tactics.
Jodie notes that there's a shift going on -- our roles, as technologist, are becoming more interactive with the strategists. We're becoming management level. We're growing into this new role, by necessity.
Jon Stahl notes that you never can generalize what tech tactics work; see if you can get the feedback about what pressured your targets to act. Liz tells story of Victoria Secret's VP telling ForestEthics campaigners that emails worked against him.
Liz notes that reflecting success back with real life examples of people who took action creates community, and that is likely to serve the campaign goal and the organizational goal.
Choose targets wisely -- CEOs, Katie Couric, FCC, NFL commissioners (re: Humane Society Michael Vick action) ... not Congress or George Bush, who get form emails constantly.
Liz wraps up with echoing Jodie: because of folks like us here at WOC, who understand campaigning and technology, the dynamic of "bring the geek in at the end to build the website" is shifting. We are getting more seats at the strategy table. We need to keep asking for those seats, and encouraging our peers to ask for those seats.
