In this blog, Jess Day, client care manager for digital agency More Onion asks; how does digital campaigning need to evolve to remain powerful and relevant?
Digital tools and platforms have transformed campaigning, just as they’ve changed how we communicate in other areas of our lives. But how are organisations using them now? And how do they need to evolve to be fit for the future?
At heart, campaigning is about connecting people with those who have the power to make change happen. But how effective is it now to ask supporters to email their MP? What really works to build relationships and deepen trust between campaign supporters and political representatives, or other campaign targets, in a digital world full of AI-generated sentiments and competing messages?
More Onion’s campaigning and fundraising platform Impact Stack was one of the first platforms to allow sophisticated email-to-target actions. And over a decade later, we’re proud that it’s safely delivering thousands of campaign emails into target inboxes every week.
But we also think that, as a sector, we need to talk about how digital campaigning needs to evolve, and we’d love to invite you to join the conversation. Fill in the digital advocacy actions survey here.
Email-to-MP actions
Email-to-target as a campaign tactic took off about fifteen years ago. Even a few early adopters were enough to upset then UK health minister Simon Burns, who called his constituents “zombie-like” in a rant about the sudden influx of emails he was getting.
But in those early days, we also often heard anecdotally and directly from targets that sudden floods of emails made them pay attention, ask questions, contact party leaders and show up to debates.
Now MPs and other campaign targets expect influxes of emails as part of their daily work. They’re using better tools, systems and staff to manage them and reduce their visibility, especially when they are cookie-cutter template-generated messages. Volume on its own is no longer enough, we need to think creatively about what captures a target’s attention and will motivate them to act.
We probably don’t really want our democratic representatives (and their staff’s) time to be dominated by responding to high-volume template emails. And we certainly don’t want those campaign emails to get in the way of MPs being able to identify constituents who actively, individually need their help.
We want to understand what’s working and explore whether there are more creative or effective ways to connect individuals with power-holders. Could it be more powerful to deliver digitally collected constituent messages as a regular digest? Or maybe as a printed offline ‘Open letter’ signed by local people, or even delivered in person by a local campaigner? How much difference does it make when a message is tailored to the target in some way, or personalised to reflect the sender’s own personal views? What do you think could work for your campaign?
Here’s what we’re doing, and how you can get involved.
Take part in digital advocacy research
We’re conducting research into how campaigning organisations are using the internet to campaign right now – what’s working, what’s challenging and what could be better or easier. We’d love it if you could take part – fill in the sector survey now.
As well as the survey, we’re doing an ‘inbox analysis’ to see what actions a campaign supporter might be asked to take. And we’re also speaking to campaign targets to better understand the experience of being on the receiving end of mass campaigning, and the practicalities of how incoming messages are handled.
Join the conversation
We’ll be sharing the results of our research and opening a discussion around the future of digital advocacy at an online event in September. We’re excited to be partnering with campaign champions SMK to host this event. To make sure you get an invitation – fill in the sector survey now. Survey closes on 15 August.
As a thank you for your time, we’re offering three £20 vouchers for Ethical Superstore to survey participants picked at random after it closes.