1. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

2. WHAT IS A CAMPAIGN?

3. “Politics is the art of the possible”

5. “It always seems impossible until
it's done”

7. Campaigning is about changing
what’s possible --- because you
change the power dynamic.

18. So campaigning is ultimately
about challenging the status quo
and tackling entrenched power.

19. A battle between justice and
injustice, and the past and the
future.

21. So just check - do you really need
to campaign?

25. But in many cases….

27. That’s ok

29. How did David do it?

30. Strategy

31. WHAT IS A STRATEGY?

35. Most campaigns are David
stories.

39. “Campaigning is what we do
when all else has failed”

40. MODEL

41. Strategy
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
Objective
Vision
Tactic
Goal
Strategy
Tactic
Tactic
Objective
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic

42. What is your goal?

43. What’s the piece that really
offends or excites people?

44. SUPPORT
APATHETIC
AGAINST

45. SUPPORT
APATHETIC
AGAINST

46. Go beyond what is simply bad
Bad things
That could
have been
avoided

47. Breaking it down

55. Don’t jump ahead in the story

56. Some contemporary examples
• Overall goal: getting the United States to take appropriate action on climate change.
• First step on critical path: Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.
• Overall goal: ending problem gambling.
• First step on critical path: Get Woolworths to divest its poker machines.
• Overall goal: transitioning Australian to a 100% renewable energy economy.
• First step on critical path: Make sure that Port Augusta solar thermal plant goes ahead, rather
than a gas plant being built in its place.

57. Target centred campaigning
• Our very first step before any of this should be to conduct a stand-alone analysis
of the best way to get the relevant decision-maker to do what we want. This
approach is called ‘target-centred campaigning’.
• Taking a target-centred approach has important implications for how we
campaign. It can mean:
• Commissioning a piece of research rather than mobilising your supporters;
• Connecting with constituents in three key electorates rather than running a
national media campaign;
• Working with people you don’t like / who you wouldn’t agree with on most
issues;

59. Target centred campaigning
•
•
•
•
Name the individual or group of individuals
If a group of people - who is for you, who is persuadable, who is against you?
How do they work? What processes do they use? What are the decision-points?
Who is their electorate? Is it marginal? Who are they worried about shifting their
votes?
• How did they win last time?
• Who owns them? What other products do they make? Who are their customers?
What are their growth priorities?
• What does the decision-maker think about your constituency?
• Who are they most responsive to?

60. Power mapping

61. 61

62. 62

63. TACTICS

64. Campaigning is a verb

65. “Social movements are, in the
end, about changing the world –
not yearning for it, thinking
about it, or exhorting it”

67. Types of tactics
Movement builders
• Petitions
• House Parties
• Conference calls
Public attention
generators
Public attention
demonstrators
• Stunts
• Reports
• Rallies
• Paid media
• Polls
• Public meetings
• Earned media
• Public votes/referendums
Target confrontation
• Events with their allies or
immediate constituents
• Events on their turf

68. Build and
capture
interest
Petitions /
grassroots
Advertising /
grasstops
Deepen
relationships
Rallies
Speeches
Leverage
community
resources
Fundraising,
Harder ask
actions
Show power
Billboards,
Polls
Generate
conflict
Go to where they
are.
Go to where their
allies or superiors
are.
Blindside
New tactics
Boldness
Meetings
Yardsigns
Internet
Comedy

69. Play to your strengths

70. vs

71. Aim for a reaction

73. Keep it simple stupid

75. SEIZING MOMENTS

78. What is a moment
•
•
•
•
•
Alan Jones says something bad 
A clear failure of the system
A decision has been made that involves injustice
There is an unexpected change of circumstances
New facts come to light
Charactised by:
• ‘Front page interest’
• Consequences
• Conflict
• High emotion

79. Ongoing creative process of
understanding and adapting to
new conditions

80. LOSING STRATEGICALLY

81. Losing strategically
Shifting
political
climate
Growing
financial
resources
Develop
leaders
Drawing a
line in the
sand
Sustain
relationships

83. A win or loss is actually the
beginning for the next chapter

84. Capacity to seize moments distinguishes
winning campaigns from others

85. STRATEGIC CAPACITY

86. Strategic Capacity
Motivation
Learning
processes
Salient
knowledge

87. Motivation

88. Generating motivation
• Work on things you are deeply moved by
• Find those who are deeply effected by the issue and work with them
• Your motivation/interest in an issue can grow the more you are
exposed to it
• Commit first

89. Salient knowledge

92. Not everyone in your broader
movement should be happy
with your strategy.

94. Creativity/Learning Processes

96. Learning (strategy analysis) processes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
To aid in understanding of situation - draw a picture
Research analogous situations and apply
Working backward from the solution (what caused it to be solved)
Making the abstract more concrete
Solve a general problem first
Brainstorm lots of ideas to encourage left-field thinking
Use trial and error
Prove it can’t be solved (and prove yourself wrong!)
Work in supportive teams – but create competition to devise strategy
Write an email to your supporters

97. Mistakes are our friend

98. Evaluation