DNA://11 - Hill & Knowlton

1. Politics 2.0 – How the Internet has changed the way we govern,
campaign and connect with the public
Rishi Saha
Hill & Knowlton

2. “I almost never trust Government to put the national
interest first”
40%
11%
1987 2010
Source: British Social Attitudes Survey

3. As a result, the cost of top-down Government
communications skyrocketed
2009-10 UK Government
communications spend:
£1.01 billion

4. Where do politics and digital come together?
1. Behaviour Change
 Applying behavioural insights into public policy making and communications
2. Social Advocacy
 Harnessing the multiplier effect of peer-to-peer networks
3. ‘Always On’ Communications
 Managing issues, dialogue and crises in real-time

5. BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Helping citizens make better decisions
1. Social Norms
 Draw public attention to the statistical reality of an undesirable behaviour
2. Choice Architecture
 Use default options and relative positioning to guide decision-making
3. Positive Recognition
 Acknowledge and incentivise good behaviour

6. Social Norms
“You are more/less* normal than you think”
* Delete where appropriate

7. Choice Architecture
Frame the decision – and its consequences

8. Choice Architecture
Make the default option count

9. Choice Architecture
‘Required Choice’ forces a decision
To complete any
transaction on the Driver
and Vehicle License
Authority website, citizens
must choose whether to
register as an organ
donor.
It is estimated that this
will grown the register by
1m over the next 4 years

10. Positive Recognition
The smallest sign of appreciation can yield a positive
effect

11. Positive Recognition
Make the show of gratitude sharable

12. SOCIAL ADVOCACY
Harnessing people power
1. Actions are contagious
 And digital tools have accelerated their viral impact
2. Using surplus time
 People are willing to share their expertise and connections, given the right call-to-
action
3. The games people play
 Game mechanics can help optimise social advocacy tools

13. Actions are contagious
Small, local skirmishes can be accelerated into major
events through the network effect of technology
Arab
Spring
London
Riots

14. Actions are contagious
Online influencers provide the stimulus and peers
offer validation

15. Using surplus time
The ivory tower of Government policy making needs
citizen intervention

16. Using surplus time
Brands are also using peer-to-peer advocacy tools to
support business objectives
Social media meets
customer service

17. The games people play
Game mechanics of competition, challenges, status,
incentives and rewards can motivate innovation

18. The games people play
Game mechanics can also drive political activism

19. ‘Always on’ communications
Maximising the urgency of now
1. The ‘War Room’
 How political campaigns organise themselves for the 24-hour news cycle
2. Real-time response
 Monitoring and intervention to guard reputation
3. Crises & threats
 How Governments can react in times of emergency

20. The War Room
The term was popularised by the 1993 fly-on-the-
wall documentary of the 1992 Clinton campaign
Defining qualities:
• A news grid planning system, underpinned by
a central narrative
• Early morning meetings to define daily
objectives
• A clear hierarchical structure that enables
rapid decision-making
• Continual real-time media monitoring with
pacy, aggressive intervention where necessary
• End-of-day review sessions, often suffused
with the latest poll numbers

21. Real-time response
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the
truth has a chance to get its pants on”, Churchill
Radian6 Analysis
Dashboard
Dell’s Social Media Listening
Command Centre

22. Real-time response
Active intervention
Tactical search marketing
Thresholds – when do
you intervene?
Creative rebuttals
Rebuttal platforms

23. Crises & threats
Dealing with emergencies

24. Define the behaviours you are trying
to change
 Focus on behavioural outcomes, not
just arbitrary reach metrics

25. There’s no such thing as a free
lunch in social campaigning
 Potential advocates need
motivation, rewards and
incentives

26. Speed and accuracy are your
licences to operate
 Find trusted counsellors who are
able to make quick decisions on
your behalf and don’t stifle the
comms operation unnecessarily