The problem with campaigning

Let #Brexit be a lesson for marketeers everywhere

So here we are. After four months of campaigning from #VoteLeave and #VoteRemain, the votes have been counted and results are in. And we're out. 

One of the world's superpowers and fifth largest economy has turned its back on an institution designed for diplomacy, security and trade. As we're, as David Cameron kept staying, stronger together (or was that the Scottish independence referendum?)

We're still feeling the aftershocks of what such a momentous and historic decision means for us as a nation, politically and culturally. What we're are certain of, is that the campaign was an omnishambles, soup to nuts. And as a result the electorate were lied to, mislead and divided.

If perhaps the ruling powers were able to listen and engaged with us common folk, the result may have been different. The main issues were:

1. Content and tone

As a copywriter, I speak in the customer's language; making everything clear and engaging. Politicians and campaigners forget these rules. Their social media posts, emails, leaflets and, indeed, speeches are dull, incomprehensible and littered with jargon.

Instead of saying legislation, say law or instead of Maastricht Treaty, say 'when Europe officially united'. The reason Nigel Farage and BoJo do so well is because they speak bluntly and naturally, they avoid long words, flowery language and science and he doesn't sound like he's come out of some sort of Westminster clone machine.

Also, as anyone who's worked on any corporate campaign knows, you need to substantiate any claim. So stay away from saying 'free', when in fact you're paying a premium for it or 'best ever' when you can't prove it. Again, campaigners failed to provide this when this is the most crucial part of the campaign. 

Voting isn't just about one item on the manifesto and it doesn't just affect you. Saying things like 'we give £350 million a day to the EU, when it can be spent on the NHS' isn't good enough. You need to make it clear where this figure came from and how you intend to make this happen. A lot people don't realise that when a politician is making this claim, they need to draft the legislation, put it through select committees, argue it in chambers, get a majority vote, pass it to the Lords for approval/amends, signed off by the Queen and implemented by the judiciary. 

Words are powerful, so most people believe everything they read and hear without questioning its authenticity, validity or integrity. Words are also permanent - in a world where we tweet about our walk to work, Instagram our dinners and post videos of cats, everything you say and do will be on record and there to bite you on the bum.

2. Communication methods

The Tory party spent £9 million on a nationwide leaflet and it was met with some controversy as it was using public money to tell one side of the story. In a digital age, it was a gross waste of money, in print and postage and its critics were quite right about it being biased.

The leaflet should've been a responsive, low-weighted, DDA compliant website that clearly outlined what the EU is, what it's responsible for, what it's done in the past, what it plans are for the future and how the process works. Then talked about its benefits and how we can reform its flaws. With information that clear, you don't even need to make a case for #VoteLeave because it's all there.

I keep coming back the Invisible Children campaign, as its execution was brilliant (regardless of your stance on its cause). The video is contemporary, engaging, emotional and empathetic. It plays on our sense of belonging, family and security to get its message across. Using keys principles of behavioural economics, it shows people doing everyday things we take for granted and translates that into a harsh reality for children in East Africa - ending on a sense of empowerment through knowledge and activism. Something like this would've been invaluable for the #VoteRemain campaign.

The other thing it does well, is it translates into other channels - building a sense of community around it. Remain could've had a group of bloggers, vloggers, Tweets, Facebookers, Instagrammers, Snapchatters and Tumblrs to disseminate the message into every channel, therefore increasing awareness, following, page views, shares, brand advocacy and user-generated content. That's when it goes viral - people inevitably want to show-off, enhance their digital persona and build their personal brand. So give them the tools to do that while hammering home your keys messages.

What the Remain campaign actually produced was a video that went viral for a day because it was patronising, dated and out-of-touch. What genius thought, 'millennials, yeah, they speak sloppily, yeah, so we could make a video representing their everyday lives, yeah, but dropping the G, yeah, and the end of the word also says in, yeah, so subliminally telling them how to vote, yeah'. Er, no. 

The video gave them no information as to why they should vote in, it didn't even look like it was shot in the UK and see point 1 of this blog post.

3. Experiential marketing

This is where you play into people's FOMO (fear of missing out). If you create an event, and I don't mean a gig where the Reynold's Girls, Big Fun and The Chuckles Brothers appear, that people in the street can be part of it. You'll get an automatic uplift in engagement and also your average Joe can do all your marketing for you - through indirect advocacy and visibility in social channels.

Why didn't the Remain campaign have stalls in shopping centres, transport hubs and festivals with free European video calling, Spanish flamenco dancing, French wine tasting or Greek cookery classes. Why didn't they cash in on all the celebs that supported the cause and asked them to appear at events or hold lectures/signings. If David Beckham showed up on a Sunderland High Street with a football and goal, inviting passers-by for a kick about while adorning the place in 'Remain' posters, banners, leaflets and merchandise, I bet the result would've been very different.

Similarly, get people from across the Muslim community to help campaign. They can go to social clubs

4. Understand your audience

Lastly, and the most importantly, who are you talking to and what do they want you to say. Before a word is written or Photoshop is switched on, find out what people like, what the don't like, what they know and what the don't know about the EU. Once you have this knowledge, you can tailor all your comms to address these.

If the majority of people have concerns about immigration, then it's essential to reassure, educate and the promote benefits. So, fight Nige's Breaking Point poster with a Faking It poster, showing beautiful Spanish men serenading obese women at the bingo, beautiful Polish women serving beer to toothless men in Wetherspoons, Italian chefs making mouth-watering dishes in a Little Chef, German car engineers riding around on Sinclair C5, French stallions showing geeks how to pull while speed dating, etc. Marketing is all about selling a lifestyle, not a product. By illustrating how European immigration makes our crappy grey lives glamorous, you've immediately created a positive aspiration. If there concerns are about Middle-Eastern and African immigration specifically, then an education piece is needed as to why we need to support them, that actually a Brexit won't change the outcome and why.

What demographic is voting out and why? Use analytics to find out how people are using comms, where, what time of day, what they're saying, what mediums are they engaging with, how long are they spending on it. Scrap what doesn't work, refine what's middling and push what does. And why not hire a social media team to scour the internet and reply to tweets, posts, forums, status, etc. even counter anything posted by the opposing side using key customer service and comms methods. This level on insight is essential before, during and after every campaign.

Instead of getting on buses and talking to the staff at B&Q, go into universities or hospitals to talk to ordinary folk about their worries for the future. Is it getting a job after graduation, is it paying off student debt, is it the ability to buy a house, is it waiting lists, is it targets, is it resources. Use this to reassure the population, address their problems, translate it into marketing and perhaps even get some gems for future policies. It'll be uncomfortable, they'll have to defend decisions and they'll need to apologise, but it'll be worth it in the long-run.

This entire campaign, on both sides, has changed our culture as it was run by people who use dated ideologies like Machiavelli's divide and conquer. They managed to divide, but there are no winners here. Our economy is on its knees, we've alienated a large part of the population and our neighbours, we've torn apart the British Isles and the integrity of politicians is in tatters. It's time politics led by example, by being transparent, showing humility, embracing progress, understanding the electorate and joining the community - the only way you can do that is through effective communications.

If you work on political campaigns and in need of a marketing expert and copywriter, go to the top of the page and click 'Contact'.