Knowing who your target audience is and on which digital platform to engage with them was a resounding theme at Cambre’s Digital Campaigning event.
Cambre
Moderated by Cambre’s CEO, Tom Parker, the panel comprised of Fernando Anton (Cambre), Adam Drummond (Opinium), Henri Makembe (Beekeeper Group, Washington D.C.), Simon McDermott (SoPrism, Airmilo & Emolytics) and Katie Owens (Committee of the Regions).
Soundbites from the pros:
- Katie Owens on Brexit and Trump’s win: “It’s time to really listen to what audiences have to say. Social media is about listening not just broadcasting your message. Hopefully, social media platforms will become more interactive.”
- Henri Makembe on ‘post-facts’ in political campaigning: “We live in a post-fact society where there is no universal truth. Social media has enabled trolls to gain momentum.”
- Adam Drummond on polls for Brexit: “Telephone poles were showing ‘remain’ but online conversations were showing the opposite. Polls got it wrong so we must listen to and engage with people on digital platforms.”
- Simon Mc Dermott on Facebook and political campaigning: “Facebook is so beautifully structured it gives you access to all sorts of data (gender, demographics, interests etc.). Political groups can use this data to understand what messages are resonating with key groups.”
- Fernando Anton on what the future holds: “The future is pointing to virtual reality and how to use it for advocacy purposes. Perhaps, it will bring people closer to politics.”
Top Tips:
- Content creation is key!
- Having the right team around you and making sense of the data you have will ensure a successful campaign.
- There is no silver bullet when collecting data and delivering your story. If you want to make sense of data, use an integrated approach including polling, digital tools and face-to-face interaction.
- Always take your audiences’ perspective into account. Ask yourself – “Is my audience expecting to hear from me on a specific channel?”
- Have your own set of facts to tell your story. Facts are not cheap!
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