Fighting for the planet
Campaigning is a complex yet crucial process. If you are addressing a global issue, you can have a lasting impact with the right amount of preparation, resources and support. Over the last year, we have witnessed the power of environmental movements. How did they engage millions of Europeans?
Three questions to begin with
Campaigning for social change is prone to fail if you fail to plan. Research the issue to identify root causes. Also look at what others have done to learn from mistakes and spot promising solutions. You can test the strength of your mission by trying to answer three questions in three sentences:
What's the actual problem and who/what is causing it?
What's the solution?
How would society benefit?
#Together4Forests
Consumption in Europe contributes to a tenth of the 10 million of deforestation worldwide. This results from the production of palm oil, beef, soy, cocoa, maize, timber, and rubber. The main objective of this NGO coalition is to create awareness in the EU and fight to ban products linked to deforestation. The campaign is still ongoing. By November 2020, 1 million citizens had already signed the proposal.
#ProtectWater
Beer has been popular in Europe for millennia. Today, it is still the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in Europe. Even in so-called « wine belt » preference for the hoppy brew is shown. This includes countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria.
The #ProtectWater campaign used the popularity of beer in its ads to forestall the revision of the EU Water Framework Directive. Asking a provocative question aimed at catching the attention of those relying water in a different form: more than 10,000 breweries, over 130,000 jobs in Europe and millions of beer drinkers. The campaign aimed at broad support to influence EU decision makers with hundreds of thousands of signatures.
#BanSingleUsePlastic
Plastics are cheap but less than a third is recycled. This campaign called on the European Commission to uphold the ambition of the EU law on phasing out most single-use plastics. A similar approach was also pursued for the 2015 Plastic Bags Directive. These directives brought about a rapid shift in consumer behaviour leading to less plastic littering our environment.
To call for change, few words were used but a story told. The main visual showed a plastic spoon and warning of the plastic industry. The choice of the picture was excellent as the target group were people working in EU affairs in Brussels who would recognise the reference to the famous painting by René Magritte “This is not a pipe”. Flagging a fight against a villain - in this case the plastic industry lobby - helped mobilise people.
In the end, the campaign was successful because products made from oxo-degradable plastics and expanded polystyrene food and beverage containers were added to the list of plastics to be banned from the EU market from 2021.
Via WeMove
Why visuals work
Visual storytelling works because our brains are great at processing simple images. Within a few days of reading or hearing some information, people only remember about 10% of it. But if they receive the information with an image, what they remember increases to 65%! Images are easy to digest and share.
Visual storytelling is very important to winning support for your campaign. It quickly gets the audience’s attention and connects with them on an emotional level. Visuals resonate immediately with your audience’s experiences.
Today’s storytellers should not only post a message. The audiences should see their point to remember it. Once we get the attention, we can take supporters on a journey where they are helping us tackle the issue.
The importance of building coalitions
Developing the more agile, dynamic, and organised campaigning of today depends on coalitions. The primary purpose of building coalitions is to reach a wider group of potential supporters. The three campaigns reached almost 2 million Europeans in total. This was only possible because the campaigns brought together many forces.
As for #Together4Forests, the movement was initiated by a coalition of more than 100 environmental organisations led by Greenpeace and the WWF.
In the case of the #ProtectWater campaign, Member States were pushed to safeguard a common good. The coalition behind the campaign called itself “Living Rivers Europe”. Over 100 environmental groups formed a network to put their efforts together, and fight for the restoration of rivers, wetlands, lakes, and coastal waters.
In the #BanSingleUsePlastic campaign, the “Circular Plastics Alliance” aimed to improve the quality of recycling and plastic usage in Europe. Over 200 organisations joined the alliance.
Finding like-minded groups for your action can be a challenge. Knowing your allies and those who can create change is essential. However, remember that involving many individuals and organisations with their varied strengths and perspectives is essential when you need to mobilise public support to influence EU decision makers.
All three campaigns united their coalitions behind hashtags; #Together4Forests, #ProtectWater and #BanSingleUsePlastic.
Three lessons for campaigners
Set specific goals before going public and have one clear call to action. The #Together4Forests campaign aimed at getting 1 million signatories in the run-up to the EU Forest Strategy.
Broaden your base by mobilising the supply chain. The #ProtectWater campaign engaged beer lovers to help them carry their campaign objectives.
Present your campaign as a momentous story with a shady villain. The #BanForSingleUsePlastics campaign warned of industry lobbyists.
- written by Elif Akyüz, elif[at]thedandeliongroup.eu
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