The autumn months mark the busiest period in the communications calendar. Or at least, that’s what the other members of the Curious Public Team tell me. I’m pretty new, but here’s how they describe it:
“September kicks off political campaigns, especially in municipal races across Ontario. It’s also the back-to-school moment for companies and communications teams. Everyone shakes the dust off, comes back from summer vacation and starts launching things.”
While campaign season isn’t new to me, learning how this team builds and executes a campaign is. Here are four lessons I’ve learned so far:
1. Understand the context
As Jeff Keay says , when you are in the middle of a campaign, people constantly ask, “Are we ready to launch?” But that’s actually the wrong question. Instead, you should be asking: “Is the audience ready for me to launch?”
It has never been harder to get and keep attention. The news cycle is a beast. The world is a hot mess. And capturing and keeping the public’s attention is nearly impossible. Before launching in September, organizations should ask if the timing is right. Does your campaign really need to go now, or could it wait until things are less saturated?
2. Be ready to move
After the U.S. President attempted to rename Lake Ontario, Prime Minister Carney responded with a post that used the word hydronym — the proper name for a body of water. This inspired our CEO Lloyd Rang to write a single line: “My Hydronyms are Lake & Ontario.” It quickly grew into merchandise; and though the idea arrived on a Friday (August 28), and couldn’t launch until the Monday (August 31), the train was immediately set into motion.
Lloyd was able to loop in Branded By Collins in London to get an e-commerce site built. Next, he contacted Swim Drink Fish, the Canadian charity behind Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, to see if they wanted to be the beneficiary of the idea. Over the weekend, our teams worked together to solidify the campaign plan, including the logo design, key messages and digital assets; and by Monday August 31st, the online store was ready and the roll out had begun. The campaign has since been covered by CBC News, Newstalk 1010, Strategy Online, Metroland, and Global News and we have sold hundreds of units so far … with the proceeds going to Swim Drink Fish.
Newsjacking happens in hours, not days.
Newsjacking happens in hours, not days. If you want to capture lightning in a bottle, you need approvals, partners and production capacity ready to go. Is your organization actually set up to move that quickly?
3. Understand the audience
A good long-term campaign answers a genuine, clear need. That’s why Shannon Currie doesn’t believe in launching something that isn’t directly tied to its intended audience. She stresses the importance of doing comprehensive research before moving forward.
Before developing a campaign, consider investing in public-opinion research to understand where people’s heads are at. The results can sharpen your strategy and strengthen your message. It can also give you useful original data you can turn into content.
4. Resource it properly
Campaigns take a village. Strategy, research, branding, design, production, digital execution and media relations may all be involved.
You can’t hit the ground running unless you have key relationships established well in advance. At Curious Public, we rely on a strong, pre-existing network of partners in research, branding and production—and we are never more grateful for those connections than when we need to bring in extra support.
Still, none of this matters without an experienced strategic lead who can see the full campaign, ask the right questions and coordinate the moving pieces. This is the final piece that organizations need, and this is where Curious Public can help.
If your organization is considering a fall campaign and wants experienced, hands-on help with the strategy, logistics and execution, send us a message. And as the new kid on the block, I can vouch for this team – they’re really good at what they do.
