Campaigning Summit Zurich - Interview mit Gregor Poynton

Autor Administrator
Datum 13.05.2014
Lesezeit 5 Minuten

Mr Poynton how would you define “Campaigning” and why is it that important in politics?

Campaigning at its heart must rally people to a cause for change. In my talk, I’m going to speak primarily about elections, and that I fundamentally believe politics and political parties are the main vehicles to deliver change in a community or country. But campaigning can be much more varied than that, whether it’s pushing for a multi-national approach to tackle climate change or for a local council to improve a children’s playpark. No matter the cause, campaigns that work to treat supporters with respect, seek always to entertain and encourage, and empower people to participate in winning will be the most successful.

What is your motivation to speak at the Campaigning Summit Zürich 2014?

There is always something new to learn in campaigning, be that a newly developed tool or tactic. Campaigners, by their nature, are always looking to try new things and build on their skills. So I’m really looking forward to listening and learning from others at the conference.

Your topic “Campaigns that engage people” will give the participants an overview of how a good campaign should look like – what can the participants expect of your presentation?

Campaigns must impassion supporters with stories of ordinary people pushing for change, and inspire voters with stories about those who will benefit as a result of a successful campaign.

I’ll make the argument that to win elections, political parties need to build robust, exciting and dynamic campaigns that will help the party spread its message more widely, raise more money, and recruit new people willing to act in support of their values, vision and candidates, both online and offline.

By putting supporters first, showing them the need for change, and trusting them with the tools to mobilize, we can inspire people to a common cause, win elections, and create change in our communities.

Are you participating in other lectures or conventions – and which would that be?

This year alone, I’ve been involved in a number of campaigns, so I’ve been rolling up my sleeves and getting involved in that work and haven’t had the chance to speak at as many conferences as I did last year. And it looks like that will continue until the later part of the year!

There’s one lecture someone from BSD always takes part in, though, which is a fantastic post-graduate course at LSE on political communication. So I’ll perhaps get a chance to collaborate on that later in the year.

Two questions about social media

What’s nowadays the difference in using social media between the USA and Switzerland – privately or business-wise?

The social media landscape is always changing. But what the best brands and campaigns, in the U.S. or Europe, are beginning to understand is that we cannot predict which specific platforms will be most critical to success in two, three, or even five years. But we do know that the fundamental truth behind those tools will not change: we must engage our audience with authentic content that promotes our message and can easily be shared with family and friends.

Which are your favorite social media platforms – why?

For the campaigns I work on, the team always tries to work out the strategic goals and resources, and then decide what platforms to set up. It’s important not to think of social media as one blanket thing, but as set of nuanced tools with different functions and roles. You have to build your strategy around their strengths, and resource accordingly.

Personally, I really like Instagram – the community and the real connection that is developed and maintained with your friends who take photos of what they are doing or seeing is incredibly powerful.

It is also becoming a really useful tool for campaigners. Simply Measured proposes that Instagram gets significantly larger interaction rates than Facebook and Twitter from unpromoted brand posts.


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