Iggy Pop may not be the most natural inspiration for public affairs but his BBC 6 Music John Peel lecture delivered a critical piece of insight for political communicators – transcend the medium.
Iggy’s career in rock continues to be vibrant and interesting and has lasted over 40 years, much longer than the average span of most politicians. His Peel lecture took in a number of themes and criticism but it was his call for musicians to transcend the medium that had most resonance for political communications. For Iggy, those musicians who continue to have a successful career are those who have been ‘stuck’ with a medium of communications (LP, CD, download etc). In a similar way, those who found unlikely success in the 1980s were those who were quick to adapt to the new opportunities presented by MTV and music videos. Some of the ‘old dinosaurs’ of the 1970s found they could have hits again whereas others tried hard to adapt but just didn’t have what the new audiences wanted.
This is just as true for political communications and public affairs. Unless we take time to understand how the messages are to be delivered then they will not resonate with their intended audience.
WE NEED TO CONSIDER:
- What the stakeholders want – stakeholder identification often focuses on who the right people to target are but not what mediums should be used to engage with them. There continues to be a reliance on letters, briefing papers and face-to-face meetings. That may be completely right but was consideration even given to any other appropriate alternatives? Also, media coverage may exert a valuable influence at the right stage of a campaign but which media, the one you ‘think’ will have the most effect or the one you think is most likely to get coverage in? These may not always be the same. It is often easier to find information about what doesn’t work rather than what does – Sir Peter Bottomley’s comments being a case in point.
- What the medium needs – the requirements of message delivery vary according to the medium being used, That is easy to identify with Twitter (140 characters) vs a two-sided written brief but it can often be more difficult to work out. Study the medium, what works and what does not and learn from the experience of others. So if you decide a Vine might work or an insert to the newspaper, what has worked or failed in the past.
- Measurement of the medium – this can be easier with some more than others but should, at least, be considered. How can we work out whether the intended audience saw, let alone took note, of what was said and how we said it? With electronic medium this is often much easier and statistics can be generated but think about your other mediums as well.
- Consistency – transcending the medium is all about consistency as well. Personalities can vary across outlets but the aims of the campaign and the messages need to stay on a narrow path. Yes, each stakeholder will need to hear things that works for them but each medium needs its own method of conveying those messages. The most obvious example is how personality needs to be conveyed through social media and dialogue is critical as well. That is less true of a traditional briefing paper.
- Change, if needed – communications and technology constantly move forward and good political communicators need to be on top of them. So if a new option comes forward, or an old one dies out, then change too. The same rules, however, apply. Will the medium really help you engage with the audience or is it just a gimmick? If it will, then how do you make sure you understand how the new medium works?
- Momentum – shifts in the use of media can also help maintain a campaign’s momentum. Constantly bashing away at the same old approach risks boring the audience and the fails to challenge those designing the engagement. The campaign needs to be kept fresh and shifting how the message is delivered can help.
A lot of the above can only be discovered through research at the outset of a campaign, experience and by asking stakeholders what works for them as well. There will be some obvious answers but some will emerge during the progress of a campaign. It then comes down to keeping that detail handy for future campaigns and learning by your own successes and failures.
Thank you Iggy!