Campaign Strategy
A campaign is not a poster. It is a plan to change what a specific group of people knows, believes or does. The poster is one move inside that plan. Strategy is the work of deciding which move matters most.
The strategy sentence
Because [problem], we will persuade [specific audience] to [specific change] by [message and channels], and we will know it worked if [indicator].
If any part of the sentence is vague, the campaign is not yet planned. "Raise awareness" is not a change. "Make people care" is not an indicator.
From problem to change
| Element | Weak version | Sharper version |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | "Our school is not sustainable." | "The canteen throws away about two bins of edible food each lunchtime." |
| Audience | "Everyone at school." | "Students in Years 7 and 8 who buy lunch, and the canteen manager who sets portion sizes." |
| Change | "Care more about waste." | "Choose the smaller portion option and tell the canteen what they would actually buy." |
| Message | "Waste is bad." | "Take what you will eat, and tell us what you would actually buy." |
| Channels | "Social media." | "A two-week noticeboard poster series, two mentor-group announcements and one canteen feedback box." |
| Indicator | "People liked it." | "The number of smaller portions chosen and the number of completed feedback cards, counted before and after." |
Theory of change
A theory of change explains why the campaign should produce the result. It is a short chain of if-then statements, not a wish list.
| If we... | then... | because... |
|---|---|---|
| Show students the daily waste audit | they will see the scale of the problem | the number is concrete and close to their own lunch |
| Offer a smaller default portion | more students will finish what they take | the barrier is portion size, not unwillingness |
| Ask for one written suggestion | the canteen will know what students want | the change must fit what people will actually buy |
Each link can fail. Maybe students already know about the waste but cannot change the portion. Maybe the canteen cannot source smaller containers. A good strategy names the weakest link and tests it early.
Audience segments
| Segment | What they need | What they might resist | Best channel | Specific ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students who buy lunch | A quick, low-effort choice | Feeling blamed or monitored | Poster at the canteen, peer announcement | Try the smaller portion once |
| Canteen staff | Evidence that the change is workable | Extra cost or wasted stock | Short briefing with data | Trial one item for two weeks |
| Families | Clear information about the change | Concern about value or hunger | Newsletter item | Discuss the trial at home |
| School leadership | A safe, resourced proposal | Risk, workload, complaints | One-page brief | Approve a bounded trial |
Do not address all segments with one message. The same campaign can have a student-facing poster, a staff briefing and a family note. The core claim stays consistent; the emphasis changes.
Channels and fit
| Channel | Strength | Limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster | Visible in a specific place; works without devices. | Limited detail; easy to ignore after a week. | One clear message and one action. |
| Speech or announcement | Human voice, immediate response, can adapt to the room. | Lost if the audience is absent or distracted. | Framing the issue and introducing the ask. |
| Short video | Combines image, sound and story. | Time-consuming; easy to misread without context. | Showing a process or a before-and-after. |
| Social post | Fast reach and sharing. | Algorithmic reach is unreliable; context collapses. | Reaching people already connected to the campaign. |
| Conversation or stall | Questions can be answered immediately. | Fewer people reached; relies on volunteers. | Testing objections and gathering feedback. |
| Newsletter | Reaches families directly. | Low read rates; one-way communication. | Explaining a change and its rationale. |
Resources and constraints
- Time. How many lessons, breaks and home sessions are realistically available?
- People. Who designs, checks, films, speaks, counts and follows up?
- Money. What must be bought, and what can be borrowed or made?
- Permission. Who must approve the campaign, the space and the use of images or names?
- Access. Can the audience see, hear, read and act on the message?
- Risk. What could go wrong, and what is the plan if it does?
One-page campaign brief
| Field | Your plan |
|---|---|
| Issue and evidence | |
| Specific audience | |
| Desired change | |
| Core message | |
| Three reasons | |
| Strongest objection | |
| Channels and timing | |
| People and permissions | |
| Success indicators | |
| Ethical safeguards |
Common errors
- Audience of everyone. A message for everyone is usually a message for no one.
- Action without capacity. Asking students to do something they cannot do.
- Channel shopping. Choosing platforms because they are fashionable rather than because the audience uses them.
- No baseline. Claiming success without measuring the starting point.
- Ignoring permissions. Using names, faces or spaces without consent.
Next, shape the campaign's look and sound with rhetorical devices and visual and media rhetoric.