3 things we learned from political Thunderclap campaigns
We’ve all had a lot on our minds since election day on November 8.
Politics aside, this period of transition has so many people, both in the United States and around the world, wondering what comes next. Now more than ever, it’s important for us to stand together and speak together.
As The Ringer’s Alyssa Bereznak noted, throughout this election cycle, “presidential candidates and their supporters have driven the national conversation about the election via social media.”
As a social media amplification platform, it’s been exciting for us to be part of that conversation. Our tool has been leveraged by many of the candidates in the 2016 presidential election. And since our inception, Thunderclap has played a key role for all kinds of groups who want to make their voices heard and create real change.
This election showed us a new type of social campaign. “If organized lobbying once came in the form of a steak dinner at a restaurant off of K Street or volunteer phone calls, its future lies in flooding people’s social media feeds until they can’t possibly ignore you any longer,” Bereznak wrote.
While Thunderclap is now home to diverse campaigns run by everyone from global brands to local non-profits, we have our roots in activism and advocacy. With politics at the top of everyone’s mind lately, we wanted to highlight a few campaigns from our archives that focus on political change.
Standing united in the wake of a tragedy
Just after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the White House invited Americans to pledge their support for common-sense steps to reduce gun violence.
The White House embedded the Thunderclap call to action on its homepage.The campaign was scheduled to blast out supporters’ messages just before a key vote in Congress, and included information about a set
of proposals put forward by President Obama. The organizers explained that Congress is “only going to act on them if they hear from the American people.”
“Now is the time to make your voice heard,” the organizers told supporters. The White House’s campaign served as a way to unify citizens (including more than 18,000 Thunderclap campaign supporters) around a common goal in the wake of a devastating event.
The takeaway: Timing is everything. Set a Thunderclap to end at a key moment, like before a vote or in response to a major news story.
A call for financial reform
One of the earliest Thunderclap campaigns was created by Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi.
Matt’s campaign was focused on financial reform in Washington. He encouraged his community to send a message to Congress to stop the rollback of the Dodd-Frank law. His message and a link to his Rolling Stone story about finance reform were shared by nearly 2,000 people when the campaign tipped.
What’s unique about Matt’s campaign was that he created it and promoted it as an individual (though his campaign was covered on Rolling Stone’s website). His campaign brought additional attention to his article that educated readers on the Dodd-Frank law itself, and it was the first-ever Thunderclap to focus on affecting public policy and speaking directly to legislators.
The takeaway: Use Thunderclap as a way to educate an audience about an issue by inviting them to read and share a relevant news story. Empower them to inform others.
Amplifying voters’ voices
More recently, the AARP invited its community to play a role in the 2016 presidential debates by sharing a message to encourage debate moderators to ask Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump about their plans for Social Security.
The AARP positioned the campaign as a way to “make sure the moderators, ABC’s Martha Raddatz and CNN’s Anderson Cooper, see that Americans are counting on them to ask both candidates the tough questions.”
With extensive promotion through social media and email blasts, the AARP motivated nearly 9,500 supporters to back the Thunderclap campaign and share the message ahead of the town hall debate.
The takeaway: Promotion is key. Activate your audience through all available channels, including email, social media, and personal outreach.
Looking Ahead
There’s a lot we can do to support the things we care about, whether that’s backing a Thunderclap campaign, donating to an important cause, or organizing an event to bring supporters together. But to get things done, we need strength in numbers.
It’s at the core of what we believe at Thunderclap: when we speak together, we’re sure to rise above the noise.
