Why campaigns need a clear target
Launch library · evergreen read
A campaign target is the specific person or institution with the power to grant the ask, and naming that target precisely is one of the most underrated steps in campaign design. Pressure aimed at the wrong target, however well organised, has little chance of producing the outcome being sought, regardless of how loud it becomes.
Identifying the real target sometimes takes research, since the person with public visibility on an issue is not always the one who actually controls the decision. Campaigns that skip this step often end up pressuring a sympathetic but powerless figure while the true decision maker feels no pressure at all and continues on unaffected.
Once a target is correctly identified, a campaign can tailor everything else to what that specific person or body actually responds to, whether that is public opinion, financial consequence, peer pressure from colleagues, or simply a well timed, well evidenced case delivered directly to them.