The Campaign Company Blog

I can get some satisfaction.....but is that enough?

Ask Ben Page, of Ipsos MORI - the company who tend to do a lot of local government polling - what he thinks is required and he will say that the polls his company conducts for Council's show that if local government focuses on improving communication with the public, they will show increased satisfaction with services and the evidence he provides is compelling.

However the proposed Community Empowerment Bill is likely to raise the bar over not just satisfaction requirements across services but also develop the duty to involve. As reported in an earlier posting it provides the opportunity to create a "balanced scorecard" for the public and other stakeholders to judge local government and health commissioners, not just in terms of satisfaction, but also in terms of real involvement in developing and improving services.

This is important since over the past 20 years local government services, whether education, health and social care, environment or housing is managed in a much more arms length way. The role of the corporate centre in local government has therefore become more of an enabler and increasingly a performance measurer and improver. However the Bill now provides the opportunity for the corporate centre to develop a much greater empowering agenda.

Some might argue that people are broadly satisfied and only a minority want to get involved more - again that is what the polls that measure satisfaction in local government seem to show.

Who are this minority? Ask Ipsos MORI again: they are social and political influencers. By their nature they impact on the opinions and participation of others. Local Government needs to engage with and involve this minority as they can influence the views and social behaviour of others - a key area for local government and health commissioners in the coming years.

Communications on its own will not achieve this. Personal engagement on the doorstep, in the community and on the phone can both identify who the influencers are and develop a deeper ongoing relationship with them.

Over the coming months we will expand on this theme to demonstrate why there should not be a "poverty of aspiration" in empowering people and why a draft Community Empowerment Bill provides a unique opportunity for those in the cross-party consensus who do not have any low expectations of the public, to develop the involvement agenda much further!

 

 

Time to end the poverty of aspiration over engagement?

There does seem to be a worrying trend from people who should know better to attack the proposals in the Community Empowerment draft bill as not being of great relevance to an apathetic public. This was the case made by David Walker of Guardian Public Magazine writing in Guardian Society today.

Sometimes you expect to come across a poverty of aspiration within poorer communities but it's depressing to hear it from the editor of a journal read by many public sector professionals.

The argument seems to go: "If people claim to be generally satisfied with their public services just let sleeping dogs lie".

Just as modernisation is occurring in specific services such as health and education, the community empowerment bill is promising similar modernisation in public engagement. This will create a new "balanced scorecard" for public services that doesn't just measure public satisfaction, but also measures public involvement.

Of course we also need more emotional intelligence from public servants in dealing with the public - that requires additional training programmes as well as feeding back to staff the views of the public in real time . However that still doesn't far go enough. And we shouldn't be satisfied with a 33% turnout at local elections. But there is a clue in the fact that during the Poll Tax era it reached nearly 50% and that in the recent Boris v Ken contest there was a significantly increased turnout of in the mid forty per cent mark in London. We know people will engage if the issues are important and the choices are clear.

David Walker  compares "cold" local election voting and "X Factor" reality shows. But he draws the wrong conclusions. Why is reality show voting (when it is done properly and not rigged!) popular? It's because people actually feel empowered in the context of what they are taking part in. They are not just passively watching but collectively creating programme content and in effect "writing the script for the following week" by determining who comes back. How often does that happen in local government? Just as important as the immediacy, is that the results of their voting appears in the popular magazines they read and also provokes a conversation the next day around the water cooler. Where is the equivalent infrastructure in the public services that encourages this debate around a decision? You can't simply do it with a glossy leaflet!

He also confuses antagonism for creative tension over the issue of "personalisation v collectivism". I think he is far too pessimistic. This creative tension dates back to when humanity first created societies of towns and cities which allowed both public spaces but also individual endeavour.Of course there will be political choices that need to be made over resources for places like sport centres. But why is there a contradiction between this and allowing local communities to build up a wide range of locally owned community assets? Why should such choice be restricted to an existing building or facility? It could also include land for development too where the debate could be what they use it for. More affordable eco-housing v a new community centre? If local democracy is just seen as a remote Council making decisions for people, of course voter turnout will stay at 33% but we know that regeneration and stock transfer ballots are far higher so the potential is there to help people feel they have a much greater stake in their community.

The Community Empowerment Bill gives us an opportunity to build on the current relatively rare three-party consensus that exists to do something quite exciting in the coming year. Whilst we need to be realistic, we should not start off pessimistic.

Islam and Democracy

The elections set for 2008 in the Maldives could mark the beginning of a new democratic era. However it might also bring to an end the reform agenda that has been pursued by the government since 2003.

At stake is whether or not a traditional Islamic country can embrace modern democratic norms and practices, or whether the Maldives will be seen as part of the growing trend of retrenchment of authoritarian, conservative rulers and an example of the perceived conflict between Islam and Democracy. Last week I was in Washington speaking at a conference of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, about how building a strong civil society and in particular how political party development can be used promote the requirements of a robust democracy. Visit the Maldives Election Watch website where you can read our paper.

But if democracy is to flourish, the forthcoming presidential elections must be free and fair.

International pressure has played a crucial role in pushing a closed society to open up political space. That pressure must be sustained.And I'm not always convinced that the International community is strategic enough about such issues-we need to get some visible democratic 'wins' to encourage campaigners for democracy everywhere.

There is a real opportunity for religious conservatives and secular liberals to achieve a sustainable balance in a Muslim society.  But the political future is delicately poised and by no means certain.

NHS 60th Birthday

This year sees the 60th anniversary of the NHS. It is amazing to think that the institution has survived that long, and it is a credit to it and it's staff that it is now such a part of the fabric of british society that no politician could comprehend dismantling it.

I like many am proud of the NHS, the service it provides is more often than not extrememly good, even if the circumstances it has to deal with are particularly challenging and that the media continues to suggest that it isn't. It is in my view right therefore that the Department of Health is encouraging NHS trusts to celebrate this milestone in the organisations history.

TCC has recently launched www.nhs60thbirthday.co.uk this shows how some of our engagement products can be used by trusts to engage and involve communitites and service users in the celebrations. As much of the work we do is within the NHS, it is great that TCC can have some impact on making the celebrations a success for trusts and enable more people to become involved in them.

You can check out, but you can never leave...

Realising that I had double cover I phoned the AA (automobile association) last week to cancel my membership.  On ascertaining my reason, they didnt try to argue with me but simply said, "ok, but would you like us to suspend your membership for five years.  You dont pay anything and if after five years your circumstances have changed and you would like to restore your membership, you will keep the benefits you have gained by being a member before?".  Of course I said "alright go on then".

So at little cost to them, they have not lost me as a member completely.  They obviously still have me on their database and I expect to get suitably crafted communications from them - not banging me over the head about becoming a member, but possibly offering affinity products and maintaining the relationship.  As we know it is always hugely more expensive to find new members rather than keep existing ones.

It struck me that this simple tactic may have application for other membership based organisations - particularly trade unions and political parties.

Take political parties.  People join a political party in numbers when its values strike a chord with them but particularly when they see it as a vehicle to express opposition to something (the government of the day or some injustice for example).  When circumstances change - the most obvious example being that their party gains office and turns out to be less than ideal! (Ring any bells?), it is inevitable that a proportion will not want to sustain their membership.

If a political party in such circumstances were to offer them membership suspension instead of grudgingly having to say "ok go on leave then!", there would be a much better chance of maintaining some form of relationship and getting them back in future.  Of course some people will jump ship to another political party or will be lost forever.  But a proportion will always remain closest to the party they were a member of and will therefore be within reach.

Time for Community Empowerment?

Whilst the main focus in Parliament this week was the debate over the compensation for the 10p tax rate and a government "relaunch" through the Draft Queen's Speech, we should not lose sight of the fact there were some very important proposals in the draft legislation that could lead to a major advance in the empowerment agenda over the coming year:

• An NHS constitution setting out rights and responsibilities as well as more public say over PCT decisions.
• Patient satisfaction being a greater driver to performance and payment within the NHS
• More information rights to parents and care recipients.
• More say for housing tenants especially over tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour.
• Directly elected representatives to give people more power over Policing priorities and responsiveness.
• A Community Empowerment bill which should impact on local government in terms of issues that really make a difference such as spending decisions and the ownership of community assets.

This is a clear agenda for change and and in the coming months we will be posting further as to how this agenda can be taken forward based on TCC's practical experience across this area of work.

With an uncertain political environment, one of the crucial things practitioners in the field will be looking for is meaningful change that is followed by a period where new powers are allowed to prove their worth. It would be a great tragedy if positive proposals are developed and implemented but are then abolished or "reformed" without time to prove themselves.

The avoidance of that outcome requires a wide consensus across the main Political Parties. So far the response towards increased local empowerment from all sides has been very positive. We will consider this issue, and others' responses to it, more as the legislation is debated.

The Importance of a Brand Identity

Whether you are a freelance contractor, a small business or a blue chip multinational  everything that is seen reflects on you!

It's easy to think that a simple letter to a close client doesnt have to be on headed paper because they know who you are or you just didnt have any. Such a simple thing like this starts an unfolding of your brand identity and peoples perception of who you are.

“A brand is not a product. It is the sum total of everything a company does — the good, the bad and even the off strategy — that creates a large context or an identity in the consumer’s mind.”
Scott Bedbury
Formerly of Nike and Starbucks
The Lawlor Review, Winter 2000

The importance of brand identity is one of the most underestimated areas within businesses. Continuity is the key to success so there needs to be company guidelines to make sure that the company has a strong and powerful image. Your brand should tell people what you want them to know about you before they read anything.

According to , the most frequently violated law of branding is consistency. “Markets may change, but brands shouldn’t,” notes Ries and Ries. “They may be bent slightly or given a new slant, but their essential characteristics (once those characteristics are firmly planted in the mind) should never be changed.”
Al Ries and Laura Ries,
co-authors of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding

Lack of consistency is certainly a common pitfall for many design and construction firms, especially in sales and marketing materials. All too often, proposals are generated with different logos and no consistent message or theme throughout. The harm in such a practice is the next time your company is submitting a proposal to the same firm, your name may not even trigger a memory with them. By providing a consistent message in your proposals and presentations, your company develops a personality and creates credibility in the marketplace. Your proposals will stand out amongst the crowd by developing a clear and consistent message.

To a company their logo may seem tires and out dated, but remember you are lookin at it hundreds of times a week. To an existing client or contact it resembles who you are. To a new client it is what they will remember you by. Small tweaks and refreshing the logo can be considered (Take someone like BP for example) but remember that people associate you with that logo!

You may not be able to afford the expensive advertisement in the local business publication, but you can develop an in-house newsletter to send to clients, place job site signs at projects, as well as develop a website. The key to success in building a compelling brand identity lies in the development of a well thought out action plan and consistency in all you do, send and touch in the community.

Parents CAN be persuaded to give daughters cervical cancer jab

The Guardian recently published an article stating that "1 in 5 parents refuse daughters' cervical cancer jab". You may not be aware that this refers to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine which prevents cervical cancer. An immunisation programme will be rolled out in schools to all Year 8 (ie 12-13 year-old) girls this autumn.

To key to ensuring maximum take-up is getting parental consent. The research quoted, is based on a phone survey of @2000 parents and shows that there is a clear body of work to be done to raise public confidence in immunisation. Our own research confirms this but also provides the solution to raising confidence!

We have been using a social marketing approach in Barnsley, to test awareness of HPV vaccine among parents and adolescents but also to gain insight into the behaviours and attitudes of parents and young women so that we can develop a targeted communications programme that will get 90% take-up of this vaccine in Barnsley.

The results were fascinating (e-mail me at aline@thecampaigncompany.co.uk if you want to find out the details) but the key finding in Barnsley was as follows. If you give parents the right information AND you engage them in conversation about the issue then they WILL consent to their daughters having the vaccine. The only circumstances they would refuse would be if there were any doubts about the side-effects. So that's the way forward - reassure and engage parents in the right way. If we use this approach, 400 lives a year will be saved.