The Warwick University P&P group Go Green sofa during their Go Green Week 08
Image © Warwick P&P
High profile actions
Actions are a good way of putting your group on the map and getting people to hear about you. Here are some main considerations:
- Do an action somewhere busy so lots of people see it.
- Use your student media.
- Put your group’s name, contact details and logo on any leaflets and posters you make.
- Try an action with a more popular spin - a café or club night - to get different types of people involved.
- Timing is important - for example, an action at the start of term will put you in people’s minds for the whole term.
Visible on campus
Case study: Warwick
During their Go Green Week 08 the Warwick University P&P group took over their campus and arranged a whole array of activities from a bicycle workshop to a big green game of twister. They also organised a panel debate on green issues and even provided a sofa for the good folks of The University of Warwick to relax on and chat about everything else that was going on. Naturally, the group also had the odd member or two dressed in green and one who even stretched to some Lycra. Nice!
Try to reach a critical mass of publicity around campus - so students know you exist and what impact you’re having.
- Put posters everywhere! Go for novel places as well as main thoroughfares. You could use a network of reps in halls and/or departments or find out if your SU does a poster run.
- Find creative objects to put around campus e.g. windmills or big cardboard signs.
- Wear t-shirts, badges and stickers with your logo on.
- Hang a banner from a prominent place.
- Place inserts in student newspapers (check with the paper first!).
- Keep your society noticeboard up to date.
- Ask departments to include you on their email lists.
- Have regular stalls in busy places. Your Students’ Union might be a good place.
- A midnight campus/street chalking expedition is fun, cheap and easy (but be careful about the law).
Branding
Consistency between your materials can be a powerful tool to get your name out there. If people realise that different events and publicity are all by the same group, it might interest them and draw them in.
- Have a common logo - such as the P&P one.
- Use the same font on all your posters.
- Develop a slogan to use each time.
- Always refer in materials to the same contact and/or website.
You might want to use a different “brand” in some circumstances, if a controversial activity might backfire.
Work with other groups
- Build coalitions with other campaign groups on shared issues - advertise each other’s events and hold coalition events such as Environment Week or World AIDS Day.
- Announce your meetings or events to students on relevant courses, put up OHPs before lectures or leaflet them.
- Try to get your SU on board - perhaps by tabling a motion. If its passed you can mandate the SU officers, such as your Environmental Officer, to help promote your campaign.