2.4 Evidence


The second step of the narrative change campaign planning process – Build out the elements - consists of eight elements that guide you through the development of the campaign tools and approach. On this page, we focus on the fourth element – Evidence.
 

BUILD OUT THE ELEMENTS
Elements 
  1. Messages
  2. Stories
  3. Slogans & hashtags
  4. Evidence
  5. Visuals
  6. Messengers & supporters
  7. Threshold forum/publication
  8. Action plan 

 
While the elements in the table above are presented in a series, the reality of this step is that you need to iterate back and forth among the different tools through the campaign build out process. 

In the fourth element into the build out process, you are seeking for the key findings and evidence to back up your messages. This involves one main approach: 


Have the key facts needed to support the campaign messages.

A reframing approach is mostly built into campaigns that are largely driven on an appeal to the heart and hence, leading with facts is discouraged. However, it is still important to have the key facts and evidence you will need to support your campaign messages, to counter the challenges you know will come and allow you to continue the conversation. It is even better if the facts are surprising and unexpected, as this will make them much more striking and ‘sticky’ - another dimension which can trigger the dissonance you are looking to create. The two key facts from the Poppy Hijab case illustrate this:
 

CASE 1 - British Future – Poppy Hijab - UK
 
Key facts:
 
1. More than 60% of British Muslims wear the poppy to mark Remembrance Day1  
 
2. 400,000 Muslims died fighting for Britain in World War 12  
 
The first fact is extremely important as it counters a widely shared story of Islamists burning the poppy at a public demonstration before this campaign and also shows there is an integrated middle among British Muslims – also a striking fact! 
 


This does not imply that you have to conduct large-scale analysis for your campaign, but putting time into having this core evidence is worthwhile. In our Narrative Change Lab, we draw on groups of researchers who support the development of campaigns and work to locate this data for the campaign groups. So, having a researcher on board is useful in a campaign team.

 

PLANNING CHECKLIST
Step 2.3 - Evidence
  • What is the key evidence you need to back up your messages?
  • What message(s) do you think will be challenged? What evidence do you need to back these points up?
  • Should the evidence be a prominent part of the campaign or used more as a backup in the story?

 

<< 2.3 - 2.5 >>