Strategia di comunicazione
Gianni Florido e la Provincia di Taranto
‘EmiLab’ and ‘La Fabbrica di Nichi’
From Apulia, a different way of makingpolitics in Italy
Barcelona, October 4, 2010Personal Democracy Forum – Online Political Organizing in Regional and Local Campaigns
Dino Amenduni, Proforma, Italy
Who is the speaker?My name is Dino Amenduni
I’m 26, i’m graduated in work, communication and organization psychology with a post-degree (master) in marketing
I’m the new media team leader and advisor for political communication at Proforma (Proforma – website), adv agency in Bari, city in Southern Italy where i was born and I live
Proforma built strategy and concept of Michele Emiliano’s, Mayor of Bari (2004 and 2009) and Nichi Vendola’s, Apulia Governor (2005 and 2010) electoral campaigns .
Who is the speaker?
I’ve co-led EmiLab, a group of 150 volounteers under30 supporting Michele Emiliano, Mayor of Bari, (Partito Democratico, centre-left party) Michele Emiliano – fanpage on Facebook
I’m social media team leader of Nichi Vendola, Governor of Puglia and national spokesman of Sinistra e Libertà (Left-oriented party out of Italian Parliament) Nichi Vendola – fanpage on Facebook
What are we talking about?
EmiLab – an under-30 electoral think tank
Fabbrica di Nichi – towards a new way of doing politics (and a new political organization)
Key-role of social media in both campaigns
An outlook on (online) politics in Italy
Keynotes
Why did (and how) Emiliano win?
Why did (and how) Vendola win?
How does social media affect both campaigns and how does strategical use of those media change depending on scenario?
Why did both these cases occur in Apulia?
1. EmiLab
EmiLab Logo. Arrow is the main symbol of Emiliano campaign. Its claim was “Bari non torna indietro – Emiliano vai avanti” (Bari doesn’t go back, Emiliano go on) with explicit reference to Emiliano’s challenger, Simeone Di Cagno Abbrescia, already Mayor of Bari (1995- 2004)
Bari: birth of EmiLabMichele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
Michele Emiliano was Mayor of Bari since 2004. In
June of 2008 he started planning his campaign for re-
election. He made a survey during that summer and
realised he was a lot behind his main competitor,
Simeone Di Cagno Abbrescia (Emiliano 39%, Di
Cagno Abbrescia 47%)
We were not surprised by this scenario, as we
were sure Emiliano made a good job as Mayor -
> Emiliano worked well, but informed citizens
without a consistent strategy
Bari: birth of EmiLabMichele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
In Emiliano campaign headquarters a specialistic group of six
young people (average of 23 yrs) was set up. This group was
lead by two managers (myself as communication/new media
coordinator), Fabio Di Fonte as tecnical-IT coordinator, two
content editors, a videomaker, a press agent. This group
was named EmiLab and was born in order to reach these macro-
objectives:
- Social media management (strategical, tactical with
focus on daily content creation);
- Online and offline feedback analysis about Emiliano
and his competitors, on press, TV and on the Internet
- Build and leverage campaign with unconventional
methods
Bari: the real challengeMichele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
The managers of EmiLab have already worked in online
social network building. Di Fonte co-founded
Skakkinostri, website of one of the most popular high
school in Bari, rapidly attractive for 70k young people (14-
25 yrs old), also out of town. Skakkinostri became the
largest local virtual community in Italy
The whole EmiLab starting team was born and lived in
Bari, so they decided to challenge his generation. (“why
do young people need to leave Bari to live better? Is Bari
the problem, or is the lack of courage, talent, expertise of
our peers it?”)
The following step was the activation of qualitative
word-of-mouth
EmiLab – the three questions
Michele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
The team had met many times, so they have made a
short-list with people who fit an “identikit”:
- Personal trust
- Any kind of expertise (political, technical,
organizational, creative, artistic, emotional,
leadership, analitic)
- Love for the city
So the original team started a research for volunteers
EmiLab – from 6 to 150Michele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
Guys who join EmiLab kept on researching and
expanding network with the same methods of
qualitative word-of-mouth, engaging their friends
who fit this ideal profile (trust, competence, love)
So, EmiLab network was based on mutual
acknowledgement of trust and skill
If I trust my friend and my friend trusts another
person, I trust that person
EmiLab – leading actors of campaign
Michele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
EmiLab becomes more ambitious and fulfills quite all
needs of campaigning
Content editing (pictures, photo, video, adbusting,
report, debates, strategic guidelines for online campaign,
journalistic reportages about opponents);
Daily management of ‘offline’ headquarter;
Events organization, both for the group and for Emiliano
Political analysis, monitoring and marketing on social
media
Emiliano won local elections
Michele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
Michele Emiliano won local elections. In first round he
gained 49.2% so he goes to runoff against Simeone di
Cagno Abbrescia (third candidate, Mario Russo Frattasi,
supports Emiliano in second round)
In ballot he reached 59,7%. This exploit depended on
personal style of leadership of Emiliano, on acquiring new
political force from third candidate but, first of all, on
enthusiastic endurance of EmiLab in last two weeks
Dramatic change: Emiliano’s voters was more
motivated to return to vote on runoff (21-22 of June)
EmiLab – some contentsMichele EmilianoAmministrative 2009
Report of 5 yrs of administration -
PDF - Ce ha ffatte Emilane?
No-budget viral video - Spot web - election troubles
Satirical video - Berlusconi votes for Emiliano
Educational video - PubbliCity Progresso
1000 video-request to Mayor - Emiliano answers
Adbusting – Adbusting Di Cagno official campaigns
Official photos of campaign -
Michele Emiliano on Flickr
…and much more
2. Le Fabbriche di NichiNichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
Logo la Fabbrica di Nichi -
Fabbrica di Nichi - official website
Why Fabbrica was born?Nichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
Sometimes good administration is not enough. The fact
that Nichi Vendola (often called with his name only,
‘Nichi’), was not sure of being ricandidated. He fought and
fired controversial politic members in his team before
they were charged of corruption.
After a long and exhausting political fight in his coalition
and despite the extraordinary results on policies for youth,
innovation, energy and environment, he got the
“minimum”: Primary elections. But all political leaders
(also national) are against him.
Nichi is alone against all…or not?
Nichi – solo con(tro) tuttiNichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
‘Solo contro tutti’ – concept for Primary elections. This
campaign had been based on word ‘contro’ (“against”) and con
(=‘contro’ without ‘tro’, that means “with”)
Nichi is not against all (politics), Nichi is with everbody
(people)
Apulia – la Fabbrica di Nichi
Nichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
Like in the 2005, the campaign shifted the Nichi's
weakness in strength, in the opportunity. And he had put
aside by politics, all the top national leader were against
him. But the people, the electors supported him.
So a non-partitic movement born for Governor’s Vendola
to right to run for the rielection
This movement was named Fabbrica di Nichi (Nichi’s
Factory), and was made of many little, local electoral
headquarters, held by people of Sinistra e Libertà, Partito
Democratico, other left parties activist and people who
had never been activist before
Apulia – la Fabbrica di Nichi
Nichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
Why did this model perform well?
The success of this method depends on the capacity to be
light in organization (without monolithic rules to
participate), but dense in production (bottom-up) and
spreading (top-down) of contents of the whole
network
This way of doing politics made Fabbrica a brand: local
bases of this organization are born everywhere, in Italy, in
Europe and worldwide. Now there are 463 active
Fabbriche (also in US, Africa and Asia), lead by
FabbricaZero, the HQ, sited in Bari
Nichi rocked PrimaryNichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
Primary elections are held on 24 Jan 2010
Vendola strokes his opponent, Francesco Boccia,
with 73%
200k people went to vote (80k in 2005 for previous
Primary, still Nichi vs. Boccia – entire population of Apulia
is 4 mln)
UDC (Unione di Centro, a centre party now in rhe
Parliament) announced they wouldn’t join coalition in case
Nichi won. Voters ignored this
Why Nichi won Primary?Nichi Vendola- Primarie 2010
1. He had a powerful and well-organized electoral machine (Fabbriche)
2. He gave control of part of campaign to people and to Fabbriche, leveraging supporters commitment
3. There were not a real reason for banning his right for re-election
4. He communicated wisely, with correct languages and tools, with microtargeting through the Internet and, therefore, with reduced costs
Fabbrica and Regional elections
Nichi Vendola- Regionali 2010
Fabbrica di Nichi has only two months to lead campaign
(elections were scheduled on 28-29 Mar 2010) but Primary
elections made this organization very responsive. Positive
efforts were generated thanks to these actions:
a.Activate sense of comunity, rielaborating main frames
of campaign and putting on hyper-local point of view (i.e.
protect environment as a general idea -> explain how to
protect environment in your town)
b. Suggest creativity tools in managing campaign and in
learning what issues local communty asks Nichi
Fabbrica – new scenario, same keys
Nichi Vendola- Regionali 2010
c. Build new consciousness about Nichi’s project on
people and on regional ruling class;
d. Communicate Fabbrica daily activities and activity of
Vendola during the 5 years as governor of Apulia, via new
media
e. Build and manage entire pieces of campaign (as
political force, as new political organization, as creative
tank)
Nichi won Regional elections
Nichi Vendola- Regionali 2010
28-29 of March, 2010, Regional elections are held:
Vendola won with 48,7% (there are not ballot in
Regional elections); Rocco Palese, his main opponent,
took 43% (even if his party, PDL – Popolo della Libertà,
lead by Berlusconi, won election in rest of Italy).
Palese made his campaign with a budget eight times
bigger than Vendola’s
In 100 days Vendola has turned himself over from a
political failure to an epic re-winner
Fabbrica – some contentsNichi Vendola- Regionali 2010
Hyperlocal actions- Video Guerrilla Gardening
Satirical video -
Women and nuclear energy in Southern Italy
Short movies - Regional policies for development
Report of 5 yrs of administration -
Tweets on Vendola 2005-2010
Massive openings worldwide – Worldwide map of
Fabbriche
…and much more
An outlookConclusioni
What can we learn from these cases?
It’s not mandatory to be expert or ideological to be a political
activist;
It’s not mandatory to be into political organizations to be a
political activist;
Youth people are more likely to be engaged by a charismatic
leader;
Useful skills for campaigning are not only political;
Politics must give power to the people;
Using web 2.0 in a scientific manner returns real results (Emiliano is
the second most popular Mayor in Italy on FB and it was first when
EmiLab worked; Vendola is the most popular politician on FB and the
most popular politician in Europe on social media on aggregate)
Facebook – Nichi first in Italy
Conclusioni
Famecount – Nichi first in Europe
Conclusioni
Why did all happen in Apulia?
Conclusioni
Political proximity between Emiliano and Vendola;
Continuity on skill and expertise building in EmiLab and
Fabbrica
Charisma of both leaders;
Sharing best practices between EmiLab and Fabbrica;
The social phenomena was understimate from national
right-oriented leaders;
New and strengthened sense of affiliation in Apulian citizens
Innovative youth policies -> youth more committed ->
youth more motivated to support political leadershp->
innovation in way of making politics = give credit
to youth
Grazie!Un grande abbraccio
Dino AmenduniFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/dinoamenduni
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/doonie
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/dinoamenduni
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/doonie (here you can find this
slideshow)
ProformaSite: http://www.proformaweb.it
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/proformaweb
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/proformaweb
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/proformaweb