How to Win Campaigns

Subtitled 'communications for change', this second edition is surely the definitive book on campaigning, drawing on the author's many years of experience. No stone is left unturned in informing the reader about the various aspects of campaign planning and management. The judicious use of diagrams and boxes makes the message easy to follow. The basics are introduced in the first chapter, which is followed by a discussion of the psychology of communication before considering campaign research and development, campaign plans and communications, constructing campaign propositions and messages, working with the media, and common pitfalls. Anyone concerned with marketing more generally or people who have a special message to convey will benefit from the insights of this book. Essentially, it is about how to construct and communicate a persuasive message that leads to effective action. Many illustrations are given, some more familiar than others. Interestingly, the opening quotation is from Napoleon: 'there are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind.' I suspect this is all the more true today.