The Ground War: Health Care Astroturf and Greenpeace

Posted on | August 4, 2009 | No Comments

Here at Agit-Pop, we’re obviously big believers in the power of internet organzing to change the world.  But sometimes to create a compelling story, you just have to get boots on the ground.

Consider the stir caused by astroturf groups disrupting congressional town hall meetings during the August recess – even though these groups read from a professional lobbyists’ script and signify very little in terms of real support, they seem to make a compelling news story.  Seeing the talking points played out in real time – Socialism! Takeover! Competition! Choice! – creates a news story that almost writes itself, complete with clear battle lines and mad-as-hell Americans.

Almost simultaneously, Greenpeace (long a champion of media-friendly direct action) targeted Hewlett-Packard for some unwanted attention, climbing to the roof of the company’s headquarters for a little re-branding of the toxic product producing company.  Like the healthcare right-wingers, Greenpeace made a target into a clear enemy and then executed a compelling boots on the ground action to win some good coverage for the campaign.

In a similar campaign, Agit-Pop worked with the Electronics Takeback Coalition for Take Back My TV! – an integrated web and on the ground campaign that got many electronics manufacturers to create recycling programs for now obsolete analog TV sets.

The lesson?  Web tools are a vital part of organizing successful campaigns, but sometimes going the extra mile can make the difference and win the messaging day.

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