Information campaigns are shifting to the second screen, according to the European Parliament Information Office (EPIO) social media manager Kurt Buttigieg.
Faced with a tiny budget and an electorate that needs to be reached at all levels, the small team at the EPIO decided that they would channel a significant part of the office’s information campaign online to complement events on the ground, a strategy that has projected the office in a strong position leading to the European Parliament elections on May 24.
For political campaigns, reaching younger, more diverse voters through just TV alone is problematic
Until recently, it was widely accepted among media strategists and campaign advisers that TV dominated the landscape in Malta and this was reflected in spending a large portion of campaign funds in that direction. TV is still important, said Mr Buttigieg, “but for those with only marginal budgets to make a difference, going digital is the best way to focus campaign resources and maximise reach”.
“We needed an alternative to TV advertising, also because we do not have the budget for it. We are working with a very limited budget and we wanted to have an outreach programme that engaged people around our key themes.
“Facebook and other social media like Twitter have become central to our campaign. Things are very different now to how they were three or five years ago. Government entities and institutions have to keep up, as it is very difficult to get your message across. We are trying to use these channels to explain what the European Parliament does – and doesn’t do in some cases. There are over 200,000 Maltese users on Facebook and it is cheaper to communicate there. We take risks... you cannot please everyone all the time, but that’s OK as long as most of what we do is successful – and it has been successful.”
TV is “losing ground to new technologies that allow viewers to watch content on their own terms,” Mr Buttigieg said.
“That means, for political campaigns, reaching younger, more diverse voters through just TV alone is problematic. We are selling something, but it isn’t just another product. The EU is us – and in our little ways we can contribute in shaping it. This is why we don’t censor anything at all. We are not promoting a brand. I see ‘communicating Europe’ more of a community, and a community effort.”
Many participants divide their attention between watching television and using two or even three other devices.
The EPIO has a Facebook community of over 20,000 users.
https://www.facebook.com/ParlamentEwropew