How to run a public affairs campaign, according to Jamie Oliver's "chlorinated chicken" fight!

Food and health has been a key issue in the conversation around Brexit, with “chlorinated chicken” becoming shorthand for the mounting concerns that British food standards could be sacrificed on the altar of future trade agreements.

As the UK Government votes on the Agriculture Bill, media analysis company Commetric examined the media resonance of the campaigns, It analysed 1,000 articles around the proposed Agriculture Bill published in the UK between 1 May – 8 October 2020.

The analysis shows that chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver has dominated the story. His approach illustrates five key tips all campaigners can learn from him:

1. Be authentic – Jamie has been careful to root his campaign in his own area of credibility – child health and food. He had already had backed Bite Back 2030 , a youth-led charity focussed on reducing childhood obesity in the UK.

2. Identify unexpected new partners through common interests – he supported the National Farmer’s Union’s petition. The NFU is often seen representing big agribusiness, not an obvious bedfellow.

3. Create cultural bridges – involve users who are strategically positioned on Twitter to connect different communities, often combining conversational themes within an advocacy field that are seldom discussed together (see graphic below).

4. Unify around a common campaign – in this case the UK Agriculture Bill which allows for traditional lobbying activity -mobilising around the MPs petition.

5. Leverage digital shareability – develop good hashtags to encourage widespread sharing – in this case #saveourstandards.

How did he do it?
What got the attention of the national press was the growth of the movement on social media thanks to Jamie Oliver, who was the top influencer in the Twitter discussion.