10:10 - using email marketing to keep the UK Lighter Later
Lighter Later is a campaign to move the clocks forward by one hour to make it lighter in the evenings. Evidence suggests the change would improve road safety, boost the UK’s tourism industry, reduce carbon emissions and make it easier for us all to take part in sporting activities after school and work. The project is supported by organisations ranging from the Automobile Association to Greenpeace, and from the Football Association to the Tourism Alliance.
Robin Houston, 10:10 technical director, explains: “A vital part of our work has been to make it easier for Lighter Later’s supporters to talk to their parliamentary representatives in the right way and at the right time.”
“The Daylight Saving Bill is a private member’s bill that came before the House of Commons on Friday 3 December. Lighter Later’s specific aim, as the debate approached, was to coax as many supportive MPs as possible into the House on that Friday morning. Clever use of targeted email marketing helped 10:10 achieve this.”
Using personalised messages to get MPs on board
10:10’s mailing list is formed by combining its database of Lighter Later supporters and its database of MPs. In order to make sure the right MP was getting the right message, 10:10 used a clever combination of filters and message personalisation in PureResponse to deliver differing messages to specific groups of people. For example, an MP who supports Lighter Later and who planned to attend the vote received a different message to one who did not.
Robin expands: “In the run-up to the vote we sent targeted messages to the constituents of undecided MPs, encouraging them to email or phone their MP asking them to vote in favour of the bill.”
How Lighter Later messages are integrating with other channels
Many of the emails 10:10 sent included links to a web page informing supporters how to write an email to their MP or telephone them directly. The Lighter Later campaign messages had personalised links in them, so someone reading the email could simply click one link and start writing an email to their MP straight away.
Lighter Later’s Facebook and Twitter pages really are hives of activity – particularly the Facebook page, with lively discussions and some really committed Lighter Later supporters working around the clock to change the clocks.
So, what happened in the House of Commons on Friday 3 December?
Success! The Daylight Saving Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons and now has to go through three more stages in the Commons and five in the House of Lords. This is a major milestone for the campaign, as most private member’s bills fail at the second reading.
What happens now? Robin explains: “If the bill passes into law, then the Government is obliged to conduct a comprehensive review of the evidence, and then institute a three-year trial if the balance of evidence is favourable.”
So watch this space: with the Lighter Later campaign gathering momentum, a clock change could definitely be on the cards.
