New media for the next government
Oh look, we’re once more talking about podcasts and influencers.
In fairness, it’s a topic that is becoming fundamental to the future of comms, politics, and society. So it probably deserves a bit of attention.
Last week, it was revealed Diamantina Media - which is co-owned by the founders of Betoota Advocate, among others - had been appointed to advise Labor on their new media strategy.
It’s the latest interesting insight into how the election campaigns are engaging with this new world, following the Libs TikTok blitz and (shudder) diss track, a Greens candidate on OnlyFans, and arguments over content creators and appropriate authorisation.
The question, as we turn our attention to the 48th parliament, is if, when, and how this will translate to comms from a sitting government.
The public sector has stricter rules, procedures, and performance metrics than a campaign, and many departments and bodies lack the resources to bring in specialists such as Diamantina Media for a sliver of a broader program.
But not engaging is not an option, particularly with falling trust in government.
That’s why a Politico report on the progress of the UK’s New Media Unit (NMU) is required reading. Initially launched to much cynicism at the end of last year, it seems the team, which is centrally based in the Cabinet Office but works across departments, is showing signs of success.
From podcast interviews to creating long term relationships with content creators, the NMU has been empowered to do things differently. They’ve even managed to bring out Kier Starmer’s personality, which had previously been presumed subsumed by Colin Firth.
A similar approach in Canberra would be fascinating. We can just imagine Abbie Chatfield at the groundbreaking ceremony of HumeLink or the Inspired Unemployed covering the launch of the Standing Committee on Procedure’s report on the maintenance of the standing and sessional orders.
If the next government wants better ideas, they know where to find us 😉