There is an interesting article here about the successful use of video by a union in Minneapolis in an organizing campaign there. The video was part of a coordinated corporate campaign to get a contract at the Radisson hotel in Minneapolis. I’ve run into the use of video by unions in campaigns periodically (one of the best I’ve seen was done for the IBEW by this same group in Minnesota – Labor Education Service, which is sponsored in part by the University of Minnesota).
I can attest to the effectiveness of video in organizing campaigns – we started offering a money-back guarantee for companies that use our program this year. The bottom line is that people relate better to video than any other communication medium. It always has a point of view, but is considered much more neutral than either written or spoken communication. It is very persuasive, especially if you use interviews from real people (that’s all we use in our programs – actors come off looking like a bad high school play). And the format forces you to communicate succinctly and, therefore, much more effectively.
