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Prediction two: the most compelling and effective campaigns will be those which are most human, not necessarily those with the most recognizable brands.

I think campaigns for change tend to stick close to the brand of the organization in question — and for good reason. By developing credible, recognizable brands, charities and NGOs legitimize themselves as businesses, at least in the eyes of would-be donors. There’s an element of practicality to it: just as the meter reader brings his ID when he comes a-knockin, so do so many organizations when they come an-askin’.

But I think social media tools offers the possibility to set aside the brand and humanize the cause, and by doing this over time, to foster meaningful relationships between the consumer and the cause.

dynamic relationships with real people
Nora Younis is an Egyptian journalist and blogger who tweets about daily life in Gaza. Her story is compelling, I think, because it is human and ongoing. As her community (and as the consumers of her messaging), we grow to know her cast of characters and fear for them and hope for them as we would our own friends.

traditional media: gone as far as it can go?
AMV BBDO’s ‘Jane and Adam’ campaign for BT is maybe the most recent example of traditional media telling personal, human stories over a period of time. Television and print campaigns tend to go single-serving with their stories, maybe because it’s so easy to get the serial approach wrong.

brass tacks
Traditional media is pricey, inflexible, requires huge lead-time and several layers of production. Web2 offers the possibility of free-to-cheap campaigns that are agile, portable, instant and almost without artifice. The obvious hurdle is trust — the online community deplores a hoax — but that’s a non-issue for an ethical campaign.