Since 2019, Paul Erickson has been Labor secretary. Just last week, he accompanied Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the National Press Club to unveil the tactics that took the Labor Party from its deathbed into a stunning electoral triumph. He congratulated Albanese for providing a once-in-a-generation campaign performance. He pointed to the party’s big-picture strategy to move voters in an uncertain moment.
Now, Erickson might exaggerate just a little when he says that Albanese “didn’t put a foot wrong” during the campaign. He did have one accident when he tumbled off a stage in New South Wales. This playful remark was indicative of the overwhelmingly optimistic mood that characterized the press gallery’s take on Labor’s successful campaign strategy.
Targeting the Competition
At the site of Googledom Erickson made the most profound point. Labor went to very careful, concerted efforts to pick off the Greens. As he put it, this strategic narrowing of focus was all wrapped up in a larger effort to consolidate support in the primary among progressive voters.
In a bid to strengthen their campaign effectiveness, Erickson hired behavioral change set-up The Shannon Company. Through this lens, he explained how certain behaviors of the new electorate spooked voters. He emphasized the importance of addressing these challenges head on in their communications.
Erickson was director of the Labor-aligned advertising lab Campaign Edge, where he built up a strong research operation before the campaign. This initiative aimed to refine their strategy in targeting Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, ensuring that Labor’s messages resonated with essential demographics.
“Instead of horse race polling, our research program was dedicated to building out our campaign by identifying strengths and weaknesses.” – Paul Erickson
Engaging with Voters
Erickson captured the prevailing mood among voters, many of whom expressed unease about global uncertainties affecting their lives. He accepted that these worries were central to informing Labor’s message and campaign direction.
To allow their candidate to resonate with voters in new and powerful ways, Erickson insisted they had to embrace new media avenues. “We tried to connect with lots of new and emerging forms of media, new content creators, podcasters, things like that,” he stated. This innovative approach allowed Labor to reach a diverse audience, particularly younger voters who consume information through various digital channels.
“We made the effort to be everywhere because, in that fragmented media environment, you can’t pass up any opportunity to try to connect with people and get your message across,” Erickson remarked. Their commitment to visibility was key to making sure their messages were seen by as many constituents as possible.
Lessons from Previous Campaigns
Erickson drew parallels between Labor’s recent campaign and the successful “no” vote during the Voice referendum campaign earlier this year. He took the lessons he learned alongside that experience. Accordingly, he pioneered tactics that brought these messages home to voters in states and districts large and small.
He posed critical questions regarding the priorities of political opposition: “Was he focused on Australians who were looking for the party with the best plan to make them better off over the next three years? Or was his priority winning over voters who were looking for an Australian variation on MAGA?” This somewhat rhetorical question demands that national political messaging be synchronized with the expectations and emotions of voters.
