Activism isn’t random. It’s usually highly calculated.
From hijacked language to coordinated disruption, the activist playbook is well-worn — and often underestimated. We unpack the strategies behind the slogans and decode the tactics shaping policy, media and markets. So you can recognize, anticipate and respond to coordinated campaigns. Read on to learn more.
AP #6: Regulation by proxy
Activists are no longer just lobbying government—they're becoming it. Through proxies, pressure, and policymaking, regulation is being used as a weapon. This isn't public interest. It's strategic capture.
AP #5: Pressure Points
Activists don't attack everything. They target your pressure points — brand, board, regulators, funders. It’s about leverage, not outrage. If you don’t know your vulnerabilities, they already do.
AP #4: Arrested for a cause
Getting arrested isn’t always a setback— it can be a strategy. For some activists, it’s a badge of honour, a PR move, or a spark for donations. It’s not disorder. It’s deliberate.
AP #3: The tactics of volume
One voice can be dismissed. A thousand can’t. Activists exploit volume — bots, bodies, and media blitzes — to create the illusion of consensus and urgency. It’s not about truth. It’s about dominance through noise.
AP #2: Taking control of words
Activists don’t just argue policy—they reshape language. By hijacking key terms, they shift the battlefield entirely. If you don’t define the terms, you’ve already lost. It’s time to take control of the words.
AP #1: One way activists get you to light yourself on fire
Smart activists don’t always pressure you directly—they get you to do it to yourself. How? By manipulating your internal culture, communications, and policies until you're reacting, apologizing, and weakening your own position. It’s not chaos. It’s choreography.