The importance of staying relevant

Bringing about change can be a slow process. Especially if it requires changing laws, then it can take months or years before there’s progress.

Even so, you’ll have to be patient and keep your message out there before people take it in and there’s a change in their hearts, minds and behaviors.

For example, in 1961 scientists first pressured the government to create a commission to look into the link between smoking and lung cancer. But it wasn’t until the 1990s when we saw the public’s behavior change due to advertising legislation and smoking bans in public places. The anti-smoking campaign has been effective because it’s raised awareness over the years about the harmful effects of smoking and backed it up with scientific research and evidence.

This doesn’t mean you’ll have to wait decades for change. But it does mean that achieving your campaign’s goal could take time. Many of the issues explored here are complex and have been years in the making. So finding a solution is going to take time too. Change doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a series of steps and it’s best to organize your strategies and actions into shorter-term objectives to measure progress towards your goal.