The secret of Operation Libero's success

The Operation Libero has already caused a stir in the Swiss political landscape on several occasions. The liberal movement was founded in October 2014 and is committed to "international networking, freedom, progress and the rule of law". In particular, the smart campaign against the enforcement initiative in February 2016 made the movement known throughout Switzerland. The movement now has over 1,000 members, 3,000 active members, 10,000 subscribers and 5,000 donors, and at the Campaigning Summit Switzerland on March 31 at the Papiersaal in Zurich, the six project leaders Silvan Gisler, Jessica Zuber, Julia Meier, Annina Fröhlich, Marc Schiess and Michael Kümin provided an insight into Opration Libero's approach.Clear concept and target group definitionA clear concept and strategy are essential for a successful campaign. In addition, you should be clear about exactly which target group you want to address. In the case of the naturalization initiative, for example, the clear goal was to achieve a majority of the cantons. As in America, "swing states", i.e. cantons where the outcome is close, were identified and the campaign was specifically geared towards them.reacting quickly to current developments is another strength of Operation Libero. For example, after the SVP sent out an extra leaflet to all households in connection with the enforcement initiative, the movement published an article entitled "The five lies in the SVP extra leaflet". This generated a great response and Operation Libero achieved shares that otherwise only national media such as the NZZ or Tamedia can boast."Memes" as a means of political communicationIn addition to traditional means of communication such as websites and emails, Operation Libero also relies on more modern forms such as clever "memes". So-called "online warriors" also use online forums to get the movement's arguments across to the people. Thanks to fundraising, Operation Libero was able to generate 200,000 francs for the naturalization initiative, for example.

Two Operation Libero "memes" that have become particularly widespread.Operation Libero wants to make another strong appearance in the self-determination initiative launched by the SVP, which will be put to the people in 2018. Under the motto "Switzerland keeps its word", the movement wants to show that the initiative contradicts the basic idea of the Rütli Oath.