Challenger to Watch: Extinction Rebellion
A member of the Red Brigade. Photograph: Gareth Morris.
An agile, responsive, non-hierarchical, inter-connected global network that is purpose-driven and impact-oriented, Extinction Rebellion is efficient and effective, resourceful and imaginative, inclusive and constantly evolving.
And most importantly, it’s put the climate crisis firmly on the agenda. A recent YouGov poll points very clearly to the protests by Extinction Rebellion last April as a critical factor in a significant shift elevating the environment to one of Briton’s top priorities.
So how has XR, founded only fourteen months ago, made such an impact in such a short space of time? A little analysis suggests its behaviours are strikingly similar to that of a challenger brand.
A new kind of contract
Extinction Rebellion broadened the appeal of street protest, encouraging large numbers of people to take part in activism and civil disobedience for the first time. It's even seen ex-police chiefs join the movement.
Its approach is data-driven. A study by Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard University, found that protests engaging 3.5% of the population (which would be around 2 million people in the UK) have never failed to bring about change. The same study also found that nonviolent protests were twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts.
It's this fascinating historical data that's informed XR's strategy to bring about change. To engage 3.5% of the population, it has to broaden the appeal of environmental activism. It needs to appeal to anyone who thinks the earth is worth saving.
“By creating this new code of conduct, XR has encouraged and opened up access to large sections of society to join the cause.”
To put its plan into action, a new written contract of organisational behaviours called The Rebel Agreement set out how the movement and its members should operate and behave. Its articles include 'engage in no violence', 'bring no alcohol or illegal drugs' and 'take responsibility; we are all crew'.
Photograph: Chris Howgate.
By creating this new code of conduct, XR has encouraged and opened up access to large sections of society to join the cause.
And while the mainstream media and much of the subsequent conversation about XR focuses on the number of people prepared to be arrested, the range of activities on offer (including breastfeeding mums, old people’s choirs, workshops and talks) attract families with children, young people and older members of the public who would not be considered the ‘usual suspects’ associated with previous protest movements.
Democratised branding
XR wrote new 'rules' for protest. But it also did something quite radical with its brand.
While corporate logos are fiercely managed and protected, the power of XR's logo has been through its flexibility and democratisation.
Photograph: Danny North.
The logo, an encircled hourglass symbol representing the dwindling time left to tackle the climate crisis, can be drawn and understood, in seconds, and its reproduction is encouraged by XR.
"All our design and artwork can be used non-commercially for the purpose of planet-saving" reads the website.
Copyright goes out of the window when the world is on fire.
The logo has been projected on to The House of Parliament in London, moulded into a sand sculpture on Mount Maunganui beach in New Zealand and formed from flowers in the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia.
The logo's designer, ESP, told Eco Hustler, "The issue was so big that I couldn't do this alone, and therefore it needed something simple that anybody could easily replicate."
It’s used drama effectively
Whether it’s the pink boat, the red brigade, or the pools of fake blood, Extinction Rebellion use drama and theatre to make messages travel far and wide.
At the height of London's 'Spring Uprising' in April 2019, XR's pink boat, a symbol for rising sea levels, became a central character in the story. Docked in the middle of Oxford Circus, and stopping all traffic, it became a large-scale and visible indicator of who had control of London's streets, the police or Extinction Rebellion.
“These theatrical symbols demand attention. ”
XR’s pink boat. Photograph: Vladimir Morozov.
After five days at the centre of one of the UK's busiest intersections - and of much of the media coverage - the pink boat's ultimate confiscation by police became headline news.
These theatrical symbols demand attention. They become the central characters in the story, providing the focal point for the images and news stories that get shared around the world.
It's smart, effective, mass-market advertising on a shoe-string budget.
What can we expect in 2020?
Extinction Rebellion has had a significant impact on the political agenda since its launch in October 2018. The UK parliament has declared a climate emergency. And the Dutch Supreme Court has ruled that the government must act to protect its citizens from the effects of the climate crisis. But governments have taken little concrete action to combat climate change, and there’s still much work to do.
Challengers don’t move forward by standing still, they have to keep reinventing themselves. XR understand this. ‘We’ve made mistakes [...] we need to do things differently’ it says announcing a refreshed strategy for 2020 on its website. Watch for a more revolutionary, and more democratised, rebellion this Summer.
Learn more about XR here.
