Tweeting vs Emailing 20 JUNE 2019 CANNABIS AND MS

The context MS AND CANNABIS FOR MEDICINAL USE Pain and muscle spasms can be exhausting and difficult to manage Evidence shows cannabis for medicinal use can help relieve these symptoms We consulted with people with MS, spoke to medical professionals and reviewed the evidence CANNABIS AND MS

What did we do? A BOLD, NEW IDEA – DRIVEN BY OUR COMMUNITY Published a new policy in July 2017 – the first national charity to say that cannabis for medicinal use should be legal In January 2018 an opportunity came up in Parliament Based on the positive response to our policy from our community, we wanted to take action Reactive campaign (we needed approval quickly) CANNABIS AND MS

Reacting REACTIVE MESSAGING No guarantees in Parliament The ask was to write to ‘the Government’ KEEP IT GENERAL As circumstances changed, general messaging remained relevant CANNABIS AND MS

Choosing Tweet Your MP BOLD IDEA, BOLD ACTION This was a new and exciting campaign area so we wanted a new campaign action Twitter users were the right demographic for this action We wanted to raise public awareness CANNABIS AND MS

The journey Leveraging our channels CANNABIS AND MS

Mobilising our Community This was a simple two step email journey (initial launch and reminder), offering the option to both email and tweet your MP We offered supporters the choice to email or tweet. Cannabis action email   Subject line Open rate Click through to open % Unsubscribe Cannabis and MS: the law should change 28.86% 20.29% 0.00% Cannabis and MS: take action 31.15% 25.76% 1 (0.09%) 29.45% 22.90% 6 (0.03%) CANNABIS AND MS

Social media tactics The tweet announcing our new policy position had been our most re-tweeted tweet in 2017 (250 RT, 290 Likes) On Facebook we reached 130,000 people, had more than 120 comments, over 4,400 likes and 1,100 shares – overwhelmingly positive CANNABIS AND MS

Supporter testimonials Our community were generally pleased with the change in policy, and the launch of the action. “Bravo for taking a stand on behalf of the thousands of us that derive real benefits form this medicine” “Good luck with it. My mum died as a result of MS when I was 9. My dad bought cannabis illegally 31 years ago to help. THAT shouldn't have happened then and it damn sure shouldn't happen now. The MS Society was a great help to us” CANNABIS AND MS

The action CANNABIS AND MS - Option to personalise tweet dependent on MP CANNABIS AND MS

The results CANNABIS AND MS

What did we learn? DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS… For a new type of action on a new issue, it performed well Over 700 tweets were sent to MPs BUT BE PREPARED TO MEET YOUR COMMUNITY WHERE THEY ARE Offering an email option was still important – when we led with promoting the tweet action, 50% of people were emailing their MP We optimised action take-up in our reminder email by promoting tweet and email options side-by-side – when we did so, 90% of participants chose to email Overall, of those who took action, just under 75% of people emailed their MP CANNABIS AND MS

Plans for future use BEST SUITED TO: QUICK, REACTIVE ACTIVITY It’s likely to reach MPs quicker than email, so works well for fast-moving, time-sensitive actions – we since used it to invite MPs to a Parliamentary event ACTIONS WHICH BENEFIT FROM A PUBLIC ELEMENT By contacting MPs publicly, it served a dual purpose – adding pressure by asking MPs to make a public commitment, and building our profile on the issue This was especially beneficial given that it was a relatively new campaign area for us as an organisation CANNABIS AND MS

What happened next? WE KEPT UP THE PRESSURE… We met with MPs, got individual stories in the spotlight and when the UK Government announced a review of cannabis for medicinal use, we worked with neurologists, MPs and celebrities to send an open letter to the Home Secretary to ensure MS was in the review. AND REACHED A LANDMARK MOMENT On 1 November 2018 cannabis-derived products for medicinal use were rescheduled, making it legal for specialists to prescribe cannabis-based treatments. BUT THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES… Rescheduling is just a small part of creating a system that will mean people are able to access cannabis for medicinal use – and people with MS are still struggling to access it. CANNABIS AND MS

Thank You! Any Questions? MATIJA.TOMANOVIC - MATIJA.TOMANOVIC@MSSOCIETY.ORG.UK STEVE FROST – STEVEN.FROST@MSSOCIETY.ORG.UK ELLEN BUCKERFIELD - ELLEN.BUCKERFIELD@MSSOCIETY.ORG.UK CANNABIS AND MS