Control Alt Defeat
What happens when we take tech policymaking that happens behind the scenes and move it in front of our screens? We create opportunities for robust conversations and greater input from the computer programmers and software developers that these policies impact. Teaming up with the Developers Alliance and Google, we crafted a comprehensive communications plan to ensure federal policies took into account the unique needs of software professionals and their businesses across the country.
1 — The Challenge
Legislation with unintended consequences
In late 2021, the U.S. Senate introduced S. 2992, a sweeping bill with arbitrary enforcement provisions and vague language that targeted the existing app ecosystem—and ultimately the developers who made it what it is. We partnered with Developers Alliance to create the “Save Our Apps” campaign—a more effective vehicle for advocating on behalf of software developers. To ensure product diversity, efficiency, and competition within the app marketplace, we also identified and implemented opportunities to directly engage with developers often overlooked but most impacted within the tech industry. This included the creation of educational resources that demystified ever-changing app platform policies, in addition to a working group of app publishers and developers that could inform the Developers Alliance’s messaging to electeds.
2 — The Brand
Retrofitting the brand to Save Our Apps
What you see is what you get. We took the existing Developers Alliance brand and amplified it. By visually associating the Save Our Apps campaign with a trusted source in the developer community, we were able to show how this platform and its advocacy is for—and by—the experts who know tech best. By putting their voices front and center, our messaging served as a rallying cry to get developers interested and activated with legislation proposed by Congress.
3 — The Campaign
Tech policy needs expert input
We crafted a targeted campaign to fight for healthy market competition and better user experiences by helping developers and small business owners understand the proposed bills and persuade their legislators to vote with developers’ interests in mind. Running both an education & activation campaign for developers alongside an awareness campaign for electeds, we were able to successfully stop federal tech bills (that had not been crafted with developers in mind) from being passed.
Breaking down complicated bills — Through organic and paid social, we broke down complicated bills into easy-to-understand graphics.
An absurd video — Utilizing audio clips from actual legislative hearings, we were able to showcase the absurdity of not including experts when drafting technology bills.
Targeting legislators — Beyond educating and activating developers, we also targeted swayable legislators in key committees using the collective voices of all the developers and small business owners who would be affected by the policies.
Developers in their own words
Talking to people with an app-based business, it was clear that so many developers had come to rely on the tools available within the app ecosystem. And they could pinpoint how the proposed bills would significantly impact their businesses—something other developers could relate to on a deeper level than explainers.
4 — The Impact
Successfully squashed bad tech policies
With 20,000 developers, small business owners, and tech industry professionals sending nearly 60,000 emails to their legislators, we were able to successfully stop two tech bills from going to the floor for a vote.