Toolbox:

An interconnected web of the key strategies and tactics that have inspired people-powered victories & upended the status quo. Start anywhere and explore…

Tactic

Identity correction

Identity correction

An act of activist ventriloquism in which you momentarily assume the mask of power to speak a little lie that tells a greater truth.

Principle

Anyone can act

Anyone can act

Don’t worry about being a lousy actor — you’re a great one.

Story

Bidder 70 (Tim DeChristopher)

Bidder 70 (Tim DeChristopher)

In December 2008, Tim DeChristopher disrupted an auction of Utah oil and gas drilling leases by bidding, and winning, many parcels. He then used his arrest and trial to make the case for bolder climate action.

Principle

Do the media’s work for them

Do the media’s work for them

Entice journalists to cover your issue by providing them with print and video materials that do half their job for them, while giving you more control of the story you’re trying to create.

Tactic

Infiltration

Infiltration

The people destroying the planet don’t just have names and addresses, they also have gatherings. When they gather near you, stop in and see what they’re up to.

Story

Billionaires for Bush

Billionaires for Bush

During George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, the Billionaires for Bush used humour, guerrilla theatre, and creative media actions to dramatize economic inequality and political corruption in the US.

Principle

Everyone has balls/ovaries of steel

Everyone has balls/ovaries of steel

A need to follow through on crazy ideas, and friends who will goad you on to do so, can take you far. You’re braver than you think!

Tactic

Hoax

Hoax

By impersonating your target through a fake press release or media event, you can use satire and exaggeration to expose an injustice or demonstrate that another reality is possible.

Principle

Play to the audience that isn’t there

Play to the audience that isn’t there

In a media-saturated world, the audience you care about is rarely the one witnessing your action, but rather the one you’ll reach through mass media and social media. Design your action with them in mind.

Principle

Use the law, don’t be afraid of it

Use the law, don’t be afraid of it

So you’ve received a threatening letter from a corporate lawyer. Congratulations!

Story

Public Option Annie

Public Option Annie

In 2009, at the height of the Obamacare fight in the US, a band of creative activists snuck into a major health insurance industry gathering and did a guerrilla musical that got national attention.

Story

Dow Chemical Apologizes for Bhopal

Dow Chemical Apologizes for Bhopal

An imposter posing as a Dow Chemical spokesperson announced live on BBC World News that Dow would spend $12 billion to compensate the victims of the Bhopal disaster, creating an instructive PR disaster for Dow.

Story

Barbie Liberation Organization

Barbie Liberation Organization

Switching the voice boxes of Barbie and GI Joe dolls generated hilarious results and a much-needed conversation about gender stereotypes in America.