The PR of Revolution
Throughout the years we have witnessed plenty of revolutionary acts, of people taking a stand against something they deemed evil. At the same time, we have seen society assign the terrorist label to those who dare to fight back against the status quo. Once this label is out there, is very difficult for people to agree with a cause and they know this — the powers that be, that's it. They know this can — and will — change the reception of the message, the less people agree the better it is.
Movements don't just happen because of pure luck, they happen because their architects know certain criteria must be meet for the message to be accepted and passed around. Think of it like PR; a good PR team can make someone famous, can put a product at the forefront. You need to cover all of the bases, anticipate possible backslash and adjust halfway through it if necessary. Your message should be clear, concise, easy to understand — whether you're selling a hand cream or trying to start a revolution.
Another essential element is timing. You can have everything lined up, perfectly though out, but if the timing isn't right, people aren't going to be as receptive.
On June 2025, the prosecution in Luigi Mangione's NY state case released diary entries they claim were written by him. I'm not here to discuss whether these writings are legit or not, I'm here to talk about the fact that — if these are real — then they are a perfect example of strategic thinking.
"The problem with most revolutionary acts is that the message is lost on normies."
"They commit an atrocity whose horror either outweighs the impact of their message, or whose distance from their message prevents normies from connecting the dots."
"… by committing indiscriminate atrocities he [Ted Kaczynski] becomes a monster, which makes his ideas those of a monster, no matter how true. He crosses the line from revolutionary anarchist to terrorist-the worst thing a person can be"
It's not just about thinking in doing something, it's about how you introduce that idea to society. People with the same ideals as you aren't your target audience, your audience are those who never thought about fighting back — or maybe never even thought something was wrong in the first place.
The process of writing key words on bullet casings; words that would make people stop, think, and research is a sign of respect for your audience intelligence — something many politicians fail to do. The meaning of those words quickly spread around, making it the topic. The unexpected discovery of another Easter egg — Monopoly money — added to the perfect mix for the act to become widely known and actually made people pay attention, leading to inevitable information sharing i.e. people talking about their heartbreaking experiences with the healthcare industry.
"It's targeted, precise, and doesn't risk innocents. Most importantly, the point is self-evident."
If this were a regular PR campaign, it would have been a success. It was the trending topic in social media and outside of it. News stations were bringing experts everywhere to analyze every single detail. The police seemed to be running a PR tour themselves, complimenting the suspect without even realizing it.
A probably unseen aspect of it, is how iconic the video of the act became. It was almost as if a film crew was behind it. The imagery quickly made a star out of the suspect. I say probably unseen because while I think the suspect accounted for many things, I don't think they planned for the viral reach of the act. In this day and age aesthetics are everything, so a feat with a resonating message, iconic imagery and interesting storytelling was going to fare exceptionally well with a audience.
One of the most unexpected moments in this revolutionary campaign was when a suspected was arrested. The minute his name was known, people wasted no time searching for him in every place they could and suddenly we had abundance of photos and information about this person. When I said aesthetics are everything I truly meant it, whether we like it or not, people love a good vibe and the cherry on top was the attractiveness of the suspect. Do you think those Che Guevara shirts would sell if it weren't for the aesthetics? Certain imagery makes things more easy to digest and accept, so now we have a feat with a resonating message, iconic imagery, interesting storytelling and an ambassador that looked like he should be at central casting. The perfect PR campaign if you ask me.
An important step in PR is who you chose as the campaign ambassador, after all they are going to be the face of it. People need to be able to relate to this person, want to become them and be inspire by them. After the arrest no one came out to talk poorly of the suspect, when you pair this with admirable academic achievements and a respectful family — two things very important in society —you once again have the perfect mix of elements for your campaign to successfully continue.
Sometimes in life you need to hook up people by first introducing them to the superficial aspects of a movement and once they have been part of it for a period of time, they will gain sufficient insight to understand why this crusade is needed in the first place.
