The Solution

Since 65% of aboriginals in Canada are under the age of 25 years old we identified an opportunity to communicate with them using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. By setting up a Twitter account early on in his campaign, Shawn Atleo was able to separate himself from his competitors by having a constant flow of communication between himself and his followers online.

From updating them on which First Nation he was visiting to outlining his long-term plans for education, Atleo demonstrated his commitment to keeping the youth involved in the process of change. By engaging social media, Atleo not only caught the attention of the youth population but also gained followers who were well versed in this media. The Twitter account was also useful for journalists following the campaign and resulted in over 400 print and broadcast stories during the course of the campaign. In the end, Shawn Atleo had over 40,000 followers in the online community, many of whom were instrumental in his election victory.