2013_10_24_COM_Rafa-Laza

Rafa Laza in a moment of his session. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

Rafa Laza, Director General Mayor and manager of Communication in the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz, gave a talk-colloquium in which he explained the concept of permanent campaign to the students of the Master in Political and Corporate Communication. "The vast majority of citizens decide their vote before the election campaign", explained Rafa Laza, who specified that the permanent campaign "does not mean to be always campaigning, that is to say, it is not advertising permanent", but to make your political actions, your proposals, your program reach your public at final, in a sustained way throughout the whole legislature. The need to communicate with citizens should not be limited to the electoral period, but should be constant, not because of an electoral interest but because of the obligation of all politicians to incorporate citizens' proposals into their political action. "The electoral programs must be made in the street and with the citizens", he affirmed. In the subsequent colloquium with students, the expert added that "the citizen must see that he always cares about you, not that you knock on his door only when it is time to vote".

Rafa Laza also emphasized the difference between the Institutional political communication of the City Council, which is "service communication", and the political communication of party or municipal group , which can be more persuasive.

Regarding the Government action, the manager of communication of the City Council of Vitoria stressed the importance of the previous research to know the real needs of the citizens, as well as the programs of direct communication with the different publics: "forget your nose, to know your electorate use scientific methods". Regarding the message, Rafa Laza pointed out that it has to be "clean, clear and forceful" and it is necessary to know how to "adapt it" according to the needs of the citizens and the city, although "without disguising it".

Laza stressed the need to improve creativity to overcome budgetary constraints and to reach the electorate directly. Direct communication with the citizen in a City Council like Vitoria is vital, according to Rafa Laza, who explained how through initiatives such as "quotation with the mayor" almost 1,000 citizens have been able to meet with the mayor so far this term of office, or "quotation with businesses", through which the mayor personally visit about 200 businesses in the city.

On the other hand, Rafa Laza stressed the importance of social networks as a "thermometer" to know how certain messages are perceived and as "tool of citizen participation" to promote dialogue between institutions, politicians and citizens. In this sense, he highlighted the importance given by the Mayor, Javier Maroto, to answer each of the suggestions made by the citizens of Vitoria-Gasteiz.