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Case study: ODI Data-Centric AI Campaign

Applying creativity and strategic insights to cement the ODI’s position as a leading data and AI authority 

Allegory was briefed by the Open Data Institute (ODI) to help communicate its recommendations to UK data and AI technology policymakers, regulators and other major stakeholders globally, following the 2024 change of UK government. The ODI believes it’s essential that the UK builds a robust and equitable data and AI infrastructure for the country to benefit from the opportunities that AI presents, while minimising potential harms.

Our task: to secure mainstream media coverage to coincide with key interactions with the new UK Government at exactly the right moments to influence their thinking on data and AI policy.

Our response

Working in collaboration with the ODI in-house team, we created the ‘Data-Centric AI’ campaign to chime with post–UK General Election key moments in the new administration’s AI and data early policy development.

Rooted in robust academic research – conducted by the ODI’s team of data experts – Allegory brought its strategic communications advice to developing the Building a Better Future with Data and AI white paper as the cornerstone content of the campaign. The white paper explained detailed – and academically-focused – research findings to a much broader audience. It was designed to share actionable recommendations in a user-friendly way, cutting through complex ideas to communicate the key ideas clearly and persuasively to non-technical stakeholders, including new ministers and their advisers. 

Allegory advised throughout the development of the white paper, specifically recommending more accessible storytelling, including sector-specific examples from the NHS and the creative industries. Case studies were chosen to relate the recommendations directly to priority policy areas and audiences. As a result, the final white paper connected AI governance issues to key UK sectors grappling with new technologies. 

Allegory developed content to deliver an integrated campaign across multiple channels to maximise reach and impact. This included a series of ODI-hosted webinars, a social media campaign and blogs for the ODI website. Allegory created a news story and op-ed pitches for key media targets. 

Using the case studies we had recommended, we promoted the white paper to wider audiences, issuing a warning to policymakers and industry leaders that fundamental data governance issues threaten the AI boom and could lead to a ‘dot com moment’ for AI.

Allegory worked with the ODI to share the white paper directly with more than 250 key stakeholders – ensuring the messages were consistent –  including parliamentarians, regulators and other network influencers, timing our media work to achieve maximum impact.

"Creativity, strategic insights and a well-coordinated communications strategy helped to position the ODI as a central voice in data-centric AI policy discussions as a result of this campaign. The impact of Allegory’s work - alongside our in-house team - exceeded our objectives, and we’re looking forward to harnessing the connections we’ve made to make a positive impact on the development of the UK’s policies on data infrastructure."
Louise Burke
CEO, The Open Data Institute

The outcome

Allegory secured 34 pieces of quality media coverage featuring the white paper. Highlights are two op-eds in the mainstream press by Sir Nigel Shadbolt – Executive Chair of the ODI – in the Financial Times and City AM, and inclusion of the white paper in major trade titles including Computer Weekly which covered it in a piece on  the government’s new AI Opportunities Unit. 

Allegory’s aim was to secure mainstream media coverage to coincide with key interactions with the new UK Government at exactly the right moments to influence their thinking on data and AI policy. This was achieved; our media outreach landed to coincide with important meetings* and other outreach activities.

As a direct result of the FT op-ed with the headline ‘Could better data save the NHS?’, the ODI received several in-bound inquiries from significant stakeholder organisations wishing to discuss the paper further.

The media buzz created by Allegory contributed to several follow-up meetings for the senior ODI team with policymakers and parliamentarians.

Quantifiable results

The Data-Centric AI Campaign – a collaborative project between the ODI in-house team and Allegory – eclipsed any recent campaigns and during the three-week period it was live:

  • We delivered 34 pieces of quality national and trade media coverage, of which 100% was positive in sentiment, had a very high key message penetration, and contained backlinks to the ODI webpage;
  • Our blogs outstripped the ODI average blog views by between three to fifteen times;
  • We achieved three times more social media interactions than average for ODI posts; 
  • Our campaign content accounted for 70% of all downloads from the website during this period.

*Details cannot be shared due to client confidentiality

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