Using SMS & BVM to Save CBC during the 2025 Federal Election
In April 2025, Canada held a federal election. In the year prior to the election, the Conservative Party had a strong lead in the polls and were expected to form the next government. The Conservative Party’s leader Pierre Poilievre was threatening to defund the CBC. CBC is Canada’s public broadcaster and valued by many Canadians. Friends of Canadian Media (FCM) is a non-profit, non-partisan citizens’ movement that stands up for Canadian voices in Canadian media to protect and defend Canada’s rich cultural sovereignty and the healthy democracy it sustains.
The Challenge
The election was polarized by the threat of tariffs from US President Donald Trump and his threats against Canadian sovereignty. Many other issues were squeezed to the side. Friends of Canadian Media attempted to shine a spotlight on the threat to CBC by launching a media campaign prior to the election period urging voters to vote for parties that supported CBC. Once the election was called, FCM also launched a petition calling for saving the CBC.
Stand up for Canada. Save the CBC.
We the undersigned believe that our national public broadcaster is integral to our identity and vital to a healthy democracy. As proud Canadians, we stand together with our neighbours this election in voting to save the CBC. We hope you will take the necessary steps to secure our vote.
This petition was initially promoted by social media and email.
3,518
keyword replies
29%
keyword reply rate
9,822
Live connections
3,000
petition signatures digitally submitted
To further promote it, FCM worked with Stratcom to send the petition to supporters by text (SMS). The Text script was as follows:
The Text was sent to 12,036 mobile numbers and received 4,015 replies of which 3,518 were keyword replies. That’s a 29.2% keyword reply rate — extremely high compared to other engagement texts. A further 91 supporters replied that they had already signed the petition. The Opt-out rate was 0.8% so it was not negatively received by most supporters.
In the end the petition received 6,154 signatures of which around 3,000 were digital submissions. The bulk of these digital submissions came through the petition text.
When the advance polls were open, FCM also worked with Stratcom to send a Broadcast Voice Message (BVM) reminding supporters to vote and support parties that are pro-CBC. This was sent to 54,770 phone numbers of which 9,822 were live connections and a further 22,739 received a voice mail.
Our
Work
To further promote it, FCM worked with Stratcom to send the petition to supporters by text (SMS). The Text script was as follows:
The Text was sent to 12,036 mobile numbers and received 4,015 replies of which 3,518 were keyword replies. That’s a 29.2% keyword reply rate — extremely high compared to other engagement texts. A further 91 supporters replied that they had already signed the petition. The Opt-out rate was 0.8% so it was not negatively received by most supporters.
In the end the petition received 6,154 signatures of which around 3,000 were digital submissions. The bulk of these digital submissions came through the petition text.
When the advance polls were open, FCM also worked with Stratcom to send a Broadcast Voice Message (BVM) reminding supporters to vote and support parties that are pro-CBC. This was sent to 54,770 phone numbers of which 9,822 were live connections and a further 22,739 received a voice mail.
The Results
The petition text acted as a timely reminder of the petition for those who would have received it by email or seen it on social media. It created a sense of urgency and drove participation. The BVM was also a timely reminder of the advance polls and the issue of CBC for supporters.
Perhaps due to this pressure and advocacy from FCM, funding of the CBC became an issue that the major political parties could not ignore. The NDP and Green party supported CBC funding. Liberal candidate Mark Carney also supported the CBC and went further to pledge additional funding of $150 million. Pierre Poilievre may also have realized that it had become an issue for Canadians and eventually softened his language on defunding
The success of the SMS response is likely is due to the timing of the broadcast, the urgency of the messaging and the level of support from the FCM audience. The integrated approach of using multiple channels is another factor behind the high engagement.
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