The two main ways that advocacy groups go about getting their message across is to appeal directly to voters (either through advertisements, meetings, etc.) or appeal directly to politicians, through lobbying campaigns.
Advocacy campaigns are activities by individuals or groups which aim to influence decisions within political, economic or social systems and institutions.
One way in which an advocacy campaign can raise awareness is<em> media advocacy.</em> It was successfully used to fight alcohol and tobacco related health issues. By taking about the negative effects of alcohol and smoking, the media advocacy helped to raise awareness about this problem. The biggest advantage of this type of campaign is their reach: TV, radio and the internet are widely used and their influence on people' opinion building is very high.
Another way to raise awareness through an advocacy campaign is <em>mass</em> <em>advocacy</em>. It is any type of action taken by a large group ( a petition or demonstration). The purpose of a demonstration is to make some decision making bodies aware of an existing problem. The will to participate in such event is a sign of a raised awareness already.
