The digital lever: How you shake up shareholder activism with new tools
I sat in 1992 on the Greenpeace ship “Solo” for two weeks in Russian pre-trial detention in Murmansk. The coast guard had fired cannons across our bow as we tried to locate sunken nuclear waste. Back then, in the Russian Arctic, our greatest capital was our conviction and our ability to mobilize people and governments through our images. Our tools were civil disobedience, megaphones, banners, and an irrepressible energy.
Today, more than 30 years later, as a progressive tech entrepreneur and CEO of nowtec solutions, I see a new generation of tools fundamentally changing the playing field of activism. Tools that give us possibilities we could only dream of back then.
The New Era of Shareholder Activism: More Than Just Voting Rights
Shareholder activism is no longer the exclusive domain of billion-dollar hedge funds. A recent report from Harvard Law School shows: the front lines are broadening. Activists are no longer targeting only the C-suite, but are deliberately addressing a broad mass of stakeholders.
When we founded Campax in 2017 — today Switzerland’s largest citizen movement with nearly 700,000 active members — this was exactly the strategy: not just reaching decision-makers, but mobilizing the people who surround those decision-makers.
This is precisely where tools like Phantombuster come into play. Think of Phantombuster not as software, but as a digital toolbox for the modern activist.
Your Digital Crowbar: How It Works in Practice
Forget anonymous mass emails. The new form of activism is personal, direct, and data-driven.
1. Mapping the corporation: With Phantombuster’s “LinkedIn Company Employees Export,” we extract a list of hundreds or even thousands of employees at the target company. We can search specifically for engineers in the sustainability department, for managers in middle management, or for young talent.
2. Forging the coalition from within: We use the “LinkedIn Auto Connect” and the “AI LinkedIn Message Writer.” We can send personalized connection requests to hundreds of selected employees. The AI helps us phrase the messages so they don’t sound like spam.
3. Amplifying the message: With the “LinkedIn Message Sender,” we can supply our new contacts with further information. The “LinkedIn Auto Commenter” can help us maintain a presence under the company’s posts or those of its executives.
The Power of Direct Address
What we are doing here is a democratization of activism. We bypass the traditional gatekeepers — the PR departments and glossy brochures — and speak directly with the people who make up the company.
The Elephant in the Room: Data Protection and Ethics
Of course, we must use these tools responsibly. As someone who founded nowtec solutions to empower NGOs with sovereign, data-protection-compliant technology, I know: technology is only as good as the values it carries.
In the EU and Switzerland, strict data protection laws apply. Even publicly accessible LinkedIn data is personal data and is subject to the GDPR and the revised Swiss Data Protection Act.
My clear recommendation: Before deploying automated tools in large-scale campaigns, absolutely clarify with a data protection lawyer what is legal in your country. Transparency is essential. Be honest about your intentions. Respect “no.” And use only publicly available data.
It’s not about harassing people, but about forcing an honest dialogue and creating transparency.
Starting from the Goal
Throughout all my years of campaign work, I have always operated on one principle: start from the goal, then choose the means and methods accordingly. If your goal is to move a company toward more sustainable action, then choose the tools that achieve that goal most effectively.
Megaphones and banners still have their place. But the modern fight for change is also waged with data, APIs, and intelligent automation. It is time for us to make these tools our own.
Campaigning has always been a team sport. Today, we have the technology to organize that team faster, more targeted, and more effectively than ever before.
If you want to know more about how you can use the described means to exert influence with your campaign, write me or call me: +41792513835, afm@campaignpulse.net
Andreas Freimüller is CEO and founder of nowtec solutions AG, Senior Adviser at the Kampagnenforum, and Co-Founder of Leadnow GmbH. He was co-founder and president of Campax, Switzerland’s largest citizen movement, and has over 30 years of experience at the intersection of society, technology, and strategic communication.
