IADBPublicDoc by Yehude Simon

MANAGING DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN BANK PROJECTS A Handbook for Project Officers

Inter-American Development Bank Office of External Relations

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION: THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

CHAPTER 1: ASSESSING COMMUNICATION NEEDS AND GOALS

CHAPTER 2: MATCHING NEEDS WITH COMMUNICATION APPROACHES

CHAPTER 3: THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

CHAPTER 4: ASSIGNING FUNDS, TIME AND HIRING EXPERTISE

GLOSSARY

CASE STUDIES

CASE STUDY #1: PROJECT “RIO DE JANEIRO URBAN UPGRADING PROGRAM STAGE II”, BRAZIL, BR 0250” 41 CASE STUDY #2: PROJECT “WORK TRAINING BLIND POPULATION, ARGENTINA, CHILE Y URUGUAY, ATN/MH-6959-CH”

CASE STUDY #3: PROJECT “STRENGTHENING REFORM IN BASIC EDUCATION, PARAGUAY, 1254/OC-PR” 45 CASE STUDY #4: PROJECT “BAY ISLANDS ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT, HONDURAS, PMAIM HO-0198”

CASE STUDY #5: PROJECT “PROMOTION OF GOOD PRACTICES FOR DISASTER PREVENTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL AMERICAN MUNICIPALITIES, ATN/KB-8049-RS” 51

CASE STUDY #6: PROJECT “SIMPLIFICATION PROGRAM FOR THE BUSINESS SECTOR, COLOMBIA, ATN/MT-7186-CO” 54 CASE STUDY # 7: PROJECT “QUITO HISTORIC CENTER REHABILITATION PROGRAM 822/OC-EC”

CASE STUDY #8: PROJECT “PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRICITY GRID IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES, COMPANHIA DE ELETRICIDADE DO ESTADO DA BAHIA (COELBA), BRAZIL”

CASE STUDY # 9: PROJECT “PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR COLLABORATION FOR THE COMMERCIAL MARKETING OF ORS IN HONDURAS” 62 SELECTED RESOURCES IN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION

SAMPLE OF COMMUNICATION BUDGETS

TERMS OF REFERENCE TO CONTRACT CONSULTANTS TO DESIGN THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

TERMS OF REFERENCE TO CONTRACT CONSULTANTS TO IMPLEMENT AND EVALUATE COMMUNICATION PLAN 71

FOREWORD In today’s environment, where people expect and demand more information and greater participation in the development process, international organizations, donors and governments recognize the important role communication plays in helping to build broader support for development policies and programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Effective communication strategies that inform, sensitize and directly involve governments and the public can promote social, behavioral and policy change and help advance reform efforts in the region. As a field of practice at the IDB, development communication integrates strategic communication interventions in development projects. It is a dynamic and participatory process that involves several approaches, including community mobilization, social marketing, the use of mass media and institutional and interpersonal communication. The Special Programs Section in the Office of External Relations (EXR/SPE), through its Development Communication Program (DevCom), has provided ongoing support to operational staff in the area of strategic communication since 1997. This Program has worked with and advised the Bank’s operational departments by providing technical assistance in areas such as poverty reduction, regional integration, water and sanitation, social inclusion, violence prevention, disaster prevention and mitigation, children-at-risk and civil society participation, among others. In 2003, SPE conducted a Bank-wide internal assessment to gage perceptions, usage and needs of operational staff in this area. Ninety two percent (92%) of all project team leaders that were surveyed agreed that communication should be a priority in Bank operations and the majority expressed interest in receiving support, especially through hands-on technical assistance and training. This handbook has been specifically designed for training and assisting operational staff in managing strategic communication in IDB projects. This handbook and the case studies included within it have been designed and developed by Dr. Silvio Waisbord, Senior Program Officer and Dr. William Smith Executive Vice President of the Academy for Educational Development (AED). Mr. Waisbord and Mr. Smith, together with SPE’s team, have been responsible for successfully accomplishing this challenging task.

Mirna Liévano de Marques External Relations Advisor Inter-American Development Bank

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our deepest gratitude to Bank staff in Washington, D.C. and in the field for their willingness to share information, ideas and materials. Their experiences and suggestions were extremely useful during the production and compilation of this handbook. Special recognition to Pablo Roldan (RE1/RE1), Marcia Bonilla (RE2/FI2) and Elio Londero (RE3/RE3) for providing important operational insight during the preparation and identification of the case studies included in this manual. Many thanks also to Carlos Pineda (RE2/EN2), Victor Traverso (RE3/EN3) and Diana Lesbines (EXR/NWS) for reviewing and providing important feedback to this document. Thanks to Caroline Clarke (RE2/EN2), Gustavo Cuadra (RE2/SO2), Hunt Howell (RE3/FI3), José Brakarz (SDS/SOC), Marcia Arieira (RE1/SO1), Maria Teresa Traverso (RE2/SO2), Marta Mejía-Zampieri (RE/SO2), Marta Preece (RE2/SO2), Mauricio Silva RE3/SC3, Miroslava Nevo (RE3/FI3), Pedro Saenz (RE2/FI2), Raimundo Arroio (RE3/SC3), Rosario Londoño (RE3/SO3) and Sergio Ardila (RE2/EN2) for their valuable support. We are grateful to Elena Suarez, SPE Chief, and Jose Luis Lobera, DevCom Program Coordinator, for leading and guiding this initiative. Special thanks to Angela Funez, SPE communication specialist, for insightful inputs and support throughout the process. We would also like to thank AED’s Rajni Sood for her support with the interviews, data collection, and document review. Furthermore, this effort would have not been possible without the collaboration of Alvaro Flores in the Office of Learning of the Human Resources Department.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Development communication is the process for getting people to understand, believe in and support the goals, activities and requirements of an IDB program. In this context, communication includes the production and consumption of information to maintain or change knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behavior; the promotion of civic participation and community empowerment; the facilitation of debates and information exchange about policies; and the use of multiple technologies and cultural forms to disseminate information and values. Communication works on many levels; at the policy level to convince a small group of policy makers, on a community level to promote dialogue and problem-solving, or on a mass level to inform and motivate whole populations to participate. To carry out these different functions communication uses a wide variety of approaches such as polling, advertising, public relations, electronic networking and community participation. The design of a communication strategy requires teams to assess the communication needs of a project and determine goals; select and integrate appropriate approaches to address needs; determine the components of the communication strategy, and assign budget and timeline for communication activities. The first task is to determine the communication needs of a project and the communication goals. Teams should be able to establish what communication should do and how communication goals are linked to the overall objectives of the project. Communication can contribute to: explain the goals and the reach of a project to citizens and policymakers; address negative views and opposition against a project; build support among constituencies with different expectations and interests; promote community involvement and ownership; educate citizens about new policies and procedures; strengthen public trust of the implementing agency. In the second phase, teams need to identify appropriate approaches to address those needs. Five approaches can be used: advocacy, community participation, institutional communication, media persuasion, and social marketing. Projects typically rely on a combination of approaches to achieve communication goals. Projects should maximize synergies among approaches rather than approach them as separate, disconnected efforts. The third task is to define audiences, messages, channels, and indicators. Communication plans need to clearly define what audiences need to do, what will result as a consequence of communication activities; why specific audiences will be reached through specific messages and channels, and how communication activities will be monitored and how impact will be measured to demonstrate the effect of communication activities and their contributions to the goals of the project. Finally, teams need to consider budget, timeline of communication activities and assess the required expertise. Implementing different strategies requires different amount of funding and time. Factors that affect the timeline of a communication strategy include the suitability of communication interventions for program goals, the sequence of interventions, the goals of communication interventions, and competing activities that may affect interventions.

Introduction: The need for strategic communication in development projects Latin America has some of the most extraordinary communication talent in the world. Professionals in advertising, consumer research, public relations, electronic networking and participatory development are found in almost every country throughout the region. Programs such as popular “telenovelas” that pioneered the incorporation of development issues in Peru and Mexico in the 1960s, long-standing networks of rural radios committed to development in the Andean region, and a strong tradition of grassroots video/documentary throughout the region are just a few examples that have received international acclaim for their innovativeness and effectiveness. Several examples attest to the ubiquity and influence of communication processes and technologies in Latin America: • • • •

Communication strategies (community participation, policy consultation, issue advocacy) have become increasingly important for the functioning of democratic governance in the region; The remarkable multiplication of media channels and forms coupled with high levels of media consumption reflect the centrality of mediated communication in everyday life; New technologies have revolutionized the way information is produced, stored and used; The growing number of non-government organizations involved in development communication.

In summary, no sphere of politics, the economy or society seems to have been unchanged by communication. Development programs have not been the exception. Although communication interventions have been present for decades, development actors (governments, international lenders, donors, agencies and private foundations) lately have shown a growing interest in and commitment to communication. There is no shortage of projects featuring communication programs in order to maintain or change knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behavior. The broad understanding of communication in development projects is also remarkable. Some of the uses of communication include: • • • • •

The exchange of information, ideas and values among individuals and communities The promotion of citizens’ participation and community empowerment Advocacy with policy-makers and opinion leaders to support specific plans, programs, policies and reforms The use of the media to reach large audiences and affect public opinion The implementation of social marketing campaigns

Such a diversity of uses attests to the elasticity of communication. One type of communication alone cannot capture the richness and complexity of a multidimensional, multi- disciplinary field of study and practice. Communication needs to be understood broadly.

In any IDB project there is an assumption that an opportunity exists to improve the economic or social development in a given country. In order to ensure that new regulations, structures, policies, programs and services introduced by the IDB project are used, old behaviors often have to be replaced by new behaviors. Large-scale infrastructure projects, for example, often need to change the attitudes of advocacy groups who may be opposed to the project. Behavior change is so fundamental to the success of development projects that it is often taken for granted. It is assumed that the benefits of a proposed project are so obvious that everyone will understand and support them. Many excellent programs have been seriously damaged by false rumors, public outcry, misperceptions, lack of knowledge and poor compliance with new regulations and practices needed to make the project effective. The growing acceptance of communication is encouraging yet insufficient if programs lack a strategic and comprehensive approach. Unfortunately, strategic goals are not always clearly delineated nor are activities consistently based on research. Communication is often reduced to one or two activities (most typically, the dissemination of project information and materials production) whose goals are not necessarily linked to the main objectives of the project. A different approach is needed to maximize the contributions of communication to achieve development effectiveness. The purpose of the Handbook This handbook is aimed to: •

Introduce IDB project officers to the world of strategic communication

•

Help IDB project officers to effectively incorporate communication programs in projects

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Provide the basic tools that any Project Officer needs to determine what kind of communication support is required by a specific project

This Handbook offers guidelines to help Project Officers make decisions about communication components in IDB projects. It is intended to be used for training and consultation. The Handbook focuses on the fundamental steps to plan communication programs. Given the technical diversity and unique characteristics of IDB projects, the Handbook provides a flexible set of considerations that can be applied to a variety of areas, loan programs and technical cooperations. It is intended to serve as a training document and reference to “think through” communication issues for non-specialists working on a diversity of technical areas (social, environment, finance and infrastructure, modernization of state and civil society) and regional operations. IDB Project Officers are not expected to become communications experts, but rather, to manage the proper incorporation of communication interventions into specific projects of varying scope and scale. Because agencies and consultants are usually assigned the actual design and implementation of communication programs, this Handbook is not intended to give detailed information on how to conduct, research, monitor, and evaluate activities. Nor does it provide a step-by-step formula to implement behavior change, participatory, social marketing and other communication approaches. Nor is it a manual for message design and materials production. Instead, this

Handbook presents ideas to help IDB officers and contractors to assess strategic needs and identify communication strategies, actions, messages, and materials. The organization of the Handbook Communication planning involves a dynamic, five-phase process: needs assessment, planning, materials development and pre-testing, implementation activities, and monitoring and evaluation. When planning communication components, Project Officers need to consider four questions in this sequential order: 1. What are the communication needs and goals of a project?

2. How to match needs and communication approches?

3. What factors need to be included in the communication strategy?

4. How to assign funding and contract the required expertise?

This Handbook is organized in four chapters, which deal with one of these questions, and an Appendix that includes case studies that analyze experiences in development communication at the IDB and other agencies, as well as supporting materials to help IDB project teams contract communication work.

Chapter 1: Assessing communication needs and goals Does the project need communication? Too often communication plans in development projects begin by selecting a specific intervention (e.g. launching media campaigns, installing computers, distributing posters) or a specific message (e.g. “save water,” “recycle,” “attend school”) without a clear understanding of the communication needs. Such form of thinking and practice is incorrect for it puts the proverbial cart before the horse. A different starting point is needed. Diagnostic steps Project officers should identify communication needs first before any decision is made about approaches, channels, audiences, and messages. It is advisable to consider general aspects of the project. The following questions need to be examined: 1. What is the project’s main challenge to be addressed? IDB projects typically deal with challenges that are rooted in a variety of reasons. For example, low vaccination coverage may be the consequence of many problems: frequent vaccine stock-outs, inconvenient hours at health posts, poor interpersonal communication skills of health staff, and caregivers’ lack of information about vaccine schedule. Addressing all challenges simultaneously may be a daunting task. What is needed is to select the challenge that is more susceptible to change within the duration of the project. Ensuring a steady supply of vaccines in health posts through advocacy actions may be more feasible than offering continued interpersonal communication training for health workers. Consequently, communication should be expected to contribute to tackling problems underlying vaccine stock-outs. 2. What potential challenges may require communication solutions? Anticipating communication challenges is necessary to assess possible courses of action and determine how communication interventions will address them. Project Officers should also consider whether their projects might confront any of the situations mentioned below. •

Does the project need to explain its benefits to different audiences and to maintain regular contact with communities?

•

Is it likely that negative rumors, misinformation, and misperceptions about the scope of the project negatively affect its implementation?

•

What could happen if stakeholders’ expectations and interests about the project are not sufficiently considered? Whose opinions need to be heard?

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Is it necessary to educate policymakers about the goals and strengths of the project?

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Does the project require and expect involvement of communities?

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Does the project intend to change citizens’ attitudes or behaviors?

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Are there important new policies and laws that require compliance from a large number of citizens?

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Is the local implementing authority distrusted?

•

Will the project promote new technologies that people need to learn how to use?

If the answer is positive to one or more questions, then, communication interventions may offer ways to address these challenges. These questions apply to a variety of areas – projects in health, education, energy, water and sanitation, transportation, telecommunication, or capital markets may confront similar communication challenges. 3. What is the best solution and what are the risks for implementing that solution? After the challenge is identified, then, it is necessary to consider alternative solutions and select the best one to address it. Project teams need to ask: What solutions have demonstrated impact on a specific challenge? Is the solution feasible to implement? Is the solution compatible with the cultural, economic and political context? Sometimes, ideal solutions cannot be easily implemented. Numerous factors (e.g. timeline, cost, staff availability, political sensitivity, etc.) make it difficult, if not impossible, to adopt preferred actions. Through research, it is necessary to identify the risks that could prevent the implementation of those solutions. Because many risks may exist, it is necessary to prioritize areas of intervention. Some questions to keep in mind that need to be investigated: what risks can be adequately addressed during the project and what criteria are used to select those risks? Project teams should also ask: what are the risks of not using communication and how would the project be affected if communication activities were not successful. Teams need to ask the above questions during the preparation of the Project Concept Document (PCD) of a project. If members lack sufficient information to answer the questions, teams might need to commission specialized firms to conduct studies (e.g. primary and secondary research, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, surveys) to determine communication needs and challenges. Mission trips could also give opportunities to assess needs through gathering information about previous projects with similar goals in the country and neighboring countries. 4. How to define communication goals? After communication challenges and needs are assessed and risks and solutions are known, project teams need to identify the goals of communication interventions. How can communications contribute to overcome risks? What project goals require strategic communication? What can communication interventions achieve? How should they contribute to the overall goals of the project?

Teams need to be clear about why they believe that certain goals belong to communication activities rather than to other programmatic components. Are there complementary actions to support communication? What is expected to happen before and after communication activities meet their goals? In setting communication goals, two common views about communication need to be avoided. Communication is neither an all-powerful instrument that swiftly resolves fundamental programmatic difficulties and entrenched problems nor an auxiliary component that simply supports other activities. Attributing foolproof effects or underestimating the value of communication should be equally avoided. Instead, communication goals should be reasonable based on previous and similar experiences. If goals are soundly established, suitable approaches are selected, capable staff is assigned, and appropriate budgets are allocated, communication programs can meet important objectives and help projects achieve effectiveness. Success in maximizing the potential of communication largely depends on whether communication goals are: • Articulated with program objectives - officers need to define the linkages between communication and programmatic goals. • Prioritized - officers need to rank the importance of communication objectives given program priorities and resources. •

Explicit – clearly defined objectives allow partners to have similar expectations.

• Realistic - objectives need to be accomplished within the assigned time of the project and available resources. •

Measurable – objectives need to be evaluated.

Examples of communication goals in IDB projects Many IDB projects in the past years convincingly demonstrate that a diversity of communication programs can be successfully used to tackle a variety of challenges. Communication has been used to: • Increase knowledge and demand for services Example: Bolivia’s immunization project included communication activities to promote vaccination of children under 5 years old. • Educate and build commitment among relevant stakeholders who may have different positions about issues Example: The project to reform Paraguay’s educational system used advocacy among legislators to raise attention, share information, and discuss plans. (CASE STUDY #3)

• Change existing attitudes and perceptions Example: Honduras’s Bay Islands Environment Management project intended to change people’s largely indifferent attitudes vis-à-vis natural resources and environmental dangers through community meetings and media interventions. (CASE STUDY #4) • Increase compliance with new laws Example: A project that introduced major transformations in Venezuela’s legal system needed to inform citizens about new rights and roles of citizens to serve in juries. • Promote community participation in decision-making processes Example: A project to improve transportation infrastructure in rural Ecuador featured extensive community meetings to assess local needs and expectations and produce “participatory road plans.” • Address public opposition, misperceptions, and negative media coverage about some aspect of the project Example: Water privatization projects in Ecuador and Peru used a variety of communication approaches (from press articles to community meetings) to explain the goals and the impact of the project among different constituencies (consumers, workers, politicians) These are only a few examples of the challenges of IDB projects that strategic communication can address through various and complementary approaches, depending on the issues at stake and programmatic goals. Recent Bank operations have included communication interventions under the components of strenghtening institutional capacity, training, social audits, citizen consultation and participation, promotion and information dissemination.

Communication Needs Assessment: Summary The first phase in the process of designing a communication plan is to determine the communication needs of a project. At the end of this phase, officers should have identified communication needs and established communication goals. They should be able to know “What should communication do?” and how communication goals are linked to the overall objectives of the project. Communication can contribute to: explain the goals and the reach of a project to citizens and policymakers; address negative views and opposition against a project; build support among constituencies with different expectations and interests; promote community involvement and ownership; educate citizens about new policies and procedures; strengthen public trust of the implementing agency.

Checklist Does the project need communication? •

What is the main challenge to be addressed?

•

What potential challenges require communication interventions?

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What is the best solution and what are the risks for implementing that solution?

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How to define communication goals?

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Are the communication goals articulated with the overall program objectives, prioritized, explicit, realistic, and measurable?

Chapter 2: Matching needs with communication approaches After communication goals have been set, then, officers need to identify suitable communication approaches to address already identified needs. Five communication approaches can help to tackle different challenges: Advocacy, community participation, institutional communication, media persuasion, and social marketing. • Advocacy aims to influence policies, positions, and programs, and to communicate goals and aspects of the project to key decision-makers or opponents. • Community participation is a process to engage people in action to achieve common goals and promote ownership through discussion, organization, and interventions. • Institutional communication aims to raise awareness to secure public support, inform different constituencies about goals and activities, and manage possible public relations crises • Media persuasion aims to disseminate information to influence the population about ideas and practices. • Social marketing aims to increase the use of new services or policies through planning, implementing, and evaluating programs of large-scale behavior change based on the concept of exchange. Strategic issues to keep in mind Project officers are not expected to be experts in each approach. Although mastering different communication approaches takes a long time, keeping in mind some basic issues about each approach should be helpful in designing communication plans. 1. Advocacy • Advocacy involves explaining policies and recommending specific ideas vis-à-vis different groups, and educating and exchanging ideas with leaders and relevant parties. • Advocacy requires skillful staff that is knowledgeable about the subject, the positions of intended audiences, and their decision-making process. • Advocacy includes a diversity of communication activities such as meetings with key decision-makers and interest groups, awareness-raising events, and public information campaigns. Advocacy has better chances of succeeding when: • The reasons why key audiences will support a cause at stake are correctly identified Key audiences are likely to have many priorities and limited time. Why should they become interested and eventually supportive of the issue at stake? What do we know about their

preferences, future plans, incentives and motivations? Who do they listen to, believe in, and follow? • A coalition of numerous and powerful actors is built and maintained At times, commitment from one powerful individual is crucial to put policies in motion or raise the profile of an issue. More often, however, more than one person is needed to pass policy changes and build long-term support. A wide alliance of interests helps to sustain momentum and avoid dependency on the commitment from one person (e.g. a Cabinet member), particularly if his/her job tenure is uncertain. • Existing demands are integrated in a common plan of action Finding ways to bring together different actors who have already prioritized certain issues and articulated a broad agenda has better chances of success. • Arguments for getting support are based on data about what/who audiences find relevant and credible The use of statistical data and research findings can be appropriate to raise awareness and sway opinions about a specific program or issue. The kind of data and the format utilized to present the information depend on the intended audience. Examples of Advocacy in IDB Projects: Reform projects such as Peru’s pro-competitiveness reforms and Paraguay’s educational reform have included advocacy to drum up support and promote decisions (e.g. laws, funding) among policy makers. In Central America, the disaster prevention and risk management project aimed to raise awareness among mayors and other government officials about the need to implement risk-management policies. (CASE STUDY #5) The multi-country Don’t Call Me Street Kid Campaign project included media advocacy actions to shape agenda and generate public support for pro-child policies. 2. Community participation Community participation offers opportunities to: •

Identify relevant actors in each community (political authorities, religious leaders, opinion leaders, business, NGOs, social and cultural associations, the media).

•

Involve different social actors to discuss project goals and courses of action, raise awareness and educate members, increase demand, strengthen the provision of services, and mobilize human and monetary resources in support of a program.

•

Produce bottom-up assessments about priorities, needs and changes.

•

Promote community ownership.

Examples of Community Participation in IDB Projects: The project to reduce urban poverty in Tegucigalpa included consulting citizens to reach a consensus about the uses of the Centro Histórico’s cultural heritage, space, and resources. Citizen’s suggestions were considered in the remodeling and maintenance plans of parks and buildings. The renovation of Quito’s historical center held meetings with street vendors and residents to discuss plans and assess needs and expectations. (CASE STUDY #7) A key component of Ecuador’s transportation infrastructure improvement and maintenance project was the participation of local communities in discussing ideas, preparing “road plans,” and launching road maintenance initiatives. An environment project to install garbage treatment plants in Venezuela included community discussions about possible sites and building plans. 3. Institutional communication Institutional communication serves different purposes. It is used to: • Raise awareness about a project to obtain public support through a variety of actions such as newsletters, billboards, media coverage, brochures and other dissemination materials. • Manage public relations crisis created by negative publicity around a project It is important not to lose sight of the fact that projects “communicate” all the time, not only through organized, purposefully-designed materials. People form perceptions about a project not only or mainly through press releases and other formal communication activities, but also through personal experiences, media stories, and hearsay. How these activities are synchronized with project developments and take into account ongoing perceptions is of paramount importance. When planning institutional communication interventions, it is important to keep in mind that: • Dissemination materials help to build the “brand” of the project. Because they build the public face of the project vis-à-vis different audiences, materials need to show consistency in terms of design, logo, and key messages. • Material should be strategically guided, focused and clear. It is not simply a matter of producing materials that seem eye-catching or easy to use. Multicolored, expensive, hard-to-understand materials may not be adequate or may send the wrong message about the project. • Materials need to be seen as opportunities to build recognition and shape perceptions about the project.

A few questions are worth keeping in mind: What do we want the project to be known for among different audiences? Is there any specific action that different audiences should take? • Communication specialists should be regularly available Projects need communication experts to interact with the media, handle media inquiries (particularly during crisis or emergencies), organize press visits, and train relevant project staff in communication skills and presentations. They could also anticipate potential problems that may cause the project to have a poor image or reputation and plan appropriate strategies in advance. They should also be responsible for maintaining regular communication with communities involved and affected by the project. Planning and conducting community meetings may be necessary in addition to the distribution of print and audio-video materials. Examples of Institutional Communication in IDB Projects: Brazil’s Urban Improvement Project in Rio de Janeiro developed activities to communicate policy-makers and the public opinion about the progress and results of the work conducted in the communities. (CASE STUDY #1) Paraguay’s Escuela Viva project implemented a series of media activities to position the program in the public opinion and among key political actors. (CASE STUDY #3) The project to simplify administrative procedures in the business sector in Colombia relied on the press offices of the executing agencies to inform about the elimination of procedures to attract public attention and maintain the expectations and interest of the participants. (CASE STUDY #6) 4. Media persuasion The goal of media persuasion is to influence the knowledge, attitudes and practices of large segments of the population. A variety of channels can be used such as print (newspapers, magazines), electronic (radio, television), and audiovisual (documentaries, videos, songs) media. Regardless of what channel is considered appropriate, media interventions can aim to persuade specific segments of the population through the use of different formats. Formats include entertainment (e.g. “radionovelas”, “telenovelas”, comics); advertising (e.g. broadcasting commercials, print announcements); and informational (e.g. broadcast news, interviews, op-ed columns). Examples of media persuasion in IDB projects The Bay Islands Environment Management Project used entertainment through radio dramas to illustrate and discuss environmental issues that affect local communities. (CASE STUDY #4) The project to renovate Quito’s historical downtown used “popular advertising” to attract patrons to the newly built commercial centers where street vendors had been relocated.

With the intention to change perceptions about poor communities among the general population through providing different information, Brazil’s Urban Improvement Project in Rio de Janeiro co-produced with the newspaper O Dia a series of articles covering events in the communities involved in the program. (CASE STUDY #1) 5. Social Marketing Social marketing aims to increase the use of new services or policies. It entails activities to identify, segment and target specific audience to increase demand and use of services. It requires planners to think about: • • • • • •

specific audiences benefits (what will the audience receive) barriers (what the audience fears will happen) support (why should the audience believe communication messages) channels (who audiences trust and listen to) research (what evidence is needed to support strategy)

• Social marketing invites planners to think about what kind of change is needed for the success of the program. Some examples include: social change (a change in addictive or highly reinforced behavior on a large scale); compliance (maintaining performance a well-understood, known, or simple behavior); and introduction (adoption of a new, poorly understood and new idea). • Social marketing asks planners to think about competition such as benefits that audiences immediately get from maintaining current behavior, other communication interventions that undermine the project’s goals; and fears, misconceptions, prejudice, stereotypes, and apathy to change among audiences. • Social marketing teaches us about the need to conduct research to understand, among other factors, how audiences perceive that they receive benefits they care about in exchange for socially-desirable behavior change. Examples of Social Marketing in IDB Projects: Panama’s “Ciudad del Saber” Project used social marketing to promote the construction and remodeling of buildings and public infrastructure in order to attract business to relocate their operations. Colombia’s “Programa de Cultura Ciudadana” relied on social marketing to contribute to the reduction of the number of violent deaths and the increase of urban safety. Communication activities in support of the “Ley Zanahoria” (intended to cut down alcohol consumption among young people) included television programs promoting “designated driver” behaviors, educational programs with high school students and teachers, and marketing activities to promote the program’s symbol (e.g. the distribution of “zanahorias,” and carrot drinks in rock concerts and other venues).

The project to renovate Quito’s historical center implemented a marketing campaign to promote the newly built commercial centers, to deter potential buyers from patronizing street vendors, and to maintain the downtown area clean. (CASE STUDY#7) Rules of thumb • Communication approaches should be distinguished from communication actions and products. The same communication product (e.g. poster, television commercial) and communication activity (e.g. training of journalists in environment coverage, community meetings) can be used as part of different approaches. • It is important not to let actions and products dictate the approach. Instead, once a approach is defined, then, it is necessary to identify suitable actions and products. • Coordination among communication approaches is crucial. Projects need to maximize the synergies among different approaches rather than approaching them as individual, disconnected efforts. Some communication goals (e.g. raising awareness) actually require effective coordination among approaches to reinforce messages, provide a supportive environment, and mobilize public opinion.

Selecting Communication Approaches: Summary Having assessed communication needs, officers need to identify appropriate approaches to address those needs. Depending on needs and goals, five approaches can be used: advocacy, community participation, institutional communication, media persuasion, and social marketing. Officers need to determine why different strategies are suitable to achieve communication goals. Projects typically rely on a combination of approaches to achieve communication goals. Projects should maximize synergies among approaches rather than approach them as separate, disconnected efforts. Coordination among communication approaches in terms of timeline and resources is fundamental to maximize the impact of the overall communication strategy.

Checklist •

What communication approaches are appropriate to address needs and reach goals?

•

What should different approaches accomplish?

•

How are approaches integrated?

Chapter 3: The communication strategy The design of the communication strategy needs to consider: audiences, messages, channels, implementation activities, monitoring and evaluation. Team officers may not need specialized knowledge of these aspects. However, a good command of “what goes into a communication strategy” will guide them when making decisions on how to incorporate communications in a project. Project officers may have to hire specialized firms to conduct formative research to identify audiences that, based on existing information, may not be obvious or share specific characteristics. Focus groups, individual interviews, small surveys, key informant interviews are some methods to collect that information. 1. What are the priority audiences for each intervention? Having a clear definition and understanding of audiences is one of communication’s fundamental concepts. •

Type of audiences

All communication intervention needs to identify primary and secondary audiences. Primary audiences are the main focus of the activities. Secondary audiences are those who may influence the knowledge, opinions and practices of primary audiences. For example, a project may want to persuade legislators and other decision-makers (primary audience) about the benefits of specific policies and programs. If public opinion about those policies and programs has proven to influence them, then, interventions to target citizens (secondary audiences) will also be necessary. •

Who is the audience?

Audiences can be individuals, families/households, communities, institutions, and policy makers. Who the priority audiences are should be transparent in all communication activities. Every communication piece should clearly reflect who it is intended for. One rule is to start with audiences, who are already predisposed to think about a given issue, search for knowledge, share opinions, engage in certain practices, etc. Not everyone in a given audience is similarly predisposed to think, know, or act in a certain, desirable way. Identifying audiences in terms of already exiting knowledge, attitudes and practices makes it possible to maximize efforts and to increase the chances of achieving success. Communication interventions need to segment audiences in terms of common characteristics that are relevant to reach them. Examples of priority audiences in IDB projects •

Business groups in Peru’s fiscal reform project, the employment for blind people project in the Cono Sur (CASE STUDY #2), and Panama’s Ciudad del Saber.

• • • •

Indigenous populations in Honduras’ Bay Islands Environment Management project. (CASE STUDY #4) Street vendors in Quito’s center renovation project. (CASE STUDY #7) Drivers in Colombia’s “Programa de Cultura Ciudadana”. Mothers in Bolivia’s immunization program.

Audiences can be segmented on the basis of sharing different characteristics that are relevant to the goals of the project: • • • •

Demographics (e.g. mothers of children below 5 years old for immunization programs) Practices (e.g. families with poor management of electricity resources) Attitudes (e.g. communities that do not support road building) Barriers to practice (e.g. communities that lack access to sewer systems)

Demographic factors (e.g. age, gender, education, income) may not always be relevant to segment audiences. What is needed is to identify similar needs and wants, or similar practices that make people part of the same audience. Communication interventions need to define audiences as precisely as possible. Once an audience is identified/segmented, it is necessary to understand how that audience thinks/believes/stands vis-à-vis a given issue. Here we could find that what we presumed to be a common characteristic does not exist, and that inside the same demographic group, there are different audiences. Examples: •

Indigenous communities who speak the same language may not hold similar views about a project.

•

Given the characteristics of their business and expected qualifications of employees, entrepreneurs may be motivated differently to participate in a program to hire blind employees.

•

Poor communities may have different trash management practices.

In summary, not all audiences are in the same “readiness point” to engage in practices, acquire knowledge, or participate in programs. After audiences are defined, it may be appropriate to ask “what is the advantage of segmenting the audience in that way?” Besides the fact that they share specific commonalities, it may also be beneficial in terms of communication reach. That is, the fact that a substantial number of audience members regularly share communication channels facilitates reaching them with the same messages. Examples: •

Regional producers go to the same market on Saturdays

•

Mothers attend weekly “vaso de leche” meetings

•

Schoolchildren take the bus at the same stops daily

•

Males between 18-40 years old watch the same sport news program on Sundays

Size of the audience

The size of the audience varies according to strategic considerations. A rule of thumb is to address a large audience to increase impact. This principle underlies the intense use of largescale media. Some goals, however, require addressing a small yet influential audience. Advocacy interventions typically try to reach key actors (legislators, media personnel, experts) whose actions are able to put changes in motion. In some behavior change interventions, it also makes strategic sense to focus on small, key audiences (“connectors,” “opinion leaders”) to catalyze changes. Many sources can be used to select audiences such as census, local surveys, government data, demographic and health surveys, media reports, and previous research. 2. What is the purpose of addressing that audience? Communication interventions try to reach audiences with different goals in mind. Some examples include: •

Address hard-to-reach audiences

Audiences that are not reached by conventional mechanisms such as populations residing in remote areas, or with limited access to large-scale media, or who are always on the move (e.g. migrant workers). •

Continue to do something

Communication may intend to reinforce existing behaviors among audiences by reminding them about the benefits of specific actions (e.g. household reminders about handwashing for mothers may be effective in maintaining practices after a campaign has ended) •

Persuade audiences to do something new

Communication may aim to reach audiences to encourage practicing new behaviors. •

Get new information about a given subject

•

Change attitudes and perceptions

3. What messages are needed to persuade and motivate audiences? Messages are short phrases, sentences, or statements that summarize what audiences should understand and do. It’s the “take-away” information that in a simple and interesting format tells audiences what the project wants them to know, think, and practice.

To select appropriate messages, the project needs to identify what factors determine audience’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices on a given issue. Messages need to be based on the analysis of research findings. Once messages are selected, they need to be tested. Message testing is necessary to determine: • • •

Clarity Unintended messages Strategic fit between message and intended goal

Testing is important to determine whether messages stand on their own and convey the expected information and meaning. Once messages are out, it becomes difficult to explain or clarify the intention. Also, testing is necessary to avoid costly mistakes that the project may incur if messages are not ideal. Ideas to keep in mind • Start from the audience perspective Knowing the audience is fundamental to design communication. What matters is to understand audiences’ actions and thoughts, preferences and dislikes, expectations and fears, from their point of view. It is always worth reminding ourselves that the commitment and beliefs about the merits of the project of IDB staff are not necessarily equally shared by different audiences. •

Do not tell audiences what they already know

If poor or incorrect information is part of the problem, then, messages should provide information. However, communication activities often give messages that audiences already know, failing to understand what other information is needed for audiences to act in certain ways. •

Use easy to understand language

Messages should distill technical and complex language into ideas that intended audiences can understand easily. •

Make messages relevant

Messages should resonate with what audiences already think, care about, expect, and/or do. Messages that are relevant are more likely to be remembered and properly understood. •

Ask audiences to take action

Many projects fail to define clearly what is expected from audiences. Think about what audiences should do after receiving and comprehending messages. Is it clear what audiences need to do?

•

Use local knowledge

Messages need to be culturally relevant to local audiences. Audiences resist messages that they perceive to be external to their lives and interests. Messages need to take into account literacy, language and accents, modes of communication, customs, symbols, images and other factors. An IDB-funded vaccination program in Bolivia, for example, adequately addressed language differences by featuring messages in Kwicha, Aymara, and Guarani. Paraguay’s educational reform realized that text-heavy materials were not ideal for communicating in oral cultures (CASE STUDY #3). Audiences preferred posters and videos with good visual quality over materials featuring long texts. •

Messages need to be delivered by messengers who audiences believe to be trustworthy and relevant to issue at stake

It is not sufficient to rely on popular, famous spokespersons. They need to be credible on the issues that are relevant to the project. Featuring a well-known celebrity in television spots to announce immunization campaigns may generate attention and recall, but it is not obvious that s/he would be seen as a credible expert that inspires action among mothers of under-5-year-old children. A financial reform project in Peru relied on a government minister to spearhead advocacy activities given his credibility among key audiences (e.g. business). Paraguay’s educational reform project identified parents who are known and respected locally to deliver messages. Guayaquil’s water project relied on the advocacy work of a journalist widely known for his commitment to reform of the existing water company. • Capture attention Audiences have limited attention and are often involved in many activities. Also, many audiences are typically surrounded by communication messages competing for their attention. Consequently, project messages are likely to be one among many. Why should audiences pay attention to that message? How can you make your message stand out? Will educational-entertainment or straightforward information formats work? Should different formats be used for different primary audiences? What format is adequate to capture the attention of different audiences (e.g. “telenovelas” for women, sports events for men, puppets for children)? Some appeals could be successful in getting attention, but do not necessarily move people into action. Fear, risk, security, and hope messages may help a Project’s communication activities stand out, but they may not motivate audiences to act or they may even generate rejection. 4. What channels are appropriate? Channels refer to technologies and social practices through which people exchange information and ideas. Channels include:

•

Interpersonal communication: face-to-face interaction, counseling, training, group discussion, peer education (e.g. colleagues training colleagues such as teachers, nurses, police officers). Ecuador’s improvement of the road system project held meetings with residents to elaborate “participatory road maps” Honduras’ “Bay Islands Environment Management” project planned community meetings to assess needs and discuss action plans. (CASE STUDY #4)

•

Large-group communication: rallies, promotions, and demonstrations.

•

Mass media: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, video, film, documentary, billboards, Internet. Honduras’s “Combate de la Pobreza Urbana” project used appearances in highlywatched television newscasts to inform about program. Chile’s “Work Training Blind Population” program used billboards in metro stations to raise awareness and change public attitudes about blind people. (CASE STUDY #2) The “Disaster Prevention and Management” project in Central America produced a documentary to educate the population about the impact of natural disasters and recommended safety measures. (CASE STUDY #5) The communication strategy of Colombia’s project to simplify administrative procedures in the business sector included setting up a web page to provide information about the program and linkages to websites of all executing agencies. (CASE STUDY #6)

•

Folk/Popular media: Street performances, songs, theater, fairs. Bogota’s “Cultura Ciudadana” project featured street mimes to call attention to pedestrians and motorists about the program and to encourage ideal behaviors (e.g. use street crossings, stop at traffic lights).

•

Small media: Posters, brochures, pamphlets, flyers, stickers, newsletters. Brazil’s “Urban Improvement” Project in Rio de Janeiro publishes a newsletter documenting results and experiences to communicate with external audiences. (CASE STUDY #1) Argentina’s “Work Training Blind Population” project produced print brochures to explain the goals of the program to potential employers. (CASE STUDY #3) The “Don’t Call Me Street Kid Campaign” campaign distributed stickers among taxis and buses.

Ideas to have in mind •

It is difficult to define effective and ineffective channels in abstract.

Decisions about channel selection cannot be made without considering specific goals, situation, and audiences. Each channel has advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered in specific contexts. Six factors should be examined to determine appropriate channels: •

Access

Do audiences have easy and regular access?

•

Cost

How much? What is the cost per audience?

•

Credibility

Do audiences believe in it?

•

Influence

Does it motivate people to think and act in certain ways?

•

Interactivity

Does it allow the possibility for information exchange?

•

Reach

How many people watch/listen/participate?

These factors need to be considered when selecting appropriate channels according to communication goals, characteristics of intended audiences, and available budget. •

Use channel mix

A coordinated, multi-channel strategy may be required according to project goals. For example, peer education may be considered key for engaging audiences in behavior change, but street theater and community talks are also needed to provide reinforcing messages and provide public legitimacy for certain practices. •

Same channel, different purpose

The same channel can be used as part of different communication strategies and with different goals. Radio coverage may be used to advocate for specific policies, provide messages to reinforce behavior change, practice civic journalism to engage audiences in discussion, and/or disseminate goals of projects. 5. Roles and responsibilities during the implementation of the program The communication strategy needs to define responsibilities during the implementation phase. The key question is: Who is going to do what? In thinking about it, it is useful to keep in mind the following roles and responsibilities: • • • • • •

Who will manage the communication intervention? Who will plan activities? Who will design materials and messages (e.g. brochures, training documents, spots, press releases)? Who will conduct activities (e.g. community meetings, focus groups, media events)? Who will coordinate logistics? Who will monitor and evaluate?

Executing agencies typically lack a sufficient number of communication staff with vast expertise in required tasks to take all roles and responsibilities. Given this situation, it is necessary to determine what the executing agency can effectively do and what tasks should be commissioned to other agencies and contractors. 6. How will communication interventions be monitored and evaluated? Teams need to consider how communication interventions will be monitored and evaluated. Monitoring and evaluation should be conducted during and after the intervention. The purpose of monitoring is to measure progress during the intervention to recognize potential problems and introduce modifications. The purpose of evaluation is to determine whether goals have been met. Indicators Indicators are measurements of the accomplishments of communication activities. Indicators help to track how the program is doing, what needs to be adjusted, and what has been achieved. Type of indicators •

Monitoring indicators are intended to know progress results: how strategies and activities are working, and whether communication activities and materials are reaching the right audience, time, and place. Data should be collected periodically at preset intervals, and analyzed immediately to facilitate necessary adjustments, particularly in short-term projects.

•

Evaluation indicators provide information on final results: what were the results of communication activities? Data should be collected at different points to allow for comparison, mainly at the beginning and after a longer period depending on the duration of the project. Programs may be interested in evaluating whether and/or how many people are exposed to messages, understand messages, believe or accept them, act on them sporadically or frequently.

•

Output (or logistics) indicators measure number of communication products distributed and audiences reached.

•

Impact indicators measure changes in knowledge, recall, attitudes, beliefs, beliefs about consequences, perceptions of social norms, skills, and intentions.

Because indicators depend on the actual goals of communication activities determined by the diagnosis of the problem and the type of strategy selected, it is impossible to produce a general list of indicators. Examples of output indicators • • • • •

Number of radio spots aired Number of community meetings held Number of people reached through popular theater activities Number of journalists who participated in media advocacy meetings Number of news stories covering educational reforms

•

Amount in dollars of free-media

Examples of impact indicators • • • • •

Percentage of 12-23 month-old children who completed immunization schedule by first birthday Percentage of drivers who changed attitudes about seat belt safety Percentage of business organizations that have favorable views about the skills of blind workers Percentage of people who know about recycle Percentage of people aware of fiscal reforms

Multi-tactic projects should have separate indicators for advocacy, behavior change, community mobilization, institutional communication, and social marketing. Ideas to keep in mind Indicators need to be… •

Established during initial program planning

•

Tied in with general objectives

•

Linked or derived from communication goals

•

Easy to measure

•

Monitored throughout the project

Information can be gathered in different ways Monitoring information can be obtained through regular audits at distribution points, informal checks of availability of products and materials, observations at points of contact, focus groups, and casual conversations with audiences. Evaluation information can be obtained from Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) surveys, formal and informal assessments conducted by government offices and implementing agencies, and intercept interviews.

The communication strategy: Summary Baseline research needs to guide decisions about primary and secondary audiences, messages, channels, and indicators. Communication strategies need to clearly define what audiences need to do and what can occur as a consequence of communication activities; why specific audiences will be reached through specific messages and channels, and how communication activities will be monitored and impact will be measured to demonstrate the effect of communication activities and their contributions to the goals of the Project.

Checklist •

What are the audiences for different communication interventions?

•

Why have those audiences been selected?

•

What is expected that audiences will do as a consequence of communication interventions?

•

What messages are needed to persuade and motivate audiences?

•

What channels are appropriate to reach identified audiences?

•

What are the different roles and responsibilities during the implementation of communication interventions? Who will do what and when?

•

What will be monitored and evaluated?

•

What output and impact indicators will be used?

Chapter 4: Assigning funds, time and hiring expertise After identifying audiences, messages, channels, implementation tasks, and monitoring and evaluation, two key constraints need to be considered to finalize the communication strategy: funding and time. Ideally, the communication program should emphasize what interventions make strategic sense to accomplish goals. However, because neither funding nor time is unlimited, teams need to assess what can be feasibly achieved with funds available and within the time frame of the project. Project teams may consider a specific communication approach appropriate to address identified needs, but time and budget constraints may determine when and how it should be launched. Also, because communication programs need to be implemented by experienced professionals, officers need to determine what kind of expertise is needed to carry out the program successfully. The project team may determine that an approach (e.g. community participation) is necessary, but the executing agency may have staff with experience in different communication approaches (e.g. institutional communication), or have personnel with expertise in the communication material design who lack management skills. If funding and time are not adequately assessed and strategically integrated in the overall design of the communication plan, the project may run into problems later on. Funding may be insufficient to accomplish communication goals, and interventions may be launched at inconvenient times due to project needs and other factors that were not sufficiently considered. 1. Assessing the communication budget Based on interviews with Project Officers, IDB projects with communication components have assigned between 1% and 3% of the total budget to communication. As part of the preparation of the project concept, teams may consider it necessary to search for technical cooperation to conduct preliminary research to assess communication needs and determine the necessary budget. The ideal budget for all activities initially considered may not be plausible. Consequently, teams need to determine how much of the total project budget will be allocated by considering what interventions are indispensable to achieve key communication goals. The budget should include all projected communication expenses, including staff time, data analysis, design and implementation of each activity, evaluation consultants. It is impossible to define specific budgets for different communication interventions in different countries in the region. The budget depends on what the project needs to achieve and what strategies are selected. Also, the costs of printing, media production, airtime, advertising, research, training, and stakeholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meetings greatly vary from country to country and from intervention to intervention. Budgets may reflect local resources, staffing needs, and institutional contributions. The perception that communication is necessarily expensive is misleading.

Costs depend on two factors: 1. The kind of interventions In principle, some strategies incur higher expenses than others. High costs of broadcasting advertising make mass media campaigns typically more expensive than, for example, organizing community meetings. However, some IDB projects have successfully obtained buyins from governments to place commercials on radio and television for free. It is not unusual for governments, private and community media, business, foundations, and advertising agencies to offer free-of-charge services and placement. The Don’t Call Me Street Kid Campaign” campaign received free media advertising in all eleven countries where campaigns took place. In Mexico alone, $7 million worth of free media advertising were obtained. In Chile, the training and job placement for blind workers project received free advertising in different media. (CASE STUDY #2) Because media costs are not necessarily fixed, negotiation and goodwill can make a significant difference in lowering costs. Always look for voluntary participation of government ministries, advertising agencies, private and community media, and foundations. Try to identify what institutions are more likely to provide in-kind contributions and what messages may be effective in persuading them to support the project. 2. Results achieved Budget decisions need to consider the potential impact of different interventions (“what impact is achieved with money spent?). Some low-cost, low-profile activities could facilitate behavior changes (e.g. community agents’ home visits can produce important changes in practices through teaching and reminding skills such as in the Urban Improvement Rio de Janeiro Project (CASE STUDY #1). Expensive, high-profile activities (e.g. massive television advertising) can deliver important results in terms of program recognition, but they may not necessarily prompt behavior change. Print materials (brochures, newsletters, posters) may be relatively inexpensive to produce and useful to remind specific audiences about activities and basic information. However, they may not have a substantial reach, be ideal tools to communicate with illiterate populations or with audiences who prefer visual over written modes of communication. In Honduras, for example, the cost for producing and installing 1,000 posters is similar to putting the same information on the project’s Web site (estimated $ 6,000). What are the results of each intervention? What audiences are reached? Multicolored, glossy brochures are more expensive than black-and-white flyers, but may be more effective in terms of message recall.

Labor-intensive, home visits require more funding for staff and transportation than a string of radio commercials, but can deliver better results in terms of message acceptance and credibility. With good distribution and monitoring, behavior-reminding stickers (“take trash out on Fridays”, “wash hands before cooking for your children”) can be cheaper and more effective than highly-visible billboard advertising, which may make authorities “look good” but may not achieve a great deal in terms of changing and reinforcing behaviors. A one-day, high-profile advocacy meeting with legislators and business can run up to $100,000 in Peru, but if it is well-attended and attracts considerable media attention, it may create momentum for a specific policy reform. Honduras’ “Bay Islands Environment Management” project spent $12,500 in planning and holding four workshops for 160 schoolteachers. (CASE STUDY #4) Drafts of communication budget in the Appendix offer suggestions of different components that need to be considered 2. Determining the timeline for rolling out communication interventions Time planning defines when communication interventions are conducted. The timeline for each intervention should include research, planning, testing, production, distribution, monitoring, and evaluation. How long should each component take? After determining time requirements, time sequence of communication interventions needs to be established by considering the following aspects: •

The suitability of communication interventions within the timeframe of different lending programs

Not all communication interventions are equally suited for all loan programs. Innovation loan programs require rapid, short-term interventions that can accomplish communication goals in less than eighteen months. What communication strategies could be suitable? It could be appropriate to implement a series of well-planned advocacy meetings with key decision makers and consultation with interested stakeholders. In contrast, information campaigns to inform and mobilize public opinion behind specific policies may not be ideal as they require a substantial amount of time for research, planning and execution. Instead, five-year investment loan programs allow more time for multiple, staggered interventions. •

The time sequence of interventions

Communication interventions need to be planned and scheduled according to specific strategic considerations. If the goal is to modify hygiene behaviors, perhaps it makes sense to launch targeted media campaigns to raise awareness before interpersonal strategies (e.g. peer education, home visits by community agents). If the goal is to obtain broad support for infrastructure projects that affect multiple stakeholders, consultative meetings should precede institutional communication efforts. Time sequencing also needs to consider how communication interventions are synchronized with other programmatic steps. Community meetings to discuss urban designs (like in Brazil’s

Urban Improvement Project in Rio de Janeiro) and road layout and maintenance (like in Ecuador’s rural transportation infrastructure project) should happen before construction plans are actually implemented. Also, officers need to carefully plan the timeline of communication in terms of the overall progress and results of the project. Communication may successfully raise demand for services that the project is not prepared to deliver either due to delays in provision (building, remodeling, etc) or because they fall outside the goals and the scope of the project. The communication activities of Paraguay’s education reform project successfully raised attention about the goals of the program, but they raised high expectations about the number of participating communities. (CASE STUDY #3) In contrast, Guayaquil’s water reform project decided to keep a low-profile in the public opinion to avoid generating high expectations that the project could not meet. Communication activities during the first phase of the Bay Islands Environment Management project preceded the building of public works that were needed to make behavior change possible (garbage disposal bins) (CASE STUDY #4) •

The goals of communication interventions

It is fundamental to define clearly the goals of communication interventions. Achieving some goals may take more time than others. If properly planned and conducted, informing people about a subject is a relatively simple, straightforward task, especially if it is a subject already of interest. A wise choice of interventions and channels can produce important results in a relatively short period of time. Instead, if the goal is to change attitudes and behaviors anchored in deep-seated cultural norms, the task is tremendously more difficult and more time is required. •

Competing communication activities (“noise”)

Success depends not only on having quality, fine-tuned interventions, but also scheduling activities in proper times. Communication interventions in support of loan programs are likely to compete with other communication events. Sport games, elections, political and economic crises, religious festivities, holidays, and commercial advertising can drown out messages and take public and media attention away. Cutting through the “clutter of communication” is key. Besides not planning communication activities during times that may overlap with other scheduled events, it is also necessary to allow flexibility to change timelines to avoid the “noise” created by unexpected events.

Example: If a project needs to support the launching of new educational tests, the rolling-out of the communication plan could follow this timeline: Months 1-2

Identify stakeholders and hold meetings to assess their opinions about educational reforms

Month 3-4

Design communication plan with the participation of stakeholders and assign tasks

Months 4-5

Conduct advocacy among decisionmakers to raise support for educational reforms

Months 5-6

Launch social marketing campaign to inform parents about educational reforms

Month 7

Implement Institutional communication activities in support of the introduction of educational reforms

3. Assessing communication capacity of project executing agencies and contractors A well-thought, carefully designed communication strategy will fail if executing agencies and their contractors lack the proper capacity and activities are not conducted by appropriate specialists. Capacity refers to the quantity of human resources and their competencies to carry out different tasks. Many IDB projects that have assigned communication tasks have lacked staff with adequate training and expertise to design and implement activities. â&#x20AC;˘

What is the communication expertise of the executing agency?

Officers need to identify whether the executing agency has the required competencies to carry out tasks successfully. For example, the communication office of the executing agency (e.g. Ministry of Education) may be suitable to carry out certain tasks, but it may lack the capacity to perform other activities adequately. Assessing available capacities is recommended in order to determine what type of institution (e.g. non-government organizations, video production companies, universities, advertising agencies) is appropriate to perform tasks. In some cases, training of communication personnel of executing agencies may be required in order to coordinate and manage the communication intervention appropriately. Officers should also consider possible activities to build and strengthen capacity on specific communication competencies. During the design phase of the project, it is recommended to conduct a communication audit to assess local capacity.

•

What kind of communication agency is needed?

Officers need to identify the kind of human resources and expertise required to carry out different tasks. Strategy planning? Communication research? Creative development? Media buy-in? Community mobilization? Materials production? It is not sufficient to have communication personnel; it is necessary to have the right personnel to perform different tasks. A communication agency may have the expertise to carry out a number of tasks, but it may not have all the necessary expertise to develop and conduct all planned activities. A journalist may have knowledge to produce press releases and handle media contacts, but s/he may not necessarily have experience in materials production. Video producers do not necessarily know how to plan behavior change plans. Advertising agencies may master the art of catchy slogans, but may not be the ideal implementers to organize and conduct community meetings. •

How to contract communication agencies?

Writing communication activities in separate competitive bids may be convenient to maximize available expertise. Officers may find it productive to issue multiple bids and terms of reference to tap into the wealth of expertise of different communication contractors in a given country. For example, the IDB Disaster Prevention campaign elaborated three different bids: creative, implementation, and evaluation. •

Who will manage the communication component?

Having expertise in different communication tasks does not mean that a communication office and personnel in the executing agency also have the right management skills to plan, coordinate and supervise communication activities. Ideas to keep in mind Each potential executing agency and communication contractor may have strengths and weaknesses. It is hard to generalize as conditions and talents vary enormously across countries. Some possible considerations are: •

Communication offices in government (national, state, city) have expertise in institutional communication, but they typically lack necessary competencies in other strategies.

•

Non-government organizations typically have good experience and contacts on the ground and linkages with communities, but if they are only present in a few areas, they may lack sufficient capacity for scaled-up projects.

•

Universities may have good research competencies, but many lack necessary resources for implementing activities.

•

Advertising agencies generally have staff with creative ideas and expertise in media relations, but if they lack sufficient expertise in development projects, they may bring a narrow perspective to behavior change interventions.

•

Public relations firms have good expertise in media relations – such as press conferences, news releases and media events – but may lack creativity or experience in market research.

Assigning funds, time and hiring the required expertise: Summary To plan communication strategies, Project Officers need to consider the budget and the timeline. Achieving different communication goals and implementing different strategies (conducive to achieving those goals) require different amounts of funding and time. In preparing the budget, teams need to think about the costs of different communication interventions and the expected results. Factors that affect the timeline of a communication plan include the suitability of communication interventions for program goals, the sequence of interventions, the goals of communication interventions, and competing activities that may affect interventions.

Checklist •

Does the budget include expenses for staff time, research and data analysis, design and implementation of communication activities, material design and production, and evaluation costs?

•

Is the timeline appropriate to plan and conduct communication activities?

•

Is the time sequence of activities strategically adequate in terms of the progress of the communication plan and, more generally, other phases of the project?

•

Assessing required expertise of the executing agency and communication contractors to determine what type of institution is appropriate to perform tasks.

COMMUNICATION CHECKLIST o

Does the project need communication?

What are the communication goals?

Are the communication goals articulated with the overall program objectives, prioritized, explicit, realistic, and measurable?

What communication approches are appropriate to address needs and reach goals?

What should different approaches accomplish?

How are approches integrated?

What are the audiences for different communication interventions?

Why have those audiences been selected?

What is expected that audiences will do as a consequence of communication interventions?

What messages are needed to persuade and motivate audiences?

What channels are appropriate to reach identified audiences?

What are the different roles and responsibilities during the implementation of communication interventions? Who will do what and when?

What will be monitored and evaluated?

What output and impact indicators will be used?

Does the budget include expenses for staff time, research and data analysis, design and implementation of communication activities, material design and production, and evaluation costs?

Is the timeline appropriate to plan and conduct communication activities?

Is the time sequence of activities strategically adequate in terms of the progress of the communication plan and, more generally, other phases of the project?

What is the communication capacity of the executing agency?

Is it necessary to contract consultant/s to assess communication needs, design and implement communication interventions?

GLOSSARY Advocacy: communication strategy to influence policies, positions, and programs of different institutions Behavior Change Communication: communication programs that through a variety of strategies aim to change practices Communication Capacity: quantity and quality of human resources and their competencies to carry out different tasks required by communication programs Channels: technologies and social practices through which people exchange information and ideas Communication: the production and consumption of information to maintain or change knowledge, attitudes and perception, and behavior; the promotion of civic participation; the debate and implementation of policies and courses of action; and the use of multiple technologies and cultural forms to disseminate information and values. The process of creating shared meaning among audiences important to the success of IDBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investments and programs, for the purpose of achieving the goals and objectives of those programs The process for getting people to understand, believe in and support the goals activities and requirements of an IDB program Community Participation: a process to engage people in action to achieve common goals through discussion, organization, and interventions Folk/Popular Media: non-mediated forms and channels of communication such as street performances, songs, theater, puppet shows and fairs Hard-to-reach Audiences: audiences that are not reached by conventional communication channels such as populations residing in remote areas, or with limited access to large-scale media, or who are always on the move Institutional Communication: strategies to raise awareness and inform about the goals and activities of a given project Interpersonal Communication: communication conducted among two people and in small groups such as counseling, training group discussion, and peer education Mass Media: technologies use to transmit information to large numbers such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, video, film, documentary, billboards, Internet Media Persuasion: the use of different media to disseminate information to influence the population about ideas and practices Messages: short phrases, sentences or statements that convey information

Operations Research: studies conducted about a given problem to know key aspects of an issue that are used to guide decisions about communication goals and strategies Output Indicators: measurements of communication products distributed and audiences reached Primary Audience: segments of the population that are the focus of communication activities Secondary Audience: segments of the population who influence the knowledge, opinions and practices of primary audiences Small Media: portable, easy to distribute media such as posters, brochures, pamphlets, flyers, stickers, and newsletters Social Marketing: the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating programs of behavior change based on the concept of exchange

CASE STUDIES The purpose of case studies is to gain quick knowledge about a project in order to identify main characteristics and solve practical problems. Case studies are useful to capture the uniqueness of experiences, assess challenges, and discuss alternative courses of action. Case studies included in this handbook have been selected by IDB and AED staff. Cases #1 to #7 are IDB Projects. Cases #8 and #9 are non-IDB projects. The purpose of the case studies is to offer a sample of projects that have used communication in different sectors. Information was collected through document review and interviews with IDB staff in Washington, country offices, and implementing agencies that had worked in the design and the implementation of the project. The case studies are not intended to provide a comprehensive analysis of the projects. Nor are they intended to evaluate the results of communication components or pretend to be a representative sample of IDB projects. Rather, they were selected to capture interesting experiences and lessons of communication activities, and to offer elements to think about the role of communication in IDB projects. In reviewing the case studies, the following questions need to be asked: How well does the caseâ&#x20AC;Ś.?: 1.

Identify communication needs

Determine appropriate communication goals

Link communication and project goals

Plan suitable communication approaches to reach goals

Use suitable expertise

Select appropriate primary and secondary audiences

Select appropriate messages

Select appropriate channels

Assign sufficient funds

10.

Establish a reasonable timeline to carry out activities

CASE STUDY #1: Project “Rio de Janeiro Urban Upgrading Program Stage II”, Brazil, BR 0250” Project Duration: 1st phase, 1995-2000; 2nd phase 2001-2006 Executing Agency: Municipal Housing Department Project Cost: US$180,000,000 Background/Overview The project aimed to integrate a group of favelas into the urban infrastructure of Rio de Janeiro by improving conditions in the energy, water, and sewer systems, housing, streets, and recreation facilities (community centers, gardens, sport courts) and resolving illegal allotments. It also developed job training and placement programs. Communication strategy/What was planned The communication strategy has intended to reach external and internal audiences. On the one hand, it aimed to raise the visibility of the program in the city of Rio and the local government. On the other hand, it hoped to educate the beneficiaries of the program about the uses of new infrastructure and change environmental and hygiene behaviors. After infrastructural renovations were introduced, problems arose as a consequence of the misuse of sewer, water and trash systems. Communication interventions were expected to improve garbage disposal, water management, and the use of sanitary facilities. By reporting such problems to the Program, community members were largely responsible for prompting interest and actions. Activities The Program featured a number of communication activities. Community meetings were held to discuss issues including urban designs and other works carried out during the period. A total of 150 community agents were trained and deployed to educate households on hygiene practices, environmental management, and vaccination schedules. Female and male agents were local residents hired by the City. Video and print materials were produced to support home visits and inform residents and other audiences about activities. Mobile “miking” (megaphones) and radio broadcasts are planned to make announcements. Popular fairs featuring program displays and other activities were also held. The Program partnered with O Dia, one of Rio’s most popular tabloids, to produce special articles covering events in the community. The intention was twofold: to change the negative perception about the community among general readers, and to stimulate a positive self-image among favela residents. Lessons learned/Success Factors Although the results of the communication activities are not available yet, project staff anecdotes and experiences provide valuable insights.

When the community already defines an issue as a “public/common” problem and mobilizes for action, communication interventions face an environment more conducive to successful experiences. In contrast, when outside actors define an issue as a problem, then, the task is substantially more difficult. The Program’s difficulty achieving community participation in activities to deal with teenage pregnancy exemplifies this situation. Unlike the communication strategies in support of environment and hygiene behavior change, this initiative did not originate in the community. The challenge is immensely more difficult when the issue that a given program aims to address is perceived to come “from the outside” and is not similarly defined as a problem by the community. The language used in communication activities is of crucial importance to achieve community involvement. Language perceived to be “too educational” conveys an external intervention that people reject because they see it as coming from the outside, as “telling them what to do.” Instead, interventions “should speak from the inside,” closer and clearly to the community. Audio-visual communication is preferred over written communication. If done properly, it attracts a substantially higher number of people, and transmits information more easily.

CASE STUDY #2: Project “Work Training Blind Population, Argentina, Chile y Uruguay, ATN/MH-6959-CH” Project Duration: 2001-present Executing Agencies: Fundación Argentina de Instituciones de Ciegos y Amblíopes (FAICA) Argentina, Unión Nacional de Ciegos de Chile (UNSICH) Chile, and Fundación Braille del Uruguay (FBU). Project Cost: US$ 1,048,000 Background/Overview The main goal of the program is to make a contribution to the job employment opportunities for blind people. It aims to improve the employment and productivity conditions of blind people through training. The project includes three components: institutional strengthening, job training and employment, and communication. Each country program has different foci: Argentina’s focuses on identifying new employment niches and promoting activities in the interior, Chile’s prioritizes job employment, and Uruguay’s concentrates on training. Communication strategy/What was planned No communication activities were implemented during the first year of the project. The three country programs purposefully avoided launching massive campaigns to promote the program to prevent excess demand. One of the key shortcomings of the program was the lack of a coherent and common communication strategy. The program required intense and continuous attention to keep participants and applicants informed, a well-developed plan to organize seminars and training modules, and close monitoring of employment opportunities as well as the job performance of participants. The project had to contact and convince companies to open job opportunities through holding meetings with human resources executives and maintaining regular communication with supervisors. The Project also included communication activities to sensitize public opinion and, specifically, business about the job potential of blind people. The goal was to change negative and “assistentialist/charity” perceptions about blind people in the public at large, and to promote the view that blind people should be fully integrated in the workplace and society. Activities While each country program developed specific activities, the Argentine program was assigned the task of developing and implementing activities for the entire project. Argentina produced brochures and other dissemination activities in Spanish and Braille. Uruguay developed its own institutional communication plan through folders and signs displaying Integra, the program’s official name. Chile produced brochures and conducted dissemination activities through radio, newspapers and billboards in Santiago’s metro system.

A consultant was hired to produce different communication materials for the entire program: announcements, brochures, marketing strategies advice, media proposals, and a Web page design. The materials were put in a CD and distributed in the three countries. Because the quality was considered poor, the material has not been utilized. It was considered that it lacked distinctive aesthetic and strategic merits. The project approached the press to make the program known through news articles and job announcements. Radio and television were sporadically used. In Argentina, the most successful experiences with the press happened in small cities; contacts with local newspapers were sufficient to make the project known. A series of videos were produced featuring a description of the program and testimonies from beneficiaries. The eighteen-minute version was used in workshops with participants, and the three-minute version was distributed in business and television. The project also issued letters to contact companies and foundations to invite them to participate in the project. Lessons learned/Success Factors Because communication received approximately 2% of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, it has been impossible to develop a number of communication activities. Communication was neither fully integrated nor did it received sustained support during the project. The weak presence and recognition of the executing agency did not help to raise the visibility of the project. When the agency is weak from a communication standpoint, then, it is necessary to develop awareness-raising activities to position the institution and the program. Another challenge has been the coordination of communication activities and materials among the three countries. Because neither Chile nor Uruguay participated in the design, the communication materials are better suited to support the Argentine program. The project lacked experienced communication professionals to plan and conduct activities. One unanticipated, positive impact is that, as a result of communication activities, the program became known within the Ministry of Labor and other government departments and promoted interest in similar programs for handicapped people. Communication activities had to identify early in the process the incentives and opportunities for business to join the program. Throughout the process, some reasons why some businesses accepted or refused to participate were discovered.

CASE STUDY #3: Project “Strengthening Reform in Basic Education, Paraguay, 1254/OC-PR” Project Duration: 1995-present Executing Agency/agencies: Ministry of Education (MOE) Project Cost: US$ 44,000,000 ($US 1,000,000 for communication) Background/Overview The goals of the Project are to increase equality and quality of primary education, and to increase coverage and quality of pre-school education. To accomplish these goals, the Program aimed to strengthen the management capacity of schools; incorporate and improve in-service training for teachers; and develop community outreach in non-traditional education settings. Communication strategy/What was planned Several communication strategies were implemented in support of program goals. Strategies were planned to promote a sense of ownership of the program among key constituencies (teachers, parents), educate actors in the definition of roles in the new educational system, and disseminate the contents of the proposal. The initial diagnosis concluded that lack of participation and weak community ownership were key obstacles and needed to be addressed. It was also considered necessary to persuade the public to support educational reform and to inform stakeholders (teachers, parents) about the goals of the Program and their responsibilities and expectations in the new system. Activities The goals of the Program were defined in consultative meetings with key national actors. The consensus was that the educational system that had been designed during the dictatorship needed major transformations. Despite wide support for reform, the project encountered some resistance among a few teachers’ unions and parents’ groups. While some unions feared that changes would unsettle prevalent institutional dynamics, some parents were confused about roles and expectations in the new system. The Project defined a name and identity for the program: “Escuela Viva: Creciendo con la Reforma Educativa,” later changed to “Aprender es Mágico.” The communication team was directly involved in message design and creative aspects of the activities. Two information campaigns were conducted to reach the public at large. Survey findings showed that “the need for educational reform” was present in the educational system, but that the general public either did not know about it or held confusing ideas. Campaigns featured testimonials from parents and children and messages to communicate with parents about ways in which they could help (e.g. assisting children with homework, and providing emotional support, discipline and good learning conditions).The Project also used mass media, including television, radio and the press to reach large audiences.

The experience with radio stations was particularly interesting. The Project worked with commercial and community stations through the production of short segments to communicate news. Radio executives were asked to offer free airtime in morning prime-time shows to discuss educational issues. A monthly newsletter and a quarterly publication of the Ministry of Education were also used to disseminate information among teachers and authorities. The newsletter also invited teachers to share experiences and voice their opinions about the project. A variety of posters and brochures were produced to raise awareness about the program and convey key messages. Teachers have actually used posters in the classroom to discuss the program and teach curricula requirements (e.g. grammar). Printed materials featured attractive design, graphics and little text. Workshops were held with local actors to discuss the goals of the Project, the roles of different actors, and communication materials. Radio and television journalists were invited to cover the events. Lessons learned/Success Factors Although the communication component has not been formally evaluated, many lessons can be drawn. It is necessary to raise awareness among decision-makers in top levels in government and executing agencies about the goals and potential contributions of communication programs. Communication specialists need to expand a prevalent mentality that reduces communication to press relations. Although they are important to achieve specific goals, press relations should not be the first or main idea guiding communication planning. Communication needs to start through building a sense of ownership among stakeholders. Key project staff believes that the results achieved since the beginning of the Project (e.g. introducing innovations, expanding reach) are grounded on the fact that educational authorities, teachers, and parents feel empowered to participate. Bottom-up participation is important to discuss and legitimize proposals. The underlying premise was that all participating actors (technical staff, teachers, trainers) are â&#x20AC;&#x153;comunicadores.â&#x20AC;? The project needs to be connected to local actions and networks. Local actors (MOE officials, teachers, parents) need to take leadership during the planning and implementation of communication activities. Communication strategies need to be decided and executed at the local level and need to receive guidance and monitoring. Teachers and parents also need to have a key role as spokespersons, talking about personal expectations and experiences. Local opinion leaders need to be identified and incorporated in the early stages of the project. Baseline and strategic research about expectations and demands are needed to guide communication planning. It is considered that the project lacked sufficient information to decide strategies, segment audiences, and design appropriate messages at the beginning. Also, communication planning needs to be sensitive to the fact that local demands are likely to exceed a Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals and reach, particularly if massive and participatory communication strategies are used. Although the project tried to clarify who would participate in the program

(e.g. number of schools, geographical location), handling demands from schools, teachers, and parents whose districts were not included was challenging. The Project also learned valuable lessons in terms of media relations. Project goals and media interests are not always aligned; what a Project wants to communicate is not necessarily what the media wants to cover. The metropolitan media tend to cover educational issues mainly in terms of conflict, and search for news angles that would bring more readers and audiences. Identifying themes that are of interest to the media (e.g. bilingual education in Paraguayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case), sensitizing the media to the Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals, managing news wisely, and strategic purchase of media time and space are needed. It is necessary to change the mentality that work on educational issues does not require substantial media investments, especially in the media with national reach. Media relations have been different in rural areas and county capitals where the Project was able to mobilize and get support from the local media.

CASE STUDY #4: Project “Bay Islands Environment Management, Honduras, PMAIM HO-0198” Project Duration: Phase I 1998-2004, Phase II 2003-present Executing Agency: Secretaría de Turismo de Honduras Project Cost: Phase I US$23.900.000, Phase II US$16.300.000 Background/Overview The project aims to: establish and strengthen the management of protected areas, water and sewage systems, property registry, local government structures and capabilities; and promote incentives to involve the private sector in the sustainable management of tourism in the Bay Islands. Communication strategy/What was planned The communication strategy set out three goals. First, it intended to bring together the Project and participating communities. During the first phase, the absence of communication activities generated problems such as conflicts with the community, rejection of the public works/infrastructure built by the Project and, to an extent, towards the Project itself. In its second phase, the Project has tried to address these problems through better communication and other activities to integrate communities. Communities had only been considered as passive beneficiaries during the first phase. Assessing community needs and expectations, particularly given the region’s multicultural and multiethnic makeup, was necessary for the success of the Project during its second phase. Second, the project aimed to increase community perception about the risks associated with environmental mismanagement, the possible impact on tourism and, specially, the benefits for the communities in terms of improvement of the quality of life. These issues did not receive sufficient attention during the first phase. Third, the project planned to implement changes in environmental behaviors, mainly through a direct approach and communication to the community. Activities A variety of interpersonal and media activities were implemented. Community meetings were conducted to disseminate information about the Project goals and to find out local expectations and demands. Popular theater and home visits have also been used with those goals in mind. Due to budget restrictions, the number of community agents responsible for home visits was limited to one agent for each municipality. However, the presence of the Project Coordinating Unit in Roatan enabled four community agents, including the communication coordinator himself, to participate in the communication activities in the two existing municipalities. Given these limitations, the Project has strengthened the role of teachers as educational agents, providing them with skills and materials to educate schoolchildren and

local residents in environmental issues (e.g. marine ecology) through workshops and other activities such as talks, peer education, group dynamics and financial and technical support to community-based environmental education activities. The Project also used a variety of mass media, including three radio and two cable television stations. Radio stations featured information through newscasts and programs featuring dialogues and skits discussing local issues. To a lesser degree, the project has also been working through two national newspapers and local monthly magazines. Due to low literacy levels, the Project decided not to prioritize print media (newspapers, magazines, brochures), and instead, emphasized the use of audiovisual and interpersonal activities. Five-minute videos about potable water systems, waste management, and sewage systems were produced to be distributed through the media and used in training workshops and at schools. Lessons learned/Success Factors Because communication activities have not been formally monitored or evaluated, no hard data exist to assess impact. Based on testimonies from Project staff, the following lessons can be drawn. One of the main communication challenges of the Project has been finding ways to reach consensus and secure participation from a variety of stakeholders with very different interests. The Project affects economic interests (tourism, real estate, fishing), political interests, (local and central governments, non-government organizations), and a diversity of ethnic, linguistic and cultural groups. Overcoming mutual distrust and strengthening participatory mechanisms have been two key challenges. In this regard, the lesson has been that community consultation is mandatory for the success of the Project. Many public works were designed and built without previous consultation during the first phase. False expectations were created around the possible benefits for some communities. For example, communities were told that the firms would hire local workers and that protected areas where going to be implemented in the very short term. However, these goals were impossible to achieve due to budget or legal constraints. If the Project goals are not sufficiently sensitive to local needs and realities through the promotion of local participation, problems and opposition are inevitable. Likewise, the Project needs to plan activities taking into account local demands, schedules, and customs. The initial absence of a clear, unified, and regular communication strategy with communities led to poor image and widespread distrust. These difficulties needed to be resolved during the second phase of the Project. If Project goals are perceived to be externally determined, by not addressing issues that are locally perceived as important, communities may feel disempowered and the Project may suffer from severe credibility loss and low community participation. If the Project does not integrate local priorities, routines, and languages, apathy and resistance are also likely possibilities. For example, throughout the first phase of the Project, it was realized that the Spanish-language messages only reached a fraction of the population, not sufficiently reaching English and Garifuna speaking communities. To avoid repeating these mistakes the Project successfully worked with local organizations during its second phase to facilitate the achievement of their legal entity and conducted a massive bilingual socialization of public works to be executed. This

improved the Project’s perception within communities as they felt incorporated in the process being made visible to all the stakeholders involved. Another communication challenge was dealing with misperceptions and misinformation about the Project. Because it was known to be a Bank-funded endeavor, local communities assumed that the Project had unlimited resources to attend multiple demands and needs. Also, the population was not clear about how they would benefit from the Project and what was expected from them. The perception that it was an expensive Project without clear, direct benefits fueled ill-feelings and resistance. The Project’s lack of regular communication with communities created an information vacuum that did not help matters. The Project also learned that communication activities and messages need to be carefully planned according to the timeline of infrastructure works, otherwise demands and expectations may arise about services and activities that are not being provided and/or executed due to the duration administrative procedures. The gap between the time the activities are socialized and the moment in which they actually start leads to widespread distrust and skepticism among communities. For example, if recycling and reforestry workshops have been completed, but recycling bins are not available to start community projects, effective behavior change is impossible. In these situations, the danger is that communities perceive the Project as offering only discursive promises rather than concrete, tangible results. Important lessons about media effectiveness can also be drawn. It has been concluded that interpersonal communication is stronger than mediated communication to motivate audiences to engage in specific practices as it happened during the first phase of the Project. In this particular situation, people prefer to rely on personal opinions from friends, family, and residents in public spaces (e.g. lavanderia, pulperia). The media are not considered to be the best effective and trustworthy source of influence and can only help to strengthen direct communication between Project staff and stakeholders. Also, relations with the media have confronted some difficulties. Radio stations have not been particularly interested in supporting the Project out of solidarity or goodwill. They perceived the Project as rich in resources. In an advertising-poor region, they tried to extract as much economic profit as possible, and only occasionally were willing to offer “good deals” for media placements. Also, the media were prone to cover Project-related news in a sensationalist manner that did not help to cement a good image at the local level.

CASE STUDY #5: Project “Promotion of Good Practices for Disaster Prevention and Risk Management in Central American Municipalities, ATN/KB-8049-RS” Project Duration: September 2002 – December 2003 Executing Agencies: The Special Programs Section in the Office of External Relations of the IDB with technical support from the Environment Division of Region 2. Beneficiary organizations, consultants/advisors and counterparts in the region: the Federación de Municipios del Istmo Centroamericano (FEMICA) and the Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres Naturales de América Central (CEPREDENAC). Project Cost: Non-reimbursable technical cooperation in the amount of US$150,000 from the CABILICA Fund of the United Kingdom. 100% of funds dedicated to communication. Communication Strategy/What was planned The main goal of the Project was to make local government officials in Central America aware of their responsibility to initiate natural disaster prevention measures and to manage risk at the municipal level. First, the primary audience was identified and included local Central American authorities in the three countries selected (Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador): mayors, town council members, and district managers. As secondary audiences or “message multipliers”, community leaders, national authorities (central government and legislators) and the mass media were identified. Focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with the primary audience to learn about the types of natural threats they encounter, their knowledge and perception of those risks, and the prevention measures that they have taken to counteract them. These groups also were used for testing and validating the content, message and format of the proposed communication materials. Based on the above-mentioned activities, four main messages emerged: 1) The risk in the region is latent and a key challenge for its development. 2) Local authorities are key actors in risk management. 3) To achieve success, municipalities depend on the participation and organization of its citizens. 4) It is necessary to shift the focus of attention from emergency relief to a culture of disaster prevention. Based on the findings, the slogan “Vivir en riesgo, dormir seguro” was created with the intention of transmitting a positive and responsible message. The intention was that, despite the

existence of risk factors, it is possible to create the necessary conditions so that the daily lives of citizens are not affected. Regarding the tools of communication, the participants of the focus groups felt that the CD-ROM was restrictive when used in their municipalities and they requested that it be replaced with print materials like posters and flyers, which are easier to disseminate. Activities Identification and documentation of best practices to prevent and manage risk. Approximately thirty (30) successful prevention projects were identified; however, their execution was dependent on donor organizations and agencies. Given that the main goal of this Project was to increase the contribution of local authorities in risk management, the focus of the study was reoriented towards “practices” instead of “projects” – practices are replicable and municipalities can sustain them. During the selection process, the size and geographic location of the municipality, its risk factors and a variety of measures and prevention initiatives were taken into consideration. An electronic survey was created for a dozen prevention specialists; the majority of those surveyed noted that identified practices were positive. The development of communication materials: based on information gathered from the focus groups, an information kit that contained the documentary “Vivir en Riesgo, Dormir Seguro” and print materials with identified practices were created. The impact of communication resources was measured by surveys given to the mayors and participants in the forums and assemblies. The surveys were designed to evaluate the content, quality, utility and level of recall of the documentary and print materials. Direct dissemination: Through presentations at regional forums and national assemblies it was possible to raise awareness about the issue at stake among approximately 460 municipal authorities. Although the original plan stipulated the organization of training workshops, the assemblies of mayors that carry out the national municipal associations every year were responsible for sensitizing relevant audiences. This decision was made in order to capitalize on the high level of influence of these assemblies. Dissemination through multipliers of the message: The Project has strengthened the ties between the Bank and municipal associations. The associations have offered to support the work of the mayors. In order to have media coverage of the communication activities, personal visits were conducted and telephone calls were made to directors with the most important media in each country. Among other efforts, the media were invited to cover the assemblies and forums, and press material was created and distributed including photographs, statistics and technical information. The Project also conceded and coordinated interviews with specialists and experts. Diffusion via the Internet: The Project used the Internet as a tool to diffuse the best documented practices. The magazine IDB/America published three articles on the theme which were electronically distributed to approximately 27,000 readers. On the website FEMICA, prevention practices were included as well as an electronic version of the information kit. Approximately 120,000 visitors had access to the site during the first period of dissemination.

Lessons learned/Success Factors The focus groups and interviews with the authorities made it possible to achieve a sense of ownership at the local level. While the identified best practices were not originally considered, the Project allowed local authorities to recognize their strengths in risk management and disaster prevention. The presentations were delivered at the national assemblies that the associations convene annually, which allowed to connect risk management to other municipal management issues. This contributed to ensuring assistance to the target group; however, the tight agenda of the assemblies made it difficult to explore the theme in great detail and transmit more information. A key understanding of prevention and risk mitigation in the target audience. Close to 80% of local authorities expressed that the documentary improved knowledge of the theme, 100% said it increased interest, and 72% said that the theme was important for their municipality. Increased coverage of risk management in the media. The project increased the media coverage of communication activities, especially on television and the press. The monetary value of the media coverage donated surpassed $109,000/ 424 minutes of free coverage. The coverage consisted of the airing of the documentary, reports, debates and interviews with experts. Multiplier effect of the intervention at the local level. The municipal associations have adopted the information kit as a training tool in risk management for municipal authorities and they utilize it during their regular meetings.

CASE STUDY #6: Project “Simplification Program for the Business Sector, Colombia, ATN/MT-7186-CO” Project Duration: 36 months Executing Agency: Bogota’s Chamber of Commerce, Implementing Agency/ agencies: Chambers of Commerce of Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Cali and Medellín. Partners/Beneficiaries: City major offices of 22 cities; Republic’s Vice President Bureau, Ministry of Commerce Industry and Tourism, Ministry of Social Protection, National Tax Institute (DIAN), National Statistic Department (DANE), National Public Function Direction (DAFP), , National Department of Social Economy (DANSOCIAL) Industry and commerce superintendence (SIC) National Institute of Food and Drugs Surveillance (INVIMA), National Department of Planning (DNP), Connectivity Agenda Program, National Federation of Chambers of Commerce (CONFECAMARAS), National Federation of Traders (FENALCO), National Association of Industry Owners (ANDI), National Association of medium and small business Owners (ACOPI). Project Cost: US$ 3,100,000 Background/Overview: The project aimed to improve the relationship between the State and business through simplifying the bureaucratic procedures for establishing companies and setting up service centers in six main cities to provide service to business. The main problems were the existence of six executing units with independent and different administrative systems, and different financial and accounting systems. The project intended to standardize operations and develop uniform procedures without centralizing operations, and to main local commitment and support for the project in the regions. Communication strategy/What was planned: One goal was to change the attitudes of employees in the business sector and make them sensitive to the need to reduce the number of procedures. Towards that goal, the project intended to keep communication channels open to create a dialogue and inform stakeholders. Communication was understood as a process of transmission of information with clear objectives that stimulate a response/reaction from the target audience. Activities: Although there has been more than enough money to implement communication interventions, no plan to maximize the utilization of resources existed. The project needed to communicate with two key audiences: government and business associations. Internal communication activities included a meeting with the fifteen members of the program in the six cities was held to explain program goals and responsibilities, meetings with program coordinators were held to discuss strategic plan, business plan, budgets, training and other aspects, and online communication to publish news, documents, events and other relevant information. External communication activities included permanent, institutional and regular meetings (that included private-public technical discussions, short, middle and long term compromises and

specific goals to achieve in all matters) with business representatives and government officials to reach agreements about reforms and to develop specific activities about the matter of each agreement. Business representatives were in charge of disseminating information in their organizations, and raising awareness about the program before using mass media. This strategy was chosen because of high media costs and the intention to avoid generating high expectations about the program that it could not fulfill. Press offices of the executing agencies provided support with communication campaign to inform about achievements such as cooperation agreements and the elimination of administrative procedures to attract public attention and maintain the expectations and interest of the participants. Acknowledging the merits and achievements of participating individuals and organizations was important to build trust and commitment. The “Centros de Atención Empresarial” (CAE) adopted a logo and established a unified customer service system with common signals for each center (information, consultation, selfservice, and windows). Communication materials included posters and flyers with information that users needed before and after setting up their business. A manual was used by all call centers assistants and electronic consultations. A web page to provide information about the program was also established. Each executing agency’s website displayed a link to the CAE’s website. At the end of the program, and once the system was in operation, a communication campaign was conducted to inform about improvements and the functioning of the CAE. CAE personnel were trained to know the program, assess their needs, and improve communication with customers. Lessons learned/Success Factors To analyze the impact, development indicators are considered and meetings with participants are held to assess qualitatively how far the project has advanced. Mission visits are conducted on a yearly basis to see if the project meets the standards of the Action Work Plan. According to IDB staff, the project has been a great success. There are very few experts or specialists in communications that have provided support to this project. While there weren’t communication strategies from the get-go, it is recognized that communications is necessary in the long run to sustain the success of the project. Once the project got started, the project’s IDB specialist, in collaboration with others, proposed a plan to identify the institutions at the national and regional level where “buy-in” was necessary to support its goals. Messages need to be repeated and explained as many times as needed. Even when written, official messages were sent, not all people understood them similarly due to professional backgrounds and local realities. Direct communication facilitated unity within the program and, consequently, achieving goals. As many communication channels as possible are need. Channels for direct communication were needed, particularly as in some instances, messages got delayed and were not clearly understood.

CASE STUDY # 7: Project “Quito Historic Center Rehabilitation Program 822/OC-EC” Project Duration: 1994-2003 Executing Agency: “Empresa del Centro Histórico de Quito" Project Cost: US$ 41,000,000 Background/Overview The main goal of the Project is to renovate Quito’s historical center through revitalizing commercial activities, improving the use and maintenance of public and private buildings, and controlling and improving air quality in the city. Communication strategy/What was planned Different communication strategies were planned to deal with three issues. First, communication strategies were implemented to resolve the situation of approximately 7,000 street vendors located in Quito’s historical center. The Project planned to relocate the vendors to twelve newly built and remodeled sites. Through cabildeos, the Project aimed to discuss goals and social issues. The executing agency approached cabildeos as opportunities to explain how the Project intended to improve the quality of life and the potential consequences if urban renovation would fail (e.g. lose its 25-year status in UNESCO’s World Heritage List). Second, the Project needed to change negative perceptions among middle-and upper-middle groups about Quito’s center as a place for shopping and entertainment. Changing perceptions and practices of those socio-economic groups was necessary to make the Project sustainable. Third, the sustainability of the changes also depended on the successful modification of behaviors of citizens who work and live in the Center, particularly, buying from street vendors and garbage disposal. Activities Cabildeos were one of the cornerstones of the communication activities. They were important to meet with vendors to assess plans and needs, discuss several subjects (social inclusion, domestic violence, women’s issues), and provide technical assistance (e.g accounting, planning). Because the relocation of vendors to commercial centers was an extremely sensitive, politically-charged issue, cabildeos were extremely important. The Project met with resistance from some individual vendors, vendors’ organizations, and other interests who were afraid of changes and/or benefited from the status quo. Because vendors were also skeptical about government initiatives, the Project needed to have a technical, apolitical approach to bring stakeholders together. To promote the commercial centers among potential buyers, the Agency considered it necessary to launch marketing activities in the second half of 2003. Activities and messages

were decided in consultation with the vendors. Messages encouraged people to go to the new commercial centers and deterred them from purchasing from street vendors and from littering. A series of high-profile artistic/musical events were organized to show benefits of project and attract different segments of the population to the renovated plazas and streets. Massive attendance offered a golden opportunity to promote the renovations and change perceptions among well-to-do citizens who rarely spent time in the Center. Television messages were also used to reach socio-economic groups who typically reside in the City’s northern neighborhoods. Other communication activities were used to promote upscale restaurants to attract those groups. Segmented communication activities were designed and implemented to encourage the youth to spend more time in the renovated Center. Messages invited them to participate in cultural programs, use bikepaths, and go to discotheques that were designed and built as part of renovation works. Other activities were implemented to reach 11-14 year-old children through the media and school courses on city and the environment. The cultural meanings embedded in messages delivered through different media (commercials, posters, marketing, songs) were particularly interesting. Messages underscored the notion that urban renovation was emotionally linked to national self-esteem. The improvement and protection of historical sites that had been distinguished as world treasures was articulated as a matter of national pride. Also, appealing to deep religious feelings among the population, messages highlighted the religious symbolism of newly improved churches, convents, and plazas. Media relations was another important component of the communication plan in the context of sensitive relations between the city government and the major media organizations. The Project generally had a cordial relationship with the media. It organized a series of meetings with media executives and journalists to share ideas and plans. The media neither outspokenly criticized nor firmly supported the Project. Although it did not frontally oppose it, it failed to express a strong interest in supporting the Project. One of the main communication difficulties was reaching “in-transit” people (e.g. internal migrants). It is speculated that because they are not Quito residents and lack strong feelings of belonging, messages that appeal to city pride and ownership may not be similarly effective among those populations. Lessons learned/Success Factors Although no formal evaluation was conducted of communication activities, planners draw three key lessons. First, the need to establish clear goals about communication needs and plans. The Project counted on a communication team who clearly differentiated target audiences and developed appropriate communication activities and messages. Second, the strategic merit of messages appealing to cultural, unifying values which resonate with different segments of the population. The Project intelligently built its brand/identity as a “cultural” instead of defining itself simply as a “public works” program. In doing so, it framed the project as a cultural endeavor linked to the protection of national identity to counteract perceptions that it was a project dominated by political and sectorial interests.

Third, the importance of interpersonal communication actions to stimulate dialogue and participation and gain the confidence of key stakeholders. Given the specific challenges of the project, large-scale media interventions alone were not sufficient to reach goals successfully. Cabildeos were considered key activities in order to achieve programmatic objectives.

CASE STUDY #8: Project “Public Participation in Management of Electricity Grid in Low-Income Communities, Companhia de Eletricidade do Estado da Bahia (COELBA), Brazil” Project Duration: 1999-present Executing Agency/agencies: Department of Market Management and Department of Energy Inspection, COELBA; NGO Cooperation for Human Living and Development. Project Cost: See below the Project Costs from 1999 to 2003 and the amount approved for 2004 Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total $

Budget 86,806 77,295 135,667 719,226 771,292 1,636,217 3,426,502

Background/Overview The Brazilians Utility companies are obliged to spend annually a minimum amount of 1% of the company’s net operational income on projects that save electrical energy. It started after Coelba´s decided to launch a campaign for the electrification of slum areas in Salvador, Bahia due to the high number of irregular connections and reconnections among low-income communities. The challenge was to reduce commercial and technical energy loss levels. The main objectives are to offer through community agents’ advice to consumers with low-income as to how to use electricity more efficiently. The project has reached 33 communities in Salvador including 100,000 homes and it is expanding in others cities in the State of Bahia. Adopting measures to reduce consumption among low-income consumers it is expected that households learn how to balance their budgets to pay electricity bills through an efficient and safe use of energy, while at the same time, Coelba reduces the Electrical System Load Curve and also reduces the number of connection irregularities. Activities The main channel of communication between the project and the communities are the “COELBA agents.” The NGO establishes the initial contact with the community to inform about the Project and solicit applications from residents to participate as agents. The agents are recruited locally to educate consumers to use electricity efficiently, assess the conditions of electrical connections, propose needed changes, and identify possible irregularities and dangers. Each agent covers 2,000 “consumption units” and visits each one twice a year at a minimum. Ninety percent of the agents are women. Agents introduce the program to residents, and explain energy efficiency, home electricity safety, reducing monthly bills, and

communicating with Coelba, and register people to participate in the raffles of T-shirts, hats, pen, etc. The NGO recruited the agents from each community and they earn a minimum monthly wage income ($ 120.00) for their work. Home visits have different phases. First, agents provide information to consumers, teach electricity safety, put efficient light bulbs, identify electricity waste, distribute written information including “electricity savings tips,” educate consumers about possible dangers, and promote community educational activities. Second, consumers are surveyed to know their opinions and satisfaction with agents’ visits. Third, a series of events are held to disseminate results and provide information through customer service posts and newsletters. Fourth, the community makes demands through the agents related to service registration, provision, payment, and invoice. Five, actions are taken to attend demands. Priority is given to issues that require urgent maintenance, may cause accidents, and put the community in danger. The number of agents has increased from 50 to 100 in 2004. Communication strategy/What was planned The project organized community events to inform communities and projects and train residents. The events were promoted through loudspeakers played a taped speech calling for their participation, Coelba’s jingle, and another song. The project also produced a series of oneminute videos documenting the achievements of the program and featuring testimonies from residents that have aired on television and played in events. Community radio was also used to promote the program, inform about events, and feature Coelba’s specialists to explain different matters from commercial to technical problems related to the distribution lines and metering. A biannual report explaining the project’s goal and achievements has been distributed. Program news has also appeared in Coelba’s institutional newsletter paper to inform commercial branch offices and call center staff. Lessons learned/Success Factors Quantitative evaluations document high satisfaction with the performance of community agents and the program in general. It is possible that the performance of the agents directly contributed to the success of the programs in terms of achieving original goals and integrating more participating communities. Other communication components were not separately evaluated. Contracting an NGO with solid experience in dealing with community leaders and in other social programs is also considered a valuable lesson. The Coelba´s participation in the USAID Public Participation and Understanding (PUP) Energy Symposium produced an attempt to demonstrate the public participation on the distribution line management in areas attended by the Coelba´s Agent Project. It was shown through a paper that analyzes the community requests of dangers situation on the lines using the IAP2, a multistep methodology that differentiates five levels of action that was presented on that Symposium. The paper produced results that aim to clarify the two-way communication process created on the Coelba´s Agent Project between the community and the Agents. The steps are: 1. The community receives information about the problem through the communication strategies adopted by the Project; 2. The community is involved in satisfaction survey to inform the opinion about the Project;

3. The community discusses alternatives and decisions with Agents; 4. They propose actions related to solve their own problems and also the community problems; 5. The final result is that the community authorizes decisions related to those problems.

CASE STUDY # 9: Project “Public and Private Sector Collaboration for the Commercial Marketing of ORS in Honduras” Executing Agency/agencies: Ministry of Health/Academy for Educational Development

Background/Overview Since the late 1970s, Honduras’ Ministry of Health (MOH) advocated the application of communication and social marketing to expand the availability and use of oral rehydration salts (ORS) to control dehydration due to diarrheal disease among children under five. In 1986, a comprehensive program review stimulated interest in extending the local availability of ORS and increasing its use in the home. For several reasons, portions of the poorest segments of society and most in need of services related to diarrheal disease control were not being adequately served through either private or public medical systems. Although many were not seeking help from private physicians or MOH clinics, most mothers whose children had diarrhea did something, expended scarce resources to treat their child’s diarrhea. They used herbal teas; they went to traditional healers (midwives or masseurs called sobadores); they bought over-the-counter remedies including antidiarrheals and purgatives from small retail outlets (puestos de ventas de medicinas and pulperias) that commonly carry a large line of popular medicines. Communication strategy/What was planned Considering that a significant portion of the population at risk for diarrheal disease was not seeking help from either private sector physicians or local Ministry of Health facilities and thus were not receiving information, treatment, or ORS packets, the communication strategy focused on reducing barriers to accessing ORS by facilitating access to the product through more convenient venues. According to the government's 1980 health sector assessment, approximately one-third of the population had reasonable access to MOH facilities and one-third had limited access. The final third had no access. A program was launched to examine characteristics of this target audience, what marketplace would be most hospitable to them, how an ORS product could best be made available to them, and at what price. The Ministry came to the conclusion that if the people could not be brought to the product, the product would have to be brought to the people. The most effective distribution system would most likely be the system of small, popular retail shops, called pulperias, common in rural and urban areas. In addition, pulperias are common in neighborhoods of all social strata and are open more days and hours than MOH facilities. A communication strategy was designed as part of a general strategy that included, the distribution of ORS through existing commercial systems to retail outlets; training of the “sales force” in the benefits of the “new” ORS product; the sale of ORS at a price affordable to caretakers (mostly mothers); and promotional activities to stimulate and increase demand for ORS. Because the expertise needed for such a distribution program lay largely beyond the capabilities of the Ministry of Health, it was suggested to develop collaboration between the MOH and the private commercial sector. The decision to engage the private sector suggested both new

opportunities and new challenges for a national diarrheal disease control effort. From a social marketing perspective, the commercial sector would have much to offer the Ministry of Health to increase the availability of this life-saving product. On the other side, the public sector had equally important resources to offer regarding the training of non-health professionals to inform and motivate mothers to properly use ORS. The MOH had a thorough understanding of the population's health needs and the requirements and attributes of the product. It had extensive experience researching audience perceptions and behaviors and positioning its own ORS product, Litrosol. Moreover, the MOH with international technical assistance proposed taking on the costly and timeconsuming process of research and development (R&D) for the new product. This cost is normally borne by the pharmaceutical industry itself when it wishes to introduce a new product or enter a new market, and the cost is factored into the final purchase price. Activities The team embarked on a three-staged research effort. The first stage, a "pre-feasibility study," took place over four weeks. One objective of the study was to review and analyze existing data and literature on several subjects: the geo-socio-demographic and health characteristics of the country; the status of diarrheal disease and government efforts to control the problem; the community infrastructure and local, practices related to diarrheal disease; and the range of products currently available on the commercial market. Two distinct brands of ORS (Dextrolit and Hidrosol) were marketed, eached aimed at different social strata and bearing different pricing although they were essentially the same product in different packaging. Because there were two different brands, two different promotional strategies were designed and implemented to reach their respective target audiences. And because there were two different distribution networks, two different training systems were set up for product marketers. Pharmaceutical companies traditionally use visitadores medicos, medical visitors or “detailers”, to bring new products to the attention of pharmacists and to inform them of their proper use. Traditionally, popular products are distributed through an independent network that is driven by profit motive. Retailers either buy wholesale or are given a product on consignment. Providing effective information to rural retailers required careful planning and innovative approaches. Part of the training included dissuading the use of purgatives, a popular and dangerous practice to “cleanse” child of contaminants. Both detailers and retailers needed to be convinced that their overall sales would not decrease by shifting their market from the purgative product to the rehydration product. Lessons learned/Success Factors The innovative collaboration between public and private sector represented a “culture clash” between the public and private sector. Intensive investment and facilitation was required to bridge the gaps, and were overcome through patient negotiations and a shared mission to address unnecessary deaths due to diarrhea dehydration. Precise and well-planned formative research allowed for sophisticated audience segmentation, and development of several “brands” of rehydration salts that met the needs of each distinct segment. The higher-priced product aimed at the higher “B” segment of mothers helped to boost overall sales totals, complementing the sales of the lower-priced product aimed at more economically marginal sectors.

A communication strategy developed through the consumer perspective shifted the traditional public sector approach from one of motivating increased demand through education to reducing consumer barriers and creating a more desirable product. This approach brought about increased use of product and overtime, a drop in diarrheal disease morbidity attributable in part, to the new market products. After its introduction in health centers, about 60% of mothers surveyed reported having tried Litrosol at least once. By 1987, a survey in four health regions revealed that 36% of mothers reported using ORS for a child's current case of diarrhea. This degree of success within a short period of time was due in great part to a carefully planned program of integrated mass media, community outreach, and health worker training to promote correct ORS use and related behaviors.

SELECTED RESOURCES in DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION AED - CHANGE, Learn to BEHAVE AED - GREENCOM, SCALE: Sistemas Colaborativos para el Ambiente y la EconomĂa. AED - SARA, An Introduction to Advocacy. AED - HEALTHCOM, Results and Realities: A Decade of Experience in Communication for Child Survival Doug McKenzie-Mohr and William Smith, Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing Judith Graeff and others, Communication for Health and Behavior Change Silvio Waisbord, Family Tree of Theories, Methodologies, and Strategies in Development Communication: Converges and Differences, The Communication Initiative www.comminit.com William A. Smith and others, Controlling AIDS through Health Promotion William A. Smith, Social Marketing: Planning Guide for Program Officers

SAMPLE OF COMMUNICATION BUDGETS Budget 1: Produce booklet, radio program, and video Personnel Project Director (10% time at $xx/month) Project Coordinator (50% time at $xx/month) Support staff (25% time at $xx/month) Benefits

Amount in US$

Consultants Artist (20 drawings at $xx/drawing) Graphic designer (15 days at $xx/day) Translator (3,000 words at $xx/word) Field staff (35 days at $xx/day) Scriptwriter (xx days at $xx/day) Artist (50 drawings at $xx/drawing) Actors (xx days at $xx/day) Technical content reviewers (xx days at $xx/day) Professional audio recording producer (xx days at $xx/day) Professional videographer and sound person (xx days at $xx/day) Field staff (35-70 days at $xx/day) Transportation For training (2 trips x 10 participants at xx/trip) For FGD research (8 trips at $xx/trip) For pretesting (4 rounds at $xx/trip) For evaluation (5 trips at $xx/trip) Per Diem For training (6 days x 10 participants at $xx/day) For FGDs (8 days at $xx/day) For pretesting (20 days at $xx/day) For evaluation (5 days at $xx/day) Training Site (6 days at $xx/day) Pretesting (20 days at $xx/day) Evaluation (5 days at $xx/day) Photocopying Production Printing for booklet (3,000 copies at $xx/copy) Rough-cut radio and video programs Broadcast-quality radio and video programs Rental of professional recording or studio equipment Rental of professional filming studio, if needed

Distribution and Training Mailing or delivery of final product Training costs relating to the use of product Evaluation Developing questionnaires or interview guides Copying and administering the questionnaires and guides Collecting, analyzing, and reporting the results Communication-telephone, Internet access, fax, postage Administrative and Overhead Costs Source: Elizabeth Younger et al, eds., Immunization and child health materials development guide (Bill and Melinda Gates Children's Vaccine Program, PATH: April 2001), pg. 10.

Budget 2: Home visits and radio in support of hand washing intervention, Peru

Ratio Unit A. SALARIES Local Coordinator B. BENEFITS Local Coordinator C. CONSULTANTS Communicator Consultant Project Coordinator Supervisor – Base and Final Assessment Supervisors - Intervention Support - Intervention Quality Control - Base and Final Assessment Investigators – Base and Final Assessment Evaluator Promotors Systems_Proces. and Analysis of Baseline Data Digitizing_Proces. and Analysis of Baseline Data Transcriptions_Proces. and Analysis of Baseline Data Transcriptions_Proces. and Analysis of Baseline Data Systems_Proces. and Analysis of Program Intervention Digitizing_Proces. and Analysis of Program Intervention D. TRAVEL AND TRANSPORATION Technical Staff Ground Transportation Ground Transportation- Thirdy party service fees Technical Staff Lodging Staff Lodging – Third party service fees Technical Staff Per Diem Staff Per Diem – Third party service fees E. OTHER DIRECT COSTS Camping Supplies (back packs,boots, ponchos) Communications School Hand Washing Kit Training Materials (pencils, folders, etc) Radio Soap Opera Production Dissemination G. INDIRECT COSTS TOTAL

Days

Total

/Day

/Day 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 6 2 15 1 4 2 2 1 1

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

/Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day /Day

132 88 154 80 150 150 60 60 60 150 22 15 22 22 22 66

4 11 4 11 4 11

Person Person Person Person Person Person

/ Trip / Trip /Day /Day /Day /Day

144.00 144.00 36.00 16.20 43.20 18.00

6 / Month 6 / Month 150 / Person 6 / Month

1,553.00 879.00 36.00 1,855.00

9 /Chapter 4,165.00 9 /Chapter 400.00 -

Source: The CHANGE Project, AED

Budget 3 Awareness Campaigns in Three Countries in Central America The total estimated cost of the Project is $150,000 and will be financed by the Bank with nonreimburseable funds from the net income of the Fund for Special Operations (FOE). The local couterpart contribution is estimated at $15,000 and will be an in-kind donation. The Bank will finance: (i) hiring of consultants; (ii) development, production and dissemination of project materials, and; (iii) technical workshops required to develop the project. The local counterpart will provide in-kind logistical and administrative support for the technical workshops. The funds will be allocated according to the following budget: COSTS Budget Categories Component I (3 months) 1. Analysis and Preparation of Project Design (consultant @ US$300 daily rate/45 days; and 3 trips @ US$1,500) 2. Technical workshop(s) Component II (9 months) Subcomponent A: 1. Production and Pre-trial of Audiovisual Materials 2. Communications Media Packets (contract local implementing agencies: 3 @ US$6,000 per agency) 3. Preparation of Materials (consultant @US$300 daily rate/45 days) Subcomponent B: 1. Implementation of Awareness Campaigns (3 local implementing agencies @ US$10,000 per agency and contribution from government entities) Subcomponent C: 1. Production & Dissemination of the Regional Toolkit (in Spanish and English) Administration and Coordination Support 1. Campaign Coordinator (consultant @ US$300 daily rate/100 days; 3 trips @US$1,500) 2. Logistical and Administrative Support External Review (consultant @ $300 daily rate/10 days) Contingencies Total

Bank

Local Regional Country

Total 34,000

18,000 10,000

3,000

3,000 81,500

15,000 18,000 13,500 30,000 5,000 43,500 3,.500 6,000

3,000

3,000 3,000 150,000

3,000 3,000 9,000

6,000

165,000

Source: IDB, Campaign: Disaster Prevention and Risk Management in Central American Municipalities, ATN/SF8564RG

Terms of Reference to Contract Consultants to Design the Communication Strategy Sections 1. Project background 2. Goals of communication plan 3. Tasks a. Review and analyze secondary information relevant to the project b. Identify stakeholders and beneficiaries, and analyze their opinions and positions on the issues affected by the project c. Design a communication plan including approaches, audiences, messages, channels and evaluation d. Assess the communication capacity of executing agency e. Maintain regular communication with executing agency through monthly reports and electronic communication 4. Requirements a. Years of expertise in communication planning and technical assistance b. Years of expertise in the technical area c. Broad competencies in different communication strategies 5. Deliverables a. Communication needs report b. Stakeholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; positions report c. Communication plan (including creative brief, activities/strategies, media plan, timeline, budget) 6. Evaluation Criteria a. b. c. d. e.

Understanding of the goals of the project Understanding of the communication needs of the project Expertise in communication design and planning Technical expertise in the sector Experience working with relevant stakeholders/geographical area

10 points 30 points 30 points 20 points 10 points

Terms of Reference to Contract Consultants to Implement and Evaluate Communication Plan Sections 1. Project background and communication goals 2. Description of the communication plan 3. Tasks a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

Manage the implementation of communication intervention Develop and conduct monitoring and evaluation plan Develop/refine communication brief Develop and test messages Plan and hold media events Produce materials (brochures, spots, etc.) Buy media space Maintain regular communication with executing agency

4. Requirements a. Years of expertise in communication implementation b. Expertise in media relations c. Expertise in planning and conducting advocacy d. Expertise in materials production e. Expertise in media buys 5. Deliverables a. Implementation plan b. Monthly report of activities c. Communication materials d. Monitoring report e. Evaluation report 6. Evaluation Criteria a. Understanding of the communication plan b. Expertise in media relations c. Expertise in advocacy d. Quality of monitoring and evaluation plan e. Strategic quality of proposed materials f. Expertise in the technical sector

10 points 20 points 20 points 20 points 20 points 10 points