Strategic Communication for Social Change
Assessment Brief Details Module Title: Strategic Communication for Social Change Module Leader: Philip Young Credit Value: 20 Module Code: MED7326 Occurrence: A Academic Year: 2023/4 Semester: S2 Assessment No.: 2 This Assessment accounts for 30% of the overall assessment for the module. Assessment Title Communications Challenge Core Task You must identify a specific communications challenge faced by a named social change organisation. It is likely, but not obligatory, that the same organisation will be the focus for both the case study and the challenge proposal. Examples of suitable challenges might be difficulties in reaching a particular target audience, reputational challenges that hinder effectiveness, unappealing messaging and terminology, etc. Again, it is likely that the issue will have emerged from the critical analysis included in assignment one, the case study report. Acting as either an in-house PR or an account executive for a PR Agency you must devise strategies and tactics that will address the identified challenge. You will do this in a professionally produced document that can be presented to the client or senior management of your organisation. This is not an essay and should not be presented as such. This client-facing document will briefly set the context, identify the issue, summarise relevant research, and give a clear rationale for the approach you are suggesting. Although you need to source any statistics or sector information this document is not likely to include academic references. There is no word count for this assignment but the document should be between 10 and 12 pages long, in A4 size and designed to be professional and persuasive. Where to find additional guidance for this task The assessment will be discussed in class on several occasions and examples of previous submissions will be made available on Moodle. Submission date 09/05/2024 Submission details The submission deadline is 3pm, on the submission date. Upload to Moodle in PDF or Word format. You must also include a coversheet in your submission. Feedback date 07/06/2024 2 Marking Criteria 1. Learning Outcome: Devise and present a persuasive proposal for addressing a strategic communications challenge. Criterion 1 (weighting 100%) 0%-29% 30%-39% 40%-49% 50%-59% 60%-69% 70%-79% 80%-89% 90%-100% Proposal based on inadequate research, little or no identification of key issues, unimaginative and unrealistic recommendatio ns. The client organisation would not adopt these recommendatio ns Proposal based on inadequate research, flawed identification of key issues, unimaginative and unrealistic recommendatio ns, highly unlikely to be adopted by client organisation Proposal based on rudimentary research, weak identification of key issues, limited recommendatio ns, unlikely to be adopted by client Proposal based on adequate research, efficient identification of key issues, effective recommendatio ns with potential to be adopted by client Proposal based on thorough research, effective identification of key issues, imaginative and insightful recommendatio ns that would meet expectations of the client Proposal based on meticulous research, highly effective identification of key issues, imaginative and creative, insightful recommendatio ns that would more than meet expectations of the client Proposal based on outstanding research, highly creative and realistic identification of key issues, leading to creative insightful and implementable recommendatio ns that would exceed the expectations of the client Proposal based on outstanding and imaginative research, highly creative, professional and highly realistic identification of key issues, leading to creative insightful and implementable recommendatio ns that would exceed the expectations of the client Re-submission Assessment Brief (ONLY required if you fail the Assessment Brief above) You should contact your Module Tutor before attempting this re-submission Assessment Brief Assessment Title Communications Challenge Core Task You must identify a specific communications challenge faced by a named social change organisation. It is likely, but not obligatory, that the same organisation will be the focus for both the case study and the challenge proposal. Examples of suitable challenges might be difficulties in reaching a particular target audience, reputational challenges that hinder effectiveness, unappealing messaging and terminology, etc. Again, it is likely that the issue will have emerged from the critical analysis included in assignment one, the case study report. Acting as either an in-house PR or an account executive for a PR Agency you must devise strategies and tactics that will address the identified challenge. You will do this in a professionally produced document that can be presented to the client or senior management of your organisation. This document will briefly set the context, identify the issue, summarise relevant research, and give a clear rationale for the approach you are suggesting. Although you need to source any statistics or sector information this document is not likely to include academic references. There is no word count for this assignment but the document should be between 8 and 12 pages long, in A4 size and designed to be professional and persuasive. Where to find additional guidance for this task The assessment will be discussed in class on several occasions and examples of previous submissions will be made available on Moodle. Re-Submission date: 13/07/2023 Re-Submission details The submission deadline is 3pm, on the submission date. Upload to Moodle in PDF or Word format. You must also include a coversheet in your submission. Feedback date: 10/08/2023 5 Assessment Coversheet and Feedback Form Faculty of Arts Design and Media School of Media Complete the details marked in the coloured text and leave everything else blank. Where appropriate, copy and paste your submission after the first pages as indicated.You are reminded of the University regulations on cheating. Except where the assessment is group-based, the final piece of work which is submitted must be your own work. Close similarity between submissions is likely to lead to an investigation for cheating. You must submit a file in an MSWord or equivalent format as tutors will use MSWord to provide feedback including, where appropriate, annotations in the text. Student Name Reasonable Adjustments Student Number Course and Year MA Public Relations Module Code MED7326 Module Title Strategic Communication for Social Change Module Tutor Philip Young Personal Tutor Philip Young First Marker Name: Philip Young Check this box [x] if the Faculty has notified you that you are eligible for a Reasonable Adjustment (including additional time) in relation to the marking of this assessment. Please note that action may be taken under the University’s Student Disciplinary Procedure against any student making a false claim for Reasonable Adjustments. First Marker Signature: Date: 6 June 23 Feedback: General comments on the quality of the work, its successes and where it could be improved This is a strong proposal but it is quite broad. It might have been better to concentrate much more closely on reaching one of the stakeholder groups. As you mention, the different socioeconomic groupings use differing platforms and channels, so identify one group and make a detailed proposal. For example, you advocate partnering with media house, but which stakeholder group would this help you to connect with – potential donors, or people with very little resource who might need to know more about certain medical conditions. The points you make about language are also important – how would you reach non-English speakers? Here, word of mouth might be good, so how about an ambassador programme? It might have been good to think more about who would be seen as a trusted source for medical information, especially those whose thoughts are not necessarily guided by science. You might be right to concentrate on Facebook, but just because it has more users than other platform doesn’t mean it has more of the people you want to talk to. More research needed. Provisional Uncapped MarkMarks will be capped if this was a late submission or resit assessment and may be moderated up or down by the examination board. 65% Feed Forward:How to apply the feedback to future submissions Always end a presentation or proposal with a conclusion – sum up the key points you were trying to make. Moderation Comments (Please note that moderation is carried out through ‘sampling’. If this section is left blank, your work is not part of the sample.) Moderation is done via sampling. Your work was not part of the sample. Moderator Name: Moderator Signature: Date: 1 Marking Criteria – Please study this page carefully Criterion 2 LO2 Mark:30pc 0 – 39% Fail 40 – 49% Fail 50 – 59% Pass 60 – 69% Strong Pass (merit) 70 – 79% 80 – 100% Very Strong Exceptionally Pass Strong Pass (distinction) (distinction) Challenge proposal: Interesting and relevant topic, identification of effective strategy and appropriate messaging Proposal based on inadequate research, flawed identification of key issues, unimaginative and unrealistic recommendations, highly unlikely to be adopted by client organisation Proposal based on rudimentary research, weak identification of key issues, limited recommendations, unlikely to be adopted by client Proposal based on adequate research, efficient identification of key issues, effective recommendations with potential to be adopted by client Proposal based on thorough research, effective identification of key issues, imaginative and insightful recommendation s that would meet expectations of the client Proposal based on meticulous research, highly effective identification of key issues, imaginative and creative, insightful recommendations that would more than meet expectations of the client Proposal based on outstanding research, highly creative and realistic identification of key issues, leading to creative insightful and implementable recommendations that would exceed the expectations of the client Challenge Proposal by UPCLOSE For The 100k Club COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE: MISMATCH BETWEEN COMMUNICATION MEDIUM AND TARGET AUDIENCE. 2 WHO ARE WE? We are UPCLOSE, a firm committed to providing outstanding PR and Communications services. We believe in building long-term relationships with our clients, based on trust, transparency, and mutual respect. For over a decade, we have consistently and successfully delivered exceptional results to our clients in various industries including healthcare, technology, finance, and fashion. With offices in Nigeria (Abuja), the United Kingdom (London), and Canada (Toronto), we are able to work closely with our clients to understand their unique needs and develop customised and attainable solutions that align with their business objectives. We also boast of our team of experienced professionals with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in public relations, corporate communications, media relations, crisis management, and social media. We operate a 50% refund policy should our clients be dissatisfied with our services. However, in over a decade in operation, we have made 0 refund. So be rest assured that your brand is safe with us. 3 WHO ARE YOU? A non-profit organisation founded in 2020 for the purpose of improving and increasing access to health care for underprivileged or uninsured Nigerians with chronic and rare medical conditions. Services since 2020 include: • Actively raising funds for medical expenses and emergencies of underprivileged Nigerians. • Conducting outreaches to provide medical services (including breast, cervical and prostate cancer screening and treatment services, malaria testing and treatment) • Coordinating blood donations. AIM Eliminate health poverty in Nigeria and Africa. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES • To pay poor Nigerians’ medical expenses, ensuring that they have quality access to healthcare. • To ensure early disease detection and treatment in underserved communities. • To provide health education to both uneducated and educated Nigerians so that they are no longer in the dark about their health. FINDINGS Health Situation in Nigeria • Healthcare in Nigeria is one of the poorest in the world, as evidence ranked Nigeria 187 out of 195 countries according to the 2018 Health access quality (HAQ) index. 4 Other evidences that confirm the poor healthcare system in Nigeria are shown in figure and graph below: ➢ Life expectancy at birth in Nigeria is 54.7 years – lower than West Africa average of 57.9 and Africa average of 63.2. ➢ Infant (birth to 1 year of age) mortality (per 1000 live births) in Nigeria is 71. ➢ Under five (birth to 5 years of age) mortality (per 1000 live births) in Nigeria is 97.6 – higher than West Africa average of 87.5 and Africa average of 68.0. ➢ Probability between dying between ages 15 and 60 in Nigeria is 343.1 – higher than West Africa average of 301.2 and Africa average of 243.0. • Life Expectancy in West African Countries 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 The poor health has been attributed to various factors especially low budget allocation, which has consistently remained below 5%, below WHO recommendation of 15% and less than several other countries in the same region and of comparable income. ➢ 2022 health budget was 4.3% of total budget amounting to about N3,453 per capita. An amount that is incapable of providing access to health care for anyone (rich or poor). • As a result of poor funding, healthcare in Nigeria is mostly individually funded. ➢ Out of pocket payment for healthcare in Nigeria is over 71% – one of the highest in the world. • With more than half of the citizens living below the poverty line (average Nigerian lives below $1.90 daily) and quality healthcare that comes at a high financial cost in Nigeria, the poor (majority of Nigerians) are unable to afford healthcare ➢ Most persons either end up forfeiting healthcare completely, delay seeking healthcare, or utilise quacks. 5 Traditional Media • Although internet access is growing rapidly, radio, TV, and Print media remain the most predominant source of news among Nigerians. • Compared to 47% who use the internet at least once a week, 83% watch TV and 82% listen to one or more radio stations at least once a week. • Middle-class (34%) Nigerians use television and radio as their predominant source of information, whereas those living below poverty line (underprivileged Nigerians) mostly use radio. Word of Mouth • To reach marginalised and underprivileged populations, it is important to gain their trust. • One of the fastest ways to gain trust and penetrate underprivileged populations is through collaborating with an existing public figure that is widely respected in the community such as religious leaders, traditional leaders etc. • In Nigeria, traditional and religious leaders are considered influencers and role models, able to significantly communicate information (including health information) and influence attitudes and beliefs among members of their communities, because they are the closest to them. • Traditional and religious leaders in Sokoto, a northern Nigerian state, were able to influence the acceptance of chlorhexidine gel use for new-borns’ umbilical cord care, which has resulted in a significant reduction in neonatal mortality in the state. • Traditional and Religious leaders were also able to persuade parents to allow their children get immunised against polio, which resulted in improved polio immunisation coverage in Nigeria. • Also because traditional and religious leaders are close to their community members, they are most likely to be the first to learn of their problems (including health related problems). Social Media • Awareness and use of social media platforms are much lower among older, less educated Nigerians and Nigerians living below the poverty line (which is 60%). 6 • A 2022 statista report shows that about 28 million Nigerians are active Facebook users, making Facebook the second most common social media platform used in Nigeria after WhatsApp. • Twitter users in Nigeria as at 2022 are estimated to be around 5.1 million, making it the fifth most commonly used social media platform in Nigeria. • Founders of NGOs in Nigeria revealed that Facebook was the most effective platform for raising awareness about their NGOs and their projects and resulted in the most engagements on posts as well as helped in fund raising. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH 1. The NGO has a fair online presence (8,619 followers on Twitter) 2. Twitter is a cost effective communication platform – little to no cost is required to reach a wide audience. 3. Access to wider audience (national and international), which is beneficial for fundraising and donations. WEAKNESS The underpriviledged Nigerians who are the actual target audience of the NGO are most likely unable to afford smartphones, internet services or are completely unaware of Twitter; thus limiting the NGO’s ability to engage with its intended audience. OPPORTUNITIES 1. Traditional media (Print media, TV, Audio) has potential in helping the NGO reach its intended audience (underprivileged Nigerians). 2. Leveraging word of mouth as a communication strategy with the help of community leaders will also help the NGO reach its intended audience. 3. Leveraging the large audience on Facebook will help the organisation reach more persons. THREATS Insufficient funds may limit the NGO’s ability to fully take advantage of the potential of other communication strategies (traditional media, community leaders etc). 7 RECOMMENDATION While the 100K Club has made tremendous progress through its outreach and programs, the findings in this report show that the NGO has most likely not reached its target audience. This is because it primarily uses Twitter to communicate all of its campaigns, outreaches, and so on, while the intended audience (underprivileged Nigerians) primarily uses other communication mediums (traditional media – TV, radio, newspapers) as their source of information, making it very unlikely that they will come across information passed by the 100K Club. Furthermore, the social media site mostly used by the 100K Club is the fifth most popular social media platform among Nigerians, as compared to Facebook, which is the second most popular social media platform. This mismatch between communication medium used and the intended audience of the NGO may hinder the achievement of key objectives of the NGO which include: • Improving access to healthcare among underprivileged Nigerians. • Ensuring early disease detection and treatment in underserved communities (usually done through outreaches). • Providing health education to both uneducated and educated Nigerians so that they are no longer in the dark about their health. In order to resolve this challenge of mismatch between communication medium used and the intended audience, UPCLOSE recommends the following strategies and tactics: Strategy 1: Leverage Word of Mouth as a communication strategy Tactics i. Identify and collaborate with local community leaders – Religious leaders, traditional leaders, and leaders in market places: Collaborate with community leaders in areas that are neglected, as well as markets and churches. The goal of this collaboration is to use their influence in their communities and establish rapport and trust in those areas. To guarantee that the collaboration’s goal (improving healthcare access and healthy living among underprivileged Nigerians) is met and that miscommunications are avoided, it is critical that these community leaders be adequately trained. Training community leaders would enable them to have adequate understanding about specific health issues, communicate trustworthy and adequate information, and effectively influence members of their communities. After these community leaders have been trained, they can be utilised to convey important information about the 100K Club with their community members – such as forthcoming outreaches – and to encourage their community members to take advantage of healthcare services provided by the 100K Club, such as cancer screenings. Community leaders will 8 also assist in educating their neighbours about healthy living and the significance of obtaining medical attention, especially in the event of communication barrier (i.e for individuals who do not understand English language). Finally, with the support of community leaders, the 100K Club will be able to build awareness about its organisation at the grassroots level, and most significantly, healthcare access among underprivileged Nigerians will be increased. ii. Host events specifically in underserved communities: Determine the places with the greatest need for medical services and hold health events there. To particularly meet its target audience, the 100K Club can pinpoint communities, such as those in Lagos state, where the majority of its outreaches have taken place. Once those regions have been identified, programs such as free medical exams, consultations, and treatments can be held there, allowing members of those communities to receive health care services who would otherwise be unable to afford them due to financial restrictions. The audience should also be informed of the medical services given by the organisation in these programs, and anecdotes of former benefactors of the institution can be recounted to raise awareness about the organisation. Strategy 2: Leverage traditional media e.g., Radio, TV and Print media Tactics i. Identify and partner with popular traditional media houses: The 100K Club can identify popular radio stations in Nigeria, such as Wazobia FM (95.1), Cool FM (96.9), Beat FM (99.9), Raypower (100.5), and others, and collaborate with them to feature its campaigns, announce upcoming outreaches, educate the public about health-related issues, inform the public about the services it provides, and raise funds to support its activities. To increase the validity of the exercise and the organisation, the group’s founder should deliver some of the health speeches and discuss the organisation’s accomplishments. As done with the radio stations, the organisation should also identify and partner with popular TV stations and print media houses to reach a wider audience. The 100K Club should also consider the multi-ethnic nature of Nigeria and the fact that there will be people who do not understand English when using these traditional mediums to communicate with its audience, then make sure to translate the messages being passed into multiple languages; this would improve the tactic’s effectiveness. ii. Billboards are another classic medium that may be used to guarantee that the organisation reaches its target audience. Advertisements about the organisation, its events 9 etc can be posted on billboards in strategic areas throughout cities where the organisation desires to conduct its operations. This will help the organisation gain more visibility. Strategy 3: Expand its social media presence Tactics i. Take advantage of the large audience on Facebook: Reports show that Facebook is currently the second most used social media platform in Nigeria, with about 28 million Nigerians being active users. Facebook has more Nigerian users compared to Twitter which is the 5th most used social media platform in Nigeria and which the 100K Club currently focuses on for its communications. The 100K Club should thus, in addition to its Twitter account, place focus on its Facebook account. The founder of the 100K Club frequently posts short videos where he explains health issues, gives advice on certain health issues or solicits for funds for the organisation’s objectives on his personal page on Twitter, and on YouTube. These videos are usually entertaining as well as educative and can be posted on the NGO’s Facebook page to improve engagement. The contents posted on the Facebook page can also be quality images of past events of the organisation, videos of their past outreaches etc. Questions can also be asked every now and then to stimulate interactions with the audience, and the organisation should ensure to respond to comments to maintain engagement. Analytical tools such as Facebook Page Insights, Hootsuite Analytics can also be used to get detailed insight into 100K Club’s audience. This would help the organisation know the demographics of its audience including age, gender, location, and language, which the organisation can then exploit to better engage with its audience; such as what time they would be mostly active on Facebook. Additionally, the organisation can use Facebook ads to reach new audiences, increase visibility of its contents and increase awareness about its affairs as well as raise funds. 10 REFERENCES Who are you? Aproko Doctor (2022). Home. Available: https://aprokodoctor.com/ (Accessed 24th April 2023). Health Situation in Nigeria Abah, V. O. (2022). Poor Health Care Access in Nigeria: A Function of Fundamental Misconceptions and Misconstruction of the Health System. Available: th https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/84695#B19 (Accessed 5 May 2023). Atobatele, S., Omeje, O., Ayodeji, O., Oisagbai, F. and Sampson, S. (2022) Situational Analysis of Access to Essential Healthcare Services in Nigeria: Implication for Trans-Sectorial Policy Considerations in Addressing Health Inequities. Health, 14, pp. 553-575. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2022.145041 Chukwudozie, A. (2015). Inequalities in Health: The Role of Health Insurance in Nigeria. J Public Health Afr, 6(1), pp. 512. https://doi.org/10.4081%2Fjphia.2015.512 Odubola, I. (2018). Nigeria’s health care system ranks 187th globally. Available: https://businessday.ng/health/article/nigerias-health-care-system-ranks-187th-globally/ (Accessed 5th May 2023). Omoleke, I. I. and Taleat, B. A. (2018). Contemporary issues and challenges of health sector in Nigeria. Research Journal of Health Sciences, 5(4), pp. 210–216. https://doi.org/10.4314/rejhs.v5i4.5 The World Bank (2022). Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) – Nigeria. Available: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN?locations=NG (Accessed 5th May 2023). United Nations (2020). World Mortality 2019: Highlights. Available: https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/files/docu ments/2020/Jan/wmr2019_highlights.pdf (Accessed 5th May 2023). Traditional Media Adeyemo, T. and Roper, C. (2022). Nigeria. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2022/nigeria (Accessed 2023). Available: 5th May Akindele-Afolabi, A. (2019). The role of media in financial literacy and poverty eradication in Nigeria. Available: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/202007/Adesola%20Reuters%20Institute%20Fellowship%20Paper%20Final.pdf (Accessed 5th May 2023). Broadcasting Board of Governors (2022). Contemporary Media Use in Nigeria. Available: https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/media/2014/05/Nigeria-research-brief.pdf (Accessed 5th May 2023). Githaiga, C., Osuocha, M and Lawani, A. (2022). Unmasking the Naija lifestyle. Available: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/publication/documents/2019-06/nigeria-briefingunmasking-the-naija-lifestyle.pdf (Accessed 5th May 2023). 11 Word of Mouth Nigeria Health Watch (2019). How Community Leaders are Changing Maternal Health Outcomes in Northern Nigeria. Available: https://articles.nigeriahealthwatch.com/how-community-leadersare-changing-maternal-health-outcomes-in-northern-nigeria/ (Accessed 5th May 2023). Stonewall, J., Fjelstad, K., Dorneich, M., Shenk, L., Krejci, C. and Passe, U. (2017). Best Practices for Engaging Underserved Populations. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 61, pp.130-134. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213601516 Social Media Sasu, D. D. (2023). Distribution of Facebook users in Nigeria as of December 2022, by age group. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1028428/facebook-user-share-in-nigeria-by-age/ (Accessed 5th May 2023). Sasu, D. D. (2023). Number of Twitter users in Nigeria potentially reachable with advertising from 2020 to 2022. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1325514/number-of-potential-twitteradvertising-audience-in-nigeria/ (Accessed 5th May 2023). Sam-Jaja, B. P. (2021). Communication Strategies for the Promotion of Non-Govermental Organizations Activities in Nigeria (A Study of Four NGOs). Available: http://ir.mtu.edu.ng/jspui/bitstream/123456789/477/1/sam-jaja%20full%20project.pdf (Accessed 5th May 2023). 12
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