Many times we limit communication to an article in the newspaper or a video on social networks, generally, in a one-way message to a more or less segmented audience. In this way, there are many opportunities that we leave aside to expand the reach, engagement and, ultimately, the success of the campaigns or projects that we communicate.
An article or a video, as I mentioned before, are communication products. In addition to being carried out with good quality standards, these can have a greater impact if they are part of a specific communication strategy. Working on communication with a strategic perspective implies that we have previous context, media and audience data to define the objectives, the narrative and the actions to be carried out assertively. While we plan, we also define what will be a successful outcome through indicators and follow-up actions for the aspects of each communication that we are interested in evaluating.
Developing strategic communication is beneficial for all types of organizations, since it will always expand their potential to achieve their objectives. Even when these are development or humanitarian assistance objectives; Communication plays a key role in raising awareness, involving the parties and achieving positive social changes.
Strategic communication can ensure the active participation of vulnerable or minority groups, as well as the recognition of their ideas for the design of new projects. Since 1980, communication for development (C4D) has been developed, a methodological process that involves understanding people, their beliefs, values, and the social and cultural norms that shape their lives. Through participatory approaches, community engagement, empowerment and social change are encouraged.
Communication around development issues can have different levels of impact. The application of the C4D methodology usually points to long-term change that accompanies programmatic development or public policy projects. While campaigns to create awareness often focus on disseminating narratives that provide visibility and recognition to certain causes with short and medium-term objectives.
Strategic communication is important at all levels of communication and impact, a clear example is the communication of migration, a topic that has been communicated controversially at a global level in recent years. On several occasions the media or other actors use negative, sensationalist terms that are foreign to the local reality of the migrant population, affirming prejudices and exclusionary attitudes associated with them. But, as the book that I will present to you below exposes, communicating reliable information with narratives based on human rights promotes inclusion and a better life in society.
The book “A better world for the migrant population in Latin America and the Caribbean”, the product of joint research between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), applied a series of experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of different communication campaigns in nine countries in the region: Barbados, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.
The experiments were carried out based on two videos: one with information on the impacts of migration; and another of an emotional nature with the purpose of generating empathy with migrants. From these videos, the effectiveness of these types of interventions was explored, concluding that in general exposure to the videos modifies the attitude of those who have not adopted a very negative stance towards the migrant population, and that the effectiveness of the videos varies. between countries.
“Neither video has a significant effect in Barbados, Chile or Trinidad and Tobago. In Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru only the informative video has effect. In Ecuador the two videos are equally effective. And in Colombia and the Dominican Republic the two videos are effective, but the informational video has a greater effect.” This research shows the relevance of context and audience in determining the impact of a communication product. Also the variation of narrative and format to be used, since, as in this example, one format (video) may not be effective in all contexts.
So, it is much more than a video: it is the information that is previously collected, it is how much the audience is known, how much the community is involved, what narrative is used, what media is chosen and how it is evaluated. Having information and thinking about the implementation of each communication will increase the chances of success and expanding the positive impact that each product can generate, in the field of development as much as in any other.
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