Communication strategies for development agencies

1. UNICEF UK
CASE STUDY
Coupling celebrity with information and communication
technologies to gain awareness of your causes

2. UNICEF UK
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for
the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand
their opportunities to reach their full potential.
UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries,
particularly developing countries, ensure a "first call for children" and to build their
capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their
families.

3. WHY COMMUNICATE?
 Increased public awareness determines the effectiveness and
success of any development agency.
 Methods and strategies may vary but successful organizations
integrate their message into mainstream information systems
where the public already meet and develop social experiences
 UNICEF UK’s communication model uses strategies that
effectively build public awareness.
 This presentation proposes a course of action based on UNICEF
UK communication strategies to improve development agencies’
ability to effectively raise public awareness.
 For more detailed information supporting this proposal, please
refer to the hard copy of the UNICEF UK Case Study report.

4. TOM HIDDLESTON AND UNICEF UK
 British actor Tom Hiddleston’s
2013 trip to Guinea raised
211% of its fundraising goal
through online donations
 Hiddleston and UNICEF UK
used their social media to
raise awareness and generate
donations
 Hiddleston’s numbers:
 143,000+ Facebook fans
 441,000+ Twitter followers
 Total raised to date =
£30,700+

5. HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?
Recommendations for use of social media and celebrity endorsement

6. WHY SOCIAL MEDIA?
 Provides a channel for
targeted communications to
younger audiences
 Is free to sign up
 Many are already using it
 You are accessing
audiences where they spend
a great deal of time – online
and in social spaces
 Because it’s social, people
share and spread message

7. SOCIAL MEDIA: KEY
PLAYERS
Facebook:
1 billion users worldwide,
Facebook is the most
powerful social network with
the most reach
However, some countries
such as Russia and China
are not high users. It’s
crucial you do your
research

8. SOCIAL MEDIA: KEY
PLAYERS
Twitter:
1 in 5 Twitter users are
from the US
US 50.99 %
UK 17.09
AUS 4.09
Brazil 3.44
Canada 2.92
India 2.87

9. STARTING YOUR SOCIAL
MEDIA PRESENCE
Facebook: Twitter:
Set up organizational Facebook Set up organizational Twitter
page account
Leverage celebrity’s own social Access celebrity’s followers in
media accounts by posting from having him/her tweet and re-tweet
each and sharing messages to fan base
Use apps to allow for direct Ensure tweets are packed with
donations value by sharing photos of
celebrity doing work, pointing to
organization’s website links or
news, and using hashtags to
optimize search
“Brand” your hashtags

11. PROS AND CONS OF
CELEBRITY PARTNERSHIP
 Connecting celebrity brand  Critics argue that celebrity
to humanitarian causes is a status may eclipse and
profitable strategy – fame oversimplify the real
generates recognition and complexities behind
support for causes that humanitarian causes, and
would otherwise be merely generating donor
neglected by the public support via celebrity status
neglects the underlying
causes of poverty and
malnutrition and creates a
sort of “beggar’s mentality.”

12. CREATING THE RIGHT
PARTNERSHIP
 Ensure the celebrity is
passionate about your cause
not seeking additional fame
 Partners with a celebrity to tap
into their existing fan base who
might not know about your
organization
 Choose a celebrity that
already has a large social
media following
 Educate the celebrity in your
organization and cause and
give them a channel to publish
material jointly

13. DURING THE CAMPAIGN
 Provide branded gear
 Share social media
connections (retweet and like
each other’s statuses)
 Ensure the celebrity posts in
their own authentic voice (fans
can spot a fake)
 Post updates often to keep on
top of feeds and ensure there
are a lot of photographs
 Add personal anecdotes and
behind the scenes features (to
lure in their fan base and build
connections)

14. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN
 Measure donations and fan engagement though social
media monitoring
 Keep the donation applications open as long as you are
successful
 Don’t hesitate to continue the partnership with the
celebrity long after your campaign has wrapped

15. TO SUM UP
 Increase public awareness for your cause by integrating your
message into a channel where the public already meet
 Social media is free with a worldwide reach. It’s a perfect channel
to reach your target audience
 Coupling celebrity partnerships with humanitarian causes is a
proven strategy for UNICEF UK
 Every communication strategy has its pros and cons. Mitigate the
potential cons by ensuring celebrity partners are passionate about
your cause and your principles

16. TO SUM UP
 For more information on UNICEF UK, visit:
http://www.unicef.org.uk/UNICEFs-Work/Our-mission/

17. COMM415: Team
Tracy
Renee
Meghan
Kelsey
Aminah