
Nigeria Toolkit: Demand Generation
Adapt and Air Media Spots
What is it?

© 2010 Bonnie Gillespie, Courtesy of Photoshare
Building off on the successful brand of NURHI’s “Get it Together” campaign, TCI worked with States to adapt and air TV and radio spots in Ogun and Kano States. This has led to improved exposure to FP messages in those two States as well as neighboring Bauchi. Findings from Ogun revealed that about three-quarters of women reported that they had heard information on family planning on radio. More than 5% of the respondents reported that they had heard about the radio drama, while more than 20% of the respondents reported to have heard the radio spots in the two states. As a result, TCI’s focus in the other States is to provide support to the SBCC Committee members to adapt and air the radio spots, which will still achieve scale and reach and yet be more cost-effective.
Why is it important?
- Creatively engages the audience through a commonly used media channel
- Significantly increases exposure to family planning messages
- Has the potential to reach large audiences
- Can help address myths and misconceptions about family planning by providing factual information
- Starts a conversation about family planning at the household and community levels
- Can be instrumental in generating demand for family planning services
What are the steps for implementing this approach?
Step 1: Introduce States to the intervention
Review the NURHI-produced “Get it Together” campaign and media spots, the creative brief and research that went into its development as well as the results from the campaign, including early results from TCI-supported States: Ogun and Kano.
The media spots are presented to the State DG team for preview during which they are briefed on the research behind the NURHI ”Get it Together” Campaign.
Step 2: Conduct one-day training
In preparation for the pretest, a one-day training is conducted for the pretest team which include the State Ministry of Health/Primary Health Care Development Agency officials.
Step 3: Pretest & Adapt Media Spots to be State-specific
TCI engages States in pretesting the existing media spots, specifically focusing on five key areas:
- Comprehension
- Attractiveness
- Acceptance
- Involvement
- Whether the material/activity induces action
The adaptations have mainly related to elements of the written and spoken word to:
- Determine whether the language and terms used are appropriate to the audience’s literacy level/ reading levels.
- Review text, narratives and captions for content accuracy, quantity of information and clear presentation of concepts, including whether they are presented in logical order.
- Determine whether wording is used appropriately and if it addresses the audience’s behavioral and socio-cultural barriers to change.
- Examine culture-specific statements and local idioms used; consider whether they are in the preferred language of the audience and used in the right context.
- Determine whether text complements visuals used (and not compete with it).
- Find out if the messages and the people communicating the messages are relevant, credible and attractive to the audience.
In most cases, the main adaptations relate to the translation, language and credits. However, in some States, more elaborate adaptations have been made to be socio-culturally acceptable.
See the Get It Together spots in Pidgin, Hausa and Yoruba for some examples of adaptations.
In the near future, TCI will be building state capacity to identify their targeted audience knowledge gaps related to family planning, so that the SBCC Committee can develop its own messages and materials.
Step 4: Air and Monitor Media Spots
Although States can receive discounts and bonuses from State-owned media stations, the stations are mandated to generate revenue. So, government is a customer to them as well. As a result, media agencies that already have relationships and discounted rates with a variety of media stations may be more cost-effective to pursue for airing spots. TCI supports SBCC Committee members to identify media agencies that have relationships with preferred radio stations with best rates and discounts.
Then, SBCC Committee members, LPAY ambassador and social mobilizers are asked to monitor broadcasts to evaluate the quality of the spots aired to be sure that viewers and listeners can hear and see the spots accordingly. Establish the frequency of the spots. Find out adherence to broadcast schedule provided and report observations so that they can addressed immediately.
TCI uses a rapid media habit survey with SBCC Committee members, LPAY ambassadors and social mobilizers to help assess the media band (TV/radio) and/or media stations they view/listen to and when they do the majority of their viewing.
Then, SBCC Committee members, LPAY ambassador and social mobilizers are asked to complete the media monitoring log according to their viewing habits. For more information on monitoring radio spots, check out the Media Monitoring Plan.