Challenges Ahead in Creating Awareness

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Challenges Ahead in Creating Awareness

• Sonali Sharma
• Sr. Manager Communications

13.10.06
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First things First

• Create awareness about what?
• What is your tool Media?
• Who is your target group?
• What outcome are you hoping to achieve through
  this?

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Challenges you are likely to face along the way

• There are a clutter of NGOs.
• Budget constraints.
• Loss of credibility
• Commercialization

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Know your Media

• Mass media newspapers, TV, radio
• Alternative media outdoor, street plays,
  jingles, etc.
• New media
• Website (over 50 million users)
• E-newsletters
• E-mailers
• SMS campaigns
• ATM screen appeals

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What outcome do You hope to achieve

• Bringing the issue to light
• Greater Visibility
• Awareness about the cause
• Hoping to rouse people, sit up and make a
  difference

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Assumptions while dealing with Mass Media

• Press Release sent Job done
• Your cause itself is so imp. it is only natural
  they will be interested.
• Media should be socially responsible.
• End result
• No coverage

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Understanding their Need (MASS MEDIA)A golden
handshake for both

• Media is here to disseminate news. Understand
  they have competition too.
• They are driven by the market .You are driven by
  development.
• Is your cause important? Yes it is, but for YOU.
  But how much for them.
• For them their Reader/ Viewer/ Listener is
  important. Put yourself in their shoes when you
  provide information without losing focus.

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Understanding their constraints

• Their issues
• Limited space. Constricted by sponsor
  requirements sometimes pages are booked and
  their isn't any space to include other
  information.
• What you have given them isn't any different from
  what a number of other Organizations have given
  them, so why choose yours?

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Feel good factor

• They have consciences too !
• They too need goodwill
• They need to identify with their audiences

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Identify your TGHelps deciding what medium of
media to use

• - Potential donors
• Policy makers
• Niche Segment

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Dealing with BudgetsTry focus cost effective
media

• Dont always depend on Mass media.
• Optimizing Media - What is likely to be a more
  effective way to reach your TG along with being
  cost effective
• SMS, EMAIL, E-newsletter
• Radio can be more cost-effective than TV
• The shelf life of a publication is greater than a
  TV ad. Eg. in case of a particular target
  audience it could be much more effective to use
  as a tool of communication something as simple as
  journals or magazines they subscribe to
  regularly, get your information IN THERE!

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What can you do ?Help them, help YOU

• Identify your USP?
• Focus who in the media are you sending material
  to? It always helps to know a name than a news
  desk what section of editorial are you
  approaching.
• Be prepared with human interest stories and then
  back them up with statistics. People relate to
  people, not to facts figures.
• Good packaging always helps Get them hooked
  first
• Learn to recycle the information available in the
  market to your advantage, so it holds their
  interest and they are encouraged to push the
  story for filing.
• Exclusives, Celeb angle, create news.
• Eg. Campaigns
• Loneliness/ Remarriage at 60
• Habib Mian -132 yr old man, Pension for this
  growing segment.

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Approaching the Media

• Media releases
• Media briefings
• Conferences
• Events editorial segment identification might
  help here
• Disseminate studies research papers - helps if
  you wrap it around something topical.
• Media partners for Adv. or Exclusive stories

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• Thank you!!