Introduction to Strategy Planning

1. Introduction to Strategy Planning FCA Tobacco Control Strategy Planning Workshop Warsaw  23-25 August 2005

2. Q1: What do we want? • Any advocacy effort must begin with very concrete objectives. • The more specific, clear and concrete the objective, the more effective the planning process will be.

3. WHAT DO WE WANT?This can be the most difficult question to answer. Ask yourself: • How specific is it? Could it be achieved in the short-term (1-3 years) or is it a longer-term project? • How much impact will it have/how effective would it be? • Will it help lay the foundation for other objectives or is it an end in itself?

4. What do we want (cont.)? • Will it happen anyway? • How much would it cost and who would pay? • Is it best tackled at the national, provincial or local level? • Are there options you should just not do?

5. What do we want? • For each potential goal you need to have an honest assessment of: • Your strengths and weaknesses as a movement • Public support (actual and potential) for the agreed-upon goal • The barriers you face as a movement (tobacco industry resistance, political corruption, hostile media, etc.)

6. Q1: What do we want? • Remember, advocacy is an art, not a science. It is fundamentally about achieving desired goals. Many paths may get you there. • In setting your goals as a movement, don’t think too small but don’t think too big either! Small victories can build on each other and give you and your supporters a sense of your ability and power to change things. But if the goal is not ambitious enough, it may not inspire people to act.

7. Q2: Who Can Make It Happen? • Who has the power to give you what you want? Depending on the objective it could be: • -- Parliament • -- The President • -- a mid-level national or local bureaucrat • -- a combination of any or none of the above

8. Map the decision

9. Q3:What do they need to hear?   • You will need to craft "messages" to incorporate into your written materials, press statements, talking points, etc. • Important!: When formulating messages, the question you need to ask is not: “what do we want to say” but “what must we say to persuade them to take the actions we want". These will often be very different!

10. What do they need to hear to persuade them to do what you want? • Core messages speak to the broad public interest. • Tailored messages address the self-interest and special concerns of your target audience.

11. Examples of Core Messages “Our society cannot wait to act until millions of our children become victims of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.” “Ratifying the FCTC will show that the government cares more for the future health of the country's children than for the economic wealth of the tobacco industry.”

12. Examples of Tailored Messages (to the President) • Ratifying the FCTC will be a politically popular move with the public which has already shown strong support for tobacco control measures. • Other countries in the region like Latvia and Lithuania have already ratified the FCTC. Our country must not be seen as lagging behind. • If we ratify the FCTC our views will have more weight in the formation of the Conference of the Parties.

13. For tailored messages… 1. The more political intelligence you gather about the concerns and motives of key targets, the more effectively you can tailor the messages they need to hear to support your advocacy objectives. 2. Your messages will vary depending upon the policy you want to change and the people you are trying to convince.

14. Use Research to Support Your Advocacy Efforts Existing local and international research, public opinion polls, household surveys, etc. can and should be used to support your advocacy efforts. You can also produce your own research and conduct your own focus groups. See: “Low Cost Research for Advocacy” by PATH Canada for ideas.

15. If Your Are Talking to the Ministry of Finance About An Ad Ban…. “Advertising restraints will not harm the economy. The advertising industries in countries with advertising bans have not suffered significant losses of jobs or been bankrupted.”

16. If Your Are Talking to the Ministry of Health About An Ad Ban… “Advertising restrictions and bans have proved effective in keeping fewer young people from starting to smoke.”

17. Advocate, don’t educate

18. Advocate, don’t educate

19. Educate The addictive effect of nicotine is mediated at least in part by stimulation of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens Advocate Nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine Advocate or educate?

20. Keep it simple

21. Keep it simple?

22. What are powerful "Simplifying Concepts"? These are short phrases or labels that capture the essence of what you are trying to accomplish in ways that resonate naturally with most people: “a tobacco-free future for our children“ "freedom from addiction and disease“ “health before tobacco industry profits”

23. Messages That Speak to the Brain What are Numbers That “Sing”? • Another term for this is “creative epidemiology”. This is a way of presenting statistics in ways that convey scientific information but also move an audience emotionally. For example, “Every day in America, 3,000 children start smoking; 1,000 of them will die early from the diseases smoking causes.” Or: "If we do not act, 2 million of our citizens now alive will die from tobacco caused disease."

24. Example: “The deaths of 350 children under age five could be prevented each day if only 70% of their parents’ tobacco expenditures went to food instead…Each year, 10.5 million children are needlessly malnourished, due in part to their parents’ expenditure on tobacco rather than food.” -- WBB Bangladesh, “Hungry for Tobacco”

25. What Messages Speak to the Heart? What words and phrases best evoke important cultural values? What might be effective "responsive chord messages" (i.e. questions that evoke responses already embedded in people’s minds)?

26. Example “Many poor tobacco-growing countries argue that they need the revenue from tobacco. But who in your family are you willing to sacrifice so that the Government can earn more taxes? Would you want your brother, or sister, or child to start smoking so that the Government can earn more money?” – Phillip Karugaba, Uganda

27. Say what you mean

28. Say it again

29. Q4: Who are the most effective messengers for our target audience? • When deciding who your messengers will be, think of the following questions: • Who will our target audience most trust or listen to? • Who does that audience most want to please? • Who does that audience honor, respect, fear, or even love?

30. Q: Who is the “Right” Messenger? • A: The answer will always change, depending upon the situation.

31. Who are the most effective messengers for our target audience? Think creatively! For example, if your target audience is the Prime Minister, the most effective messengers could be former or current aides, a cabinet member, business or labor leaders, leading scientists, journalists, religious leaders, etc. Or it could be friend from University, a spouse, or a celebrity. This is where intelligence pays off.

32. Who are the most effective messengers for our target audience? Additionally, you will need to ask: Who does our target audience dislike, distrust, and/or not take seriously?

33. What Other Allies Do You Need? • People with legal expertise in the legislative process and in drafting strong proposed laws • People with an understanding of the political power structure your tobacco control advocacy efforts must confront • Knowledge of the political operations, governmental ties, and advocacy strategies of the tobacco companies that operate in your country

34. What Other Allies Do You Need? • Tobacco control science and economics expertise; connections to the WHO and other international organizations and experts that can provide access to knowledge, human, and financial resources.

35. What Other Allies Do You Need? People with: • an understanding of what messages key decision makers need to hear to persuade them to enact the laws and programs you want • knowledge of how your nation's mass media will react to tobacco control media advocacy • knowledge of and experience with successful NGO policy-advocacy strategies in your country • influence with organizations willing to provide financial and human resources to support coalition-building and advocacy activities.

36. Other campaigns Childrens’ health, childrens’ rights Anti-poverty groups Medical associations (nurses, oncologists, pulmonologists, etc.) Environmental groups Commercial interests? Pharmaceutical companies My enemy’s enemy is (sometimes) my friend Mobilise others

37. Mobilise others Your interests Their interests

38. A coalition/network is: • A group of individuals and/or organizations united around a common issue or goal.

39. Advantages of coalition/network • Increases available human and financial resources • Increases visible support for goal • Creates common front (and consistent messaging) • Educates and mobilizes concerned citizens & groups • Expands reach of campaign

40. Disadvantages of coalitions/networks • Sharing control and slower decision-making • Balancing goals and needs of coalition vs. that of member organizations • Sharing credit and visibility • Differing organizational cultures and constraints • Differing strategies

41. Success Factors • Common goal that all members sign on to, with strategy decisions left to smaller group • Differing but clear levels of commitment • Respect for each others’ self-interest • Mechanism to take quick decisions and action • FLEXIBILITY: Give and take

42. Key Questions When Forming A Coalition/Network Who needs to join our cause during the first phase of our campaign? As we progress, what kind of groups do we need to influence decision-makers in government? How can we efficiently recruit the allies we need? Do we need a formal coalition? If we do need it, who do we include?

43. Ten Commandments for Tobacco Control Coalitions (UICC Tobacco Control Strategy Planning Guide #2) • Ensure that building and maintaining a coalition is not the primary objective • Keep the coalition loose and flexible • Focus on “leadership” more than “management” • Be proactive • Find lobbying expertise • “without involvement there is no commitment” • Don’t get too far in front of your own forces • Keep proper perspective • Recognize collaborate achievements • Use best practices (lessons learned)

44. Q5:How Can we Get them to Hear It? • Lobbying? • Focused Media Advocacy? • Public Protest? • A combination of these?

45. Campaign methods • Letters • Parliamentary inquiries • Industry conduct exposure • Research and reports – with spin • External experts • News stories • Events • Direct action

46. Advocacy Commandment: Do what is needed, not what you are comfortable doing!

47. What are effective ways to gain the media's attention with stories that best convey our messages? • Make stories newsworthy. • Give your stories a “public health” frame. This means: • Translate the individual problem into a social issue • Assign responsibility for the problem • Present a solution • Make a practical appeal

48. Examples: • Tobacco company caught doing an illegal promotion • the release of a report with new scientific findings • a statement from prominent figures calling on the government to ratify the FCTC

49. Q6: What Resources Do We Have? Take careful stock of the advocacy resources that are already there to be built on. This includes past advocacy work that is related, alliances already in place, written and visual materials, staff and other people's capacity, information and political intelligence. In short, you don't start from scratch, you start from building on what you've got.

50. Embrace technology • Computers, e-mail, internet, databases are your strength