The Strategic Communication Planning Process

1. The Strategic Communication Planning Process Gary Saffitz Center for Communication Programs Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

2. Section A Analysis and Strategic Design

3. Learning Objectives • Gain a better understanding of communication as a process and not a product • Understand the steps in planning, creating, and implementing a communication program

4. A Simple Guide to Planning Strategy • Think big • Start small • Act now!

5. Communication Is a Process

6. A Systematic and Strategic Process • The “P” process • Step-by-step framework • Road map leading to strategic and participatory programs Image source: adapted by CTLT from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP). (2007).

7. Step 1: Analysis • Where are we now? • Using a tobacco control lens • Health priorities • Culture-social norms • People • Policies • Existing programs • Local organizations • Communication channels Image source: adapted by CTLT from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP). (2007).

8. What Is Analysis? • Analysis is a process to: • Examine the environment in which you will operate • Determine the problems, their severity, and causes • Identify factors inhibiting or facilitating desired changes • Three areas of analysis • Context • Programs • Audience

9. 1. Context • Country-level trends and demographics • Smoking prevalence and habits • Tobacco influence (economics, politics) • Legal framework (FCTC-ratified?—etc.)

10. 2. Programs • Existing tobacco control programs • Partners or potential partners • Gaps in current program environment that need to be filled • Funding

11. 3. Audience • Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of key audiences • Policymakers, smokers • Men/women/youth, nonsmokers exposed to environmental smoke, youth • Determine states of readiness • Not thinking of it • Thinking but not acting • Taking smoking outside • Actively trying to quit • Advocating for others to quit

12. Step 2: Strategic Design • What do we want to do? • Guides objectives, concepts, audiences, execution, evaluation Image source: adapted by CTLT from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP). (2007).

13. Strategic Design • Strategic design is a process to determine: • Where we are now (analysis) • Where we want to be (objectives) • How we’ll get there (strategies) • What we’ll do (tactics) • Resources to employ (budgets, people, partners) • Output is a plan to guide implementation

14. Objectives • Objectives should be SMART • Specific • Measurable • Appropriate • Realistic • Time bound • A SMART objective: to increase the percentage of Jordanian homes that are smoke-free by 10 percentage points by 2009

15. Strategies • What steps will you take to accomplish your objectives? • Identify audiences • Develop a strategy brief detailing campaigns (tactics) • Draw up an implementation plan • Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan

16. Identify Audiences • Legislators, policy makers, political leaders • Smokers (men, women, youth) • Non-smokers • Health professionals, teachers, intermediaries • Media professionals, journalists

17. Identify Audiences • Determine objectives for each audience segment • Determine the “overall strategic approach” for achieving objectives with each segment • Determine relationships across audience segments and how approaches are best aligned

18. Draw up an Implementation Plan • The implementation plan details how the work will get done and may include: • Specific details on what will be done, when, by whom • Gantt charts, which illustrate both phasing of campaign elements and key stages/milestones in development and implementation • Individual “strategy briefs” for specific communication campaign elements

19. Develop a Strategy Brief • You can develop: • A strategy brief for the larger campaign • A separate strategy brief for each element of the larger campaign • A strategy brief is brief! • Develop an outline using short statements

20. Develop a Strategy Brief • The strategy brief for each campaign component outlines: • The specific campaign element (TV ad, billboard, formal presentation) • Primary audience • Communication objective • Key promise and benefit (main message) • Supporting statements (reinforcing copy points) • Desired action response • Additional requirements • Executional considerations

21. Develop a Strategy Brief • Activities and channels to consider • Advocacy • Advertising • Entertainment-education programs • Community mobilization • Interpersonal communication/counseling

22. Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan • Budget, people, partners • Be sure to include resources for analysis, testing of materials, and evaluation • Be aware that partnerships with media and others can help reduce some costs

23. The Communication Strategy Plan • The communication strategy plan should be: • Formal—but not final • Reviewed and used—all the time • Flexible—for change due to: • Budgets, environment, audiences, opportunities, and counter-moves by the tobacco industry

24. Strategic Design: Recap • A good communication strategy includes: • Understanding the problem (analysis) • Communication objectives • Target audiences and audience segmentation • Objectives for each audience/segment • Overarching strategies and why they’ll work • Campaign elements and how they fit together

25. Strategic Design: Recap • A good communication strategy includes: • Implementation plan • How will the campaign work • What will be done • When will it be done • Who will do it • How will it be phased, placed, orchestrated, and managed • Monitoring and evaluation • How to measure impact (process/outcome) • Budget • Less is more