CREATING
Overview•Getting Ready to Create
•Creative Briefs
•Effective Messages
•Drafting Materials and Activities
•Concept Testing, Reviews and Pretesting
•Finalizing Designs and Getting Ready for
Production
Developing communication products
combines science and art:
•Science to create concepts, visuals,
and text based on analysis of the
situation (step 1): the people, culture,
existing policies and programs, active
organizations and available
communication channels.
•Art to the creation of products which
evoke emotion, motivate audiences and
fit within the communication strategy
(step 2)
Getting ready to Create
Understanding context and refining communication strategy;
•What the audiences already know about the issue
•What could motivate them to act
•What skills would they need to act
•Prevailing norms, attitudes and believes that place them at
risk
•Barriers to their knowledge and practice of change
•Concerns that inhibit action
•Learning styles and media preferences
•Literacy and language abilities
Research Gaps
CREATING
WORKSHEET: Inventory of Existing Materials ; pages 4,5,9-14:http://c-changeprogram.org/sites/default/files/sbcc_module3.pdf
Materials/ activities developed in the past
Ways in which we might adapt or complement what is already developed:
Interpersonal
Community-based
Mass Media
Five parts to a creative briefs:
•Goal and selected audience for the
materials
•Desired changes, barriers, and
communication objectives
•Message brief
•Key content and tone
•Media Mix and other creative
considerations
Creative Briefs
Overview of Creative Brief Template
1. Goal and Audience • Overall aim of the activity
• Selected audience/s
2. Changes, barriers, and communication objective
• Desired changes• Barriers• Communication objectives
3. Message brief • The key promise• The support statement• A call to action• Lasting impression• Perception of someone involved in the
change
4. Key content and tone • Key content to communication in this material
• Tone for this material
5. How this material or activity fits the mix and other creative considerations
• How this material complements or is supported by other materials or activities in the mix
• Other creative considerations and cost.
8
Tips for message tone;
•Emotional appeal geared towards people
who are indifferent towards the topic
•Logical appeal is geared more to opinion
leaders
•Straight forward presentation of facts is
often more effective for message recall than
emotional appeal.
•Humor is most effective with messages that
are already familiar to people, like “use of
condoms”.
Effective messages
• Entertaining, engaging, humorous, or
dramatic messages are more likely to
succeed
• Acknowledging opposing views is
effective when the audience is either
resistant or initially opposed to the
message’s position, when the
audience is highly educated
Effective messages Cont’d
10Effective messages cont’d
Guidelines for Effective Communication
1. Command attention • Does the message stand out? Does your audience think so? Give thought to color and fonts, images music etc.
2. Clarify the message • Is the message simple and direct?
3. Communicate a benefit • What will the audience get for taking action?
4. Consistency counts • Materials and activities convey the same message and become mutually supportive
5. Cater to the heart and head
• Is it better to appeal to the audience’s emotions, intellect or both?
6. Create trust • Does your information come from a source?
7. Call to action • What do you want the audience to do after seeing the communication?
CREATING
Basic Principles of Message Development:
• Keep it simple
• Know (and involve) your audience (early on)
• Invite the audience to “fill the blank” and reach your conclusion on
their own
• Present a solution
•
Drafting Materials and Activities
Tips while doing first draft:
•Present one message per illustration
•Limit the number of concepts per material
•Make material interactive whenever possible
•Leave plenty of empty space
•Arrange messages in a way that is most logical
to the audience
•Use picture illustrations to supplement text
•Choose lettering that is clear and easy to read
• Concept testing comes
before investing time in
fully drafting materials
• A review by partners and
gatekeepers after drafts of
materials
• Pretests and field tests with
audience members after
drafts of materials
Concept Testing, Reviews and Pretesting
14
Checklist: quality messages and
Materials
•Are messages accurate?
•Are messages and materials consistent?
•Are messages clear?
•Are messages and materials relevant to the
audience?
•Are communication channels credible?
•Are messages and materials appealing?
•Are messages and materials sensitive to
gender differences?
Finalizing Designs and Ready for Production