Introduction to Social Marketing Course MC57A Week 8 Friday, March 10th, 2006 Introduction to Messag

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Introduction to Social Marketing
CourseMC57AWeek 8 (Friday, March 10th,
2006)Introduction to Message Design
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Message Design and Pretesting   By now, if you
have done your audience research you will have
a good idea of who your audience is and how you
want to reach them through either mass or
interpersonal communication means (Mock Yen, et
al., 1995c 153).
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The aim now is to design messages that will have
a good chance of communicating the ideas we want
to promote using specific words and phrases that
are familiar to that target group.   There are
two (2) main factors to consider in this
process   AUDIENCE FACTORS   CONTENT FACTORS  
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• Audience Factors (Mock Yen, et al., 1995)
•  
• What are the specific attitudes of the audience
  about the precise idea, product or practice you
  are promoting?
• What other ideas, products or practices does the
  audience associate with yours?
• Which specific needs for each of your target
  audience segments does the product or idea you
  are promoting fulfill? (what benefits does it
  bring? What do they expect to get from it?)
  Messages that emphasize rewards and payoffs are
  better received than those that do not.

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• What specific questions are in your audiences
  minds about the idea, product, or practice?
  (i.e,, can you tell how they feel about it? What
  their fears may be?, etc.)
• Which aspects of the idea, product or practice
  will you emphasize in your messages? (every
  product or thing has more than one characteristic
  or feature which could be emphasized which one
  do you want to emphasize for your target
  audience? For example Toothpaste has oral
  health, smile brightening and sex appeal
  features? Do you need to stress one main feature,
  or all of them? How many features can you squeeze
  into a 30-second radio or TV spot?)
•  

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• How do you want to psychologically position
  your product, idea, or practice in a persons
  mind? (In the minds of your audience is sex
  appeal or the oral health benefits of
  toothpaste most important?) Depending on the
  answer, you can then know how to position your
  product vis-à-vis the other products that are
  on the market which are also competing for your
  audiences attention.

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• CONTENT FACTORS
•  Which words does your audience use to talk about
  the product, idea or practice? (this is something
  that you need to pay special attention to as
  words can make or break a message). There is both
  the LITERAL and the FIGURATIVE meaning of words
  that we need to consider. TEK TIME when
  selecting the words you are going to use
• Who should be the source of your message? In
  other words who should be your messenger? Who
  is a credible messenger? (doctors? Sports
  figures? Scientists? Judges?) This is also
  critical. Commercial marketers spend a great deal
  of time, effort and money to find the right
  messengers for their products thats why Nike,
  for example, pays millions to Tiger Woods Who is
  the best messenger for your product?
•  

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• What should the ideal length of the message be?
  (How much time and attention will your average
  audience member be likely to spend with your
  message/product? For example, students waiting at
  a bus stop may spend between 10 and 40 minutes?
  The same students may spend 2 hours per day
  listening to the radio, watching T.V. or surfing
  the internet.) The length/duration of your
  messages will depend on the frequency with which
  your audience uses different media.
• What sorts of attention-grabbing
  devices/techniques should you use? (which
  colours, shapes, types of sounds or music should
  be included in your message design?)

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• What should the pace of the message be? In
  messages where the audience does not have control
  over the pace in which the message is received
  (radio, TV, speeches, Lectures) the correct pace
  is important in order to keep their attention and
  to ensure comprehension. Although the
  recommended speed for speaking on air is roughly
  150 words per minute (wpm) you should adapt your
  delivery in order to ensure that those who listen
  are neither over extended nor allowed to get
  bored.
•  How complex should the message be? To determine
  this you need to know your audiences ability
  literacy levels (including visual literacy).
•  What tone should the message have? (serious vs
  humorous? Positive or negative? Light versus
  heavy hearted or emotional? Etc.)

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• Preferences According to communication research
  (Mock Yen, et al., 1995158), the following
  preferences have been found
•  
• Given a choice between positive and negative
  messages, people prefer those that are positive
• Given a choice between messages that are
  directive (ie., you MUST do this or that) and
  those that are suggestive, people prefer the
  suggestive
• Give a choice between a fast or slow message
  delivery, people prefer fast information
• Given a choice between short or long
  presentations, people prefer the short ones
• Give a choice between heavy or light hearted
  messages, people prefer those that are more light
  and entertaining and finally,
• Given a choice between concrete or abstract
  messages, people want those that are practical
  and concrete.

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• At what Stages of Message Design is Audience
  Research Done? At two critical stages
•  
• Pre-production research which investigates what
  the audience wants to know, does know and needs
  to know. It should also include data on how the
  audience prefers to get its information (through
  which channels, media, tone, cultural
  considerations, messangers, etc.) Only after this
  data is collected should draft messages be
  developed and should the content and form of the
  message (the specifications) be developed.
• Mid-production research after draft
  messages/products are developed they should be
  pre-tested with the target audience to see if
  they are understood properly, and if the cultural
  factors, tone and content are right before large
  amounts of cash are invested in their production.
  This is part of the formative research.

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• Eighteen Steps to Message Design
•  
• Adapted from Bella Mody
•  
• Learn everything you can about your subject
  matter
• Define your target audience precisely (in terms
  of language, life-style, family structure, other
  preferences)
• Clearly understand your clients goals
• Establish the baseline/entry level of your
  audience in terms of your clientsgoals (in other
  words, where does your client think the audience
  is at today)

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• Specify the size and nature of the GAP between
  the GOALS and where the audience actually is at.
• Rank these gaps in order of their importance to
  your task.
• Slect only these gaps (tasks for mass media
  message design) that are amenable to solution by
  mass media
• Specify in measurable terms, the communication
  goals that your message campaign is going to aim
  at
• Check your time-money-staff resources to see if
  you can address all the communication goals. Then
  select a few for immediate via specific media.
  Specify a persuasive strategy for the campaign
  and for each medium or channel you have proposed.

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• Prepare specifications for each message in
  unambiguous, simple terms so that different
  writers and artists who may work on the campaign
  messages will have a common understanding.
• Produce sample messages in low-cost draft form
• Pre-test draft messages and materials on small
  groups of your target audience to test the
  message for attention-getting power and
  comprehensibility
• Validate content of your messages with a content
  expert
• Modify messages and persuasive strategy in light
  of the pretest findings from target audience and
  content experts

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• Go ahead with the final production of messages
• Check all details of message transmission,
  printing and distribution
• Check message utilization
• Collect data on message impact and feed to these
  the message designer(s).

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Message strategy now that we know our audience,
what exactly do we want to say????   The first
step is to work with a spec sheet (Mody, 1991)
or a creative brief. Typical components of a
creative brief are
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• The Key Message
• This is just a brief statement that summarizes
  the bottom-line message. It is NOT the ACTUAL
  SLOGAN, TAGLINE OR HEADLINE that your
  message/campaign is going to promote. Rather it
  is the purpose of the message
•  
• Target Audience
• A brief description of your target audience based
  on the research that you have conducted (ie., the
  KAP findings)
•  

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• Communication Objectives
• A brief description of WHAT you your clients
  want your target audience
•  
•         To know or
•         To feel or
•         To believe or
•         To practice

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• Benefits to Promise
• Key benefits that your audience hopes they will
  receive from adopting the behavior you are
  promoting (i.e, by choosing your core product) or
  what PENALTIES they will endure if they do not
  adopt the product (the deterrence approach).

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• Support
• This lists additional added (but more minor)
  benefits they will gain from the new behaviour
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• Channels
• A description of the media outlets and channels
  (openings) you will use to promote you product
•  
• Position (or creative treatment)
• This outlines the tone, creative treatment and
  other factors you want to use to get your message
  across.
•  

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Rational, Emotional, Moral and Nonverbal
Elements   Again this has to do with the tone you
want to conveybut they can also be different
dimensions of a single message. For example,
  Rational elements deliver the straightforward
information and facts that you audience needs to
know when making an informed decision about your
product.
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Emotional elements are designed to elicit either
negative feelings (such as fear, guilt, shame) or
positive feelings (love, pride, joy) that will
motivate the desired behaviour.   Moral elements
are directed to the audiences sense of what is
right and proper. (ie., Real Men dont Abuse
Women.)   Nonverbal elements rely on visual
clues, references, body language of
actors/messengers, facial expressions, body
movement, eye contact, spatial distance, and
physical appearance.   All of the above need to
be considered in your overall creative treatment.
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• When you are brainstorming for a slogan and
  overall message to go for the big idea- can
  you think of one big point to get across that
  will cause a bit of a paradigm shift.
• Think
•  
• Of getting a big toe in the door
• The thin edge of the wedge

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How would you have designed a better message?
Consider these examples
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• Example 1 Oral Rehydration
• Problem poor level of health among village
  children, in particular sickness and death due to
  diarrhea.
• Desired solution improved health through the
  correct treatment of diarrhea by oral
  re-hydration.
• Main messages
• Diarrhoea is an illness.
• It may be dangerous or even fatal.
• One effective modern remedy exists (oral
  rehydration solution) that can over come this
  danger.
• Feedback after the message was pretested mothers
  did not adopt oral rehydration techniques
• Failure in Communication people did not view
  diarrhoea as an illness, but as a normal
  occurrence in a childs life. It was not
  considered to be dangerous. Thus, people thought
  the treatment was a luxury that was not
  necessary.

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Example 2 Solid Waste Management Problem
Serious solid waste disposal problem in urban
communities and associated health risks. Garbage
thrown in gullies, storm drains, and on
streets. Desired solution to get people to
dispose of their waste properly Main messages
Use skips for your trash keep garbage out of
our gullies and streams Stay safe and healthy
get rid of your waste properly. Feedback after
the message was pretested no change in waste
disposal after the campaign was started. Failure
in Communication People understood the message,
but there were not sufficient skips in the
community. There was also a failure in services
for emptying the skips so garbage piled up.
People threw garbage in the gullies and drains
because they did not see an alternative. Also, it
was often small children who were sent to take
the trash to the skip. Not tall enough to through
the trash inside, they left their bags outside
next to the facility.
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Ingredients of a Good Radio Spot     In addition
to the same rules that apply to posters and text
messages, there are also additional ingredients
for making your radio (and TV) spots dynamic,
attractive and effective. These are
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• Timeliness make sure your spot is aired when
  your audience is most likely to be tuned in.
• Localness try to use local voices,
  personalities, refer to local places make it
  more immediate and personal to the audience. What
  local sites, venues, hang-out places does your
  audience frequent most that would make the
  message come alive for them?
• Realism/credibility who is delivering the
  message? Do you need an authoritative
  personality for the message to be credible? Is an
  entertainer a better option? Can a person on the
  street deliver the message? These choices depend
  on your message and objective but whatever you
  choose it must be credible for your audience.

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• Short length 30 seconds is generally the
  maximum for spots and community service
  announcements. Anything longer than that starts
  to get expensive.
• Emotive Dramatization making it come alive -
  Satisfy your audiences needs. Listeners have
  physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual
  needs. Programs which address emotional needs are
  usually the most compelling. The best way to
  address emotional needs is to provide a vicarious
  experience for the listener through drama sung,
  acted, or narrated. Information alone is not
  enough in radio and TV.
• Attention grabbing for a 30 second spot you
  need to have a hook or something strong to grab
  your audiences attention

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• Liveliness this is difficult to define, but any
  message that is flat and boring will lose your
  audience. People want to be energized.
• Strong personalities characters In addition
  to credibility, whatever voice/character you
  develop to deliver your message they must have
  strong character to come across well
• Clear communication voice If the voice is not
  clear there is no message.
• Volume not too quite, not too loud If the
  message is not loud enough, there is no message.
  If it is too loud, people will be offended.
• Musical background Music should be used to
  enhance your message
• Sound effects can also lend punch and realism.

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Tip 1 Consider Free or Local Talent to Make
Your Spot More Dynamic Suggestions school
children singing, youth talent, local actors.
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Tip 2 Identify sympathetic radio hosts that
will use your spots as fillers and content for
their own programmes
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Lets Sing!   What Makes a Good Music
Jingle?    
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• What Makes a Good Music Jingle?
•   
• Like good writing, a good jingle
•  
• Is Catchy
• Is short, to the point
• Is easy to learn and repeat (over and over,
  ideally)
• Easy to sing (anyone can do it) and
• appeals to the personal identity and goals
  aspirations of the listener (i.e., it should
  appeal to the person they want to be).
•  
• It should also generate a demand for more
  information and connection with the message and
  with what it is that you want the audience to do.
  It should make the audience want more!

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Although it depends on the message you are trying
to convey and the tone you are trying to set,
most jingles are up-beat and try to generate
enthusiasm and energy in their listeners. It
should make the task you want the audience to do
- look easy, fun, cool, and popular.
  Writing for jingles unlike posters and other
text can be enhanced through alliteration,
imagery, symbolism and rhyme.  
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  Some very popular jingles on radio, TV and in
advertising   -         Mazdas zoom zoom zoom,
hey hey hey hey. (this is really just a phrase
that theyve used over and over to highlight
their new products) -         C.B. chicken is
better tasting.to know it is to love
it -         One Love, One Heart Lets Get
Together and Feel Alright Jamaica  
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Lets look at some more specific considerations
now   Effective Headlines And Captions   The
most important thing on your poster besides
visuals, is your headline or main message. They
are the Number 1 thing besides visuals and
colour that will grab your audiences attention.
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Some tips for powerful headlines and poster
messages  Active Voice. Always use an active
voice. Put the subject first, then the verb.
(e.g., write New Branch Sets Record, not Record
set by new branch)  Present tense The present
tense gives your message punch and makes it
relevant for the immediate moment.  Short
Words This is even more important for headings
and main messages.
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Stick to One Thought. Get the most important
point across.   Dont be Cute, but be
catchy. Leave puns, rhymes and alliterations to
the poets unless you really think they add to
your message. Have fun, but make sure your first
objective getting your point across is clear.
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  Field-Testing Questionnaire for
Songs   TITLE.COMPOSER   RE
SPONDENTS
COMMUNITY/VENUE..DATE
INTERVIEWER..NOTE
TAKER    
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1. What is the song all about?   2. What do you
think about the words?   3. Is what is mentioned
in the song happening? A) in this area? B)
in your household? C) in your
family?   4. What do you think of the music?   5.
Do you like the song? Why? Why not?     6. If
not, what is it exactly that disturbs you and
that you dislike? Why?  
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Tips for Writing Well
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• Four principles to remember
•  
• Writing is work and all good writing is
  Re-writing
• Good writing rarely comes naturally. It is a
  learned skill that requires constant practice.
  Most good writers and all great writers
  write, rewrite, then rewrite again. The best
  ideas get fine-tuned in the rewriting. So, your
  first step should be to get your thoughts down
  in whatever form. But then dont be surprised if
  you go through six or eight drafts before you are
  satisfied.
•  

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• Good writing Reflects Natural Speaking
• Tell it rather than write your message. When
  you talk you use plain language, concrete words
  and common images. Speak directly. Fancy words
  just confuse people. Keep your words simple,
  straightforward and specific but avoid slang
  (however, in the Caribbean there is quite a bit
  of debate about the use of Patois and certain
  expressions can be very effective). Dont beat
  around the bush. Get to the point.
•  
• Avoid using jargon.
•  
• Read aloud some of your own writing. If you find
  you never talk that way go back and rewrite.
  Your audience should feel like they are hearing
  not reading the information.

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  2. Be specific use words that refer to things
or actions. Use concrete images and adjectives.
When language is too general and abstract, it is
dull and vague.   Poor versus Better
Examples 1.The nutrition workshop was well
attended versus Eighty-five people came to the
workshop. 2. Participants had an opportunity to
sample a variety of unique and different food
preparations versus. People tried more than 20
new dishes.  
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To Discover, find out Try Say, write, tell Help,
ease, assist Do Show, point out Not
enough Many People, workers, staff,
volunteers end
Change Ascertain Attempt Communicate Facilitate im
plement Indicate insufficient Numerous Personnel t
erminate
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  4. Use Action. Audiences want to know who or
what is the subject (especially if they are),
then they want to know what happened or what to
do. Action builds interest. To get it, simply
begin a sentence with a subject and follow with a
strong verb. Try to avoid the verb to be.
Sentences with the words is, was, were tend
to be weak.  
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5. Use pronouns. Pronouns help to keep sentences
short and specific. Once a person or place has
been named in your text, you dont need to name
them again.  
 
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9. You can also use contractions. Most English
teachers tell us not to, but for clear messages,
contractions are very helpful because they are
more like conversation.
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10. Write tight and avoid clutter. This means
avoid using too many words when one or two will
do. Keep one idea or point per sentence. Clutter
depersonalizes your message, and you want to be
personal. Clutter promotes mistakes, confusion
and misunderstanding, and you are trying to be
clear and precise. Clutter hides responsibility
and you are trying to get your audience to take
responsibility and to do or think or feel
something.
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  11. Avoid repeating words and phrases.
Repetition is boring.   12. Avoid stereotypes
and bias. This means avoiding racial, religious,
ethnic, gender and sexual bias in all writing.
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Lets Get Specific Now! Working with a Spec sheet
or Creative Brief     Filling out a spec
sheet will help you to plan and design our media
products and messages properly.   Think of a
spec sheet as a job description for the media
product you are going to make.   Spec sheets
help with later evaluation and monitoring and let
you know whether or not your efforts have paid
off.  
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• Audiences Readers are Impatient
• Your job is to get your message through to your
  audience before they get bored. For most
  messages, keep sentences short. For posters, keep
  slogans and information brief. Use pictures to
  communicate without words (but only use good
  pictures that are well-understood and which do
  not complicate your message). Use graphics and
  text creatively to grab attention.
• Set Goals
• 4. Each sentence, slogan, and headline should
  have a purpose. Proper goals say how you want
  your audience to feel or what you want them to
  do. Goals must be practical not idealistic.

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• Audiences Readers are Impatient
• Your job is to get your message through to your
  audience before they get bored. For most
  messages, keep sentences short. For posters, keep
  slogans and information brief. Use pictures to
  communicate without words (but only use good
  pictures that are well-understood and which do
  not complicate your message). Use graphics and
  text creatively to grab attention.
• Set Goals
• 4. Each sentence, slogan, and headline should
  have a purpose. Proper goals say how you want
  your audience to feel or what you want them to
  do. Goals must be practical not idealistic.

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1.            General objective of the campaign
to reduce the spread of HIV AIDs   2.           
Description of specific target audience for this
message (key considerations and characteristics)
youth particularly sexually active young men
and women in rural areas of Jamaica. Ages 15-22.
Other interests sports, fashion, dance hall
music. Very status conscious. Also believe that
they will likely live long or that it is better
to die young. Often insecure needing
affirmation. Often afraid to seek assistance and
advice of adults. Withhold information from their
parents. Very status and peer conscious.  3.      
      Specific Topic for this message to get
tested for HIV  4.            Media for
Production 30 second Radio spots  5.           
Budget 5,000.00 US  6.            Specific
objectives for this message (i.e., what the
target audience should feel or do or know as a
result of this communication product) To
encourage youth to visit a doctor or health
clinic to get tested for HIV.
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 7.           Content to be covered (this should
include step by step info for instructional
information)                 That HIV cannot be
detected by sight you may not know or feel that
you are infected you may feel cool but not be
cool.               Only a test can tell you
if you are ok               Getting tested wont
blow your cover or image but it is the only
thing that will tell you if you are ok
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  8.            Specific measurable results
(what indicators will show that the message was
successful?) Increased numbers of young
persons within the target audience group calling
for more information and/or going in to be
tested  
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4.   9. Mix of message delivery channels and
other supportive media (how will this
product/message be used with others to ensure
that it is effective?)radio, TV.,
posters.  5. 10. Timing (What time of year, time
of day, how often?) Throughout the year. 6.  11.
Creative/Cultural Treatment (how are we going to
slant the message? What tone will it take? What
type of language should be involved? Informal,
serious, strict, casual?) - must have an
informal, yet serious tone. Should play on the
desire of youth to be cool, to fit in, to be
OK and to be affirmed. Test yourself.     12.
What other essential infrastructure in the
audience community is required for the message to
be successful (i.e., radios, TVs, VCRs, internet
connection, computers, etc.)? - Radio and TV
primarily.
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•  
• Required Reading
•  Step 6. Mock Yen, Alma, William Billy Hall and
  Gladstone Wilson. 1995. Sound Advice A Quartet
  of Handbooks Book Four. Pages 153 to 158.
  University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston.
•  Chapter 4. Audience Participation-Based Message
  Design Implementation and Ethics in Bella Mody.
  1991. Designing Messages for Development
  Communication An Audience Participation-Based
  Approach. Sage, New Delhi.
•  Chapter 5. Designing Messages that
  Communicate. in Bella Mody. 1991. Designing
  Messages for Development Communication An
  Audience Participation-Based Approach. Sage, New
  Delhi
•  Chapter 12 Promotion Creating Messages in
  Kotler, et al. Social Marketing Improving the
  Quality of Life. Sage Publications, London.
•  

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