Creating Effective Campaign Messages

Creating Effective Campaign Messages
If you are planning a public campaign with posters, leaflets, stickers, banners or television spots, your choice of message could mean the success or failure
of your activity. Youth friendly messages that involve aspects of the youth culture in your society will probably draw the attention of young people more
than instructional/didactic messages.
Designing an effective public message is a challenging task and can be a great team activity. Many public awareness campaigns fail because the
message is vague, negative, or unsuitable. Here are some tips for avoiding failure:
Tip 1: Choose Your Words Carefully
Be positive. The list below provides examples of words that reinforce negative attitudes and proposes more neutral and positive expressions:
Instead of Use
"Victim" > person living with HIV or AIDS
"Plague, Scourge" > epidemic
"Monster, Enemy" > serious disease
"Pity, charity" > solidarity, respect for human rights
Tip 2: Choose Your Images Carefully:
Be aware that some images may reflect the preconceptions or stereotypes that we are trying to combat, for example:
•Σ A picture of someone dying of AIDS may give the impression that the majority of infected people are very sick. In reality, most infected people
can look and live normally for a long time.
•Σ A picture that depicts AIDS with grotesque images of monsters or skulls can be counter-productive: people may not be attracted to read it, and
may turn away. Many people think “It won’t happen to me”
Σ•A picture of someone with AIDS that inspires pity may not be what people living with HIV/AIDS want or need: it is respect and dignity that they need most.
Tip 3: Test the Final Product
Once the poster or other product that you have been working on is ready, ask members of the target group the following questions:
Σ•What is your immediate reaction to the message?
Σ•Who is the message for ?
Σ•Who is the message from ?
Σ•What did you like about the message ?
(Consider: Colour, Shape, Content, Language, Medium, Other)
Σ•What did you not like ?
(Consider: Colour, Shape, Content, Language, Medium, Other)
Σ•What would you add to the message ?
Σ•What would you take away ?
Σ•Do you feel represented/good about this material ?