Messages for World Health Day 2005
Getting the messages out
What kind of information do you need to gather and how should you use it? Here are some suggestions of ways to present the World Health Day 2005 messages:
- Highlight the situation regarding the health of mothers and children in your region or country.
- Emphasize the local, national or regional situation regarding health and health- related issues, as it concerns mothers and children.
- Publicize and promote the good work done by you or your organization to improve the situation.
- Indicate the gaps (areas that are still not covered or the problems that remain) and what more you can do to raise awareness and stimulate action.
- Highlight maternal and child health success stories.
Packaging the message
Once you are armed with information and supporting research on a particular message, you will need to transform your material into something to which everyone can relate. Sound bites (short, catchy statements) are the best. Remember that your treatment of the message needs to be oriented to the target audience.
Creating events
Parades, competitions, street events, or quizzes with a mother and child theme all create media attention and get the messages out to large numbers of people in an interesting, entertaining and stimulating way. Such events are a good means of reaching an audience who might not be attracted by more traditional events, e.g. seminars or meetings.
You might consider involving celebrities as spokespersons. Remember that it takes time and preparation to get celebrities involved.
- Choose individuals who are well known and respected within the country or community, and who can attract positive attention to World Health Day 2005.
- Invite personalities in music, film, sports or politics.
- Find out if a well known person lives in or is from your area – such a person may be more likely to give "local support" to your event.
- Celebrities will often be unaware of the importance and impact of the context of World Health Day 2005 messages. So make sure they are briefed in advance. Specify clearly to their agent or manager, or to them, how you want them to contribute and the message you hope to put across.
In creating an event, especially if a celebrity is involved, you will have created an opportunity for a news item. If your event is reported by the media, you will reach a much wider audience.
The media are potentially the most effective tool for communicating a message. But to work with the media you must understand how the media work. Timing is everything, and again sound bites are best. News reporters find information that is new, surprising, compelling or has impact on the public, most newsworthy. Make sure that the story:
- will interest the intended audience; for example, find a personal story and link it to a news event – this is much more interesting than isolated statistics;
- only includes facts and figures that are absolutely accurate – make sure that every name, date and piece of information has been double-checked with a reliable source.
Organizing a news conference
Perhaps the single most effective means of getting media coverage for your World Health Day 2005 event is to hold a news conference. The following checklist will help you to organize a news conference:
- invitation list – print press, radio, television and others
- time and date: check any possible conflicts with competing events
- invitations
- media advisory
- photo opportunity
- call back to invited press members to confirm their attendance
- media kit – include speeches, main announcement release, biographies, background, fact sheet, photographs and so on
- anticipate possible questions from the media and prepare answers
- focus all presentations and answers on a small number of key messages
- on-site arrangements – room rental, name signs on podium for speakers, audiovisual equipment, and so on
- refreshments (snacks and drinks) if desired.
Do not neglect the news agencies. In addition to newspapers and magazines, you should contact the national news agency, also known as a wire service. If the news agency puts out a dispatch on mother and child health for World Health Day 2005, the story will go out to every newspaper, magazine, radio station and television network in your country. If you contact the international news agencies or media in addition to your national media outlets, you will have potentially worldwide coverage.
Important international media
- Associated Press (AP)
- Reuters
- Agence France-Presse (AFP)
- International Herald Tribune
- Le Monde
- El Pais
- The Economist
- Financial Times (FT)
- Cable News Network (CNN)