GFAR webinar: "Communications Success stories"

GFAR-Secretariat@fao.org
GFAR Webinar
Communications Success Stories
#yay!

Presenters
• Michael Victor
• Kathryn Clifton
• Kwesi Atta Krah
• Anne Wachira
• Calum MacKichan
• Elizabeth Sharma
• Boris Rantasa
• Camilla Vote
• Alpha Sennon
• Mahesh Chander
• Peter Casier
Q & A
Moderators: Charles Plummer/Peter Casier (GFAR)

Don’t ask for permission, ask for
forgiveness

Water Land and
Ecosystem promotes a new
paradigm, in which sustainably
managed agricultural food systems
are the key to healthy, functioning
ecosystems and human well-being.
Agriculture doesn’t have to be the
cause of degradation - it can be the
cure.
• Created 2012
• Renamed Thrive 2015
WLE focuses not just on improving yields
and agriculture practices but questions
the paradigm of agriculture production
and food systems –
To change a paradigm we need to change
the conversation
Blog was created to have this hard
conversation

Inform vs Advocate = Engagement
• Extreme -- Science Communication
simply inform and disseminate research to policy
makers (old model)
• Evidence-based
engagement
– injects research results and analysis into
processes that decision makers use in
formulating decisions
– Develop relations, trust and social capital
– gathers feedback from decision-makers on the
information they need to feed future
engagement
• Extreme -- Prescriptive Advocacy
uses scientist’s position to push for a policy
action -- Greenpeace

What is Thrive
If everyone is thinking alike – no one is thinking
•An “ideas space” for discussion on how we can
shift the paradigm to a sustainable food system.
•One way to generate content at start of program
– snowball effect
•Stats (2012-2017):
– 700,000 pageviews
– 500 blog posts
– 900 comments on the blog
– More 1,000 newsletter subscribers
•Connections (up to 2015):
– 174 authors - From 76 Organizations
• 12 CGIAR centers
• 64 non-CGIAR organizations

Strategy #1: Focus on the conversation
• Websites vs Blogs. Created a separate
space for the blog to ensure editorial
independence.
– Website - Promotional
communications-information
provision - corporate face.
– Blog – think space, different points
of view, developing new messages
• Focus on using social media to promote
the conversation – LINKEDin generated
more than 30% of our social media
referrals initially. Many coments

Strategy #2: Tapping into
current and important
conversations
Does Farm size Matter in
Africa
-- more than 100 comments
on linked in discussions
-- More than 15,000 views in
five years
Scalar Disconnect – Debate on
the Mekong
Blog piece 1,000 view
Journal 947 views – top 10

Strategy #3: Ideas repository
• Evolution of WLE Message
– Simon Cook (2012):
Intensification, Benefit Sharing,
Politics
– Andrew Noble (2013): Resource
efficiency, Restore degraded
lands, Reduce risk/uncertainty
– Johan Rockstrom (2015):
Agricultural production,
sustainability and resilience
The ecosystem service community of
practice finds Thrive to be a gem and
increasing the “water cooler” of the
larger community of practice. They find it
fresh, informative, dynamic, and well
presented.
- Fabrice DeClerck, Bioversity

Strategy #4: Writing for an ‘engaged
audience’
Tested out the “PodCast Format”ughtful
writers –
– Terry Clayton, Fred Pearce
•Working with researchers to improve
writing style

Challenges
• Who is the author? Who has the final edit?
– Communicator or Researcher
• Political cases
– Mekong
• Conflicting opinions
– Water Funds
– Integrated Water Management
• Translation
• National/Local participation
• Competition with new blogs –
– The Conversation

Recipe for Success
 Every blog needs a champion
 Take a ‘gardening approach’ cultivate – don’t
plan!
 Coalition of the willing - Face to face
engagement
 Speak the research language
- Gather evidence
 Gain trust
– Makes constructive editing a lot easier
 Active promotion
– Organize, attention to detail, deliver
 Encourage critical discussions: Make sure the
disclaimer is prominent and well-known

New ways to identify key influencers and
market/target content
Kathryn M Clifton

Challenge: Promote
CRS’s tech work globally
with at team of 1?
14

How did I tackle
this challenge? . .
• Follow the numbers
• Hypothesis: Articles that are more popular with
the public will do better with our target audience.

Interpret the numbers into a flexible strategy
16
Theme # of articles
trend 112
meeting 68
warning 49
programmin
g 14
training 13
funding 10
job 10
activist 6
video 6
beneficiary 1
• 2 blogs a month
that represent our
core competencies
• Repost them in
multiple places
• Target key audience

Learn what NOT to do
• We decided to NOT publish blogs
on the CRS website.
• We decided to NOT create our
own write ups for our internal
media center.
• LISTEN TO THE NUMBERS
• TAKE SMALL EXPERIMENTS
• BRING THE NUMBERS WITH YOU
17

Share Successes, Promote Work, and monitor
the Numbers
• Weekly social media write up promoting blog posts that made
it easy for people to share
– Call out internal writers for their good work. Promote them. Publicly
thank them. Promote them.
• BuzzSumo:
– Track email alerts of organizational mentions, promote that content.
– Create a saved list of content and monitor how it does
– Link these numbers up with Power Bi
– Check key influencers promoting your work and in the field.
18

Outcome
• May= 22+ articles.
• Facebook Team has taken small risks with our content.
• Was given a summer intern to assist.
• We have content with 1000+shares.
• We have reposted this content back to USAID forums with varying success.
19

Take small risks, track it,
change as needed, repeat.
20

50th
Anniversary Celebration
- The Success Factor

... In the beginning,
was the Signboard!!
Established in
July 1967
IITA is 50
years old this
year
Golden
Jubilee!!

What are we celebrating?
Progress Over 50 years
Our People
– Staff, Alumni, Partners, Donors, Families
Our Future
– Where we go from here
– Orientation for the future

Challenges
Engaging a diverse group of people for a
historic celebration
Smooth protocol and organization
Ensuring good media coverage
Limited budget

challenge
Communication as Central
A Communication team at HQ and at the Hubs
Engaged press at multiple levels:
– Media Days, Press Conferences
– Ringing of Closing Bell at Nigeria Stock Exchange
– Social Media campaign
– Media corps at event: numerous interviews, etc.
Combined 7th
Alumni Reunion Event

IITA50 sounds NSE
Closing gong
IITA50 at Nigerian Stock
Exchange

Outcomes – Success Factors
• Who’s who attendance list
• Staff and partner engagement
• Increased exposure and visibility
• Good media coverage
• Non-traditional sources of support

GFAR webinar: "Communications Success stories"

Our Goals and Objectives were met!
• Good participation and attendance
• Enhanced visibility and reputation for IITA
• Increased opportunities for resource mobilization
and partnerships
• Enhanced overall morale among staff and partners
IITA is well positioned for the future:
2-day conference “Food Security Futures” planned for
November 24-25 2017
Why we see this as a Success

Communications success story
Anne Wachira

Cool insights for a hot world
(Virtual seminar )
• 2 Days – International Day of Forests and World Water day
• Adobe Connect and YouTube
• 2 physical locations
• 11 Speakers

Comms plan
• Blogs
• Social media strategy
– Introductory posts
– DYK/facts
– Live reporting
– Post event
• Video interview

Analytics
• Facebook
– Reach: 22,747
– PTAT: 551
• LinkedIn
– Reach: 6,148
– Reactions: 85

Analytics
• Twitter (#TreesRCool ) - Hashtracking.com
– Tweets: 593
– Impressions: 4, 891, 868
– Unique accounts: 976,576
• Video
– YouTube livestream: 546
– Scientist Interview: 539

Media coverage
• Reuters
• Farming online UK
• AllAfrica.com

Calum MacKichan
European Plant Science Organisation
A Global Coordinator of the Fascination of Plants Day

How do we
engage in
the public in
plant
science?

How do we
interest in
the public in
plant
science?
The Fascination of Plants Day (FoPD)!!

• The goal is to get as many
people as possible around
the world fascinated by
plants and enthused about
the importance of plant
science for agriculture

• We encourage event
organisers and institutions to
open their doors to the public
and hold interactive
educational plant based
activities for the general public

• We encourage event organisers
and institutions to open their
doors to the public and hold
interactive educational plant
based activities for the general
public
• At locations such as plant
science institutions,
universities, farms, botanical
gardens, museums, schools and
companies

From Europe to the world
• The event was
adopted by
countries
across the
globe
• Our ambition is
to turn the
world green

The FoPD in Numbers
• The first event took place
on 18th
May 2012
• The second FoPD in 2013
– Over 1000 events
• Since then, once every 2
years
– In 2015, 965 events in 56
countries
– In 2017, over 1000 events
in 52 countries

The Global Coordination Team
• 4 people in the FoPD Global Coordination team
– Recruit and communicate with National Coordinators, Graphic
Designer and Webmaster
• 20 National Coordinators in Europe, and over 40 globally
– Recruited from academia on a voluntary basis
– Responsible for adapting the FoPD material into their national
language(s) and culture and disseminating the information to their
national institutions and network of event organisers

The FoPD Website
• www.plantday.org
• “PR Toolbox” with
images, logos and
posters available for
download
• All events uploaded
onto national pages

Leverage Effect of the Global Coordination

• This year for the first
time events were
broadcast online
through “Botany Live”
• Using Periscope and
Facebook Live, 31 FoPD
events were broadcast
• Many of the videos still
available

Please Read our Success Stories

• Thank you for your attention
• For more information: calum.mackichan@epsomail.org

ABOUT US
Marchmont is a boutique communications agency based in London, UK. We offer
award-winning strategic support to clients shaping the course of global
development in areas such as:
We combine our deep sector expertise and
networks with the creativity, insight and rigour
of seasoned communicators.
We believe in the power of a conversation to
change the world.
Best New Agency of
the Year 2016

48,400
FOLLOWERS
345,600
VIDEO VIEWS
1,300
FOLLOWERS
FARMING FIRST
• Farming First is a coalition of 180+
organisations,
• Exists to articulate, endorse and promote
practical, actionable programmes and
activities to further sustainable agricultural
development worldwide.
• Represents the world’s farmers, scientists,
engineers and industry as well as
agricultural development organisations.
• With one shared voice, Farming First
highlights the importance of improving
farmers’ livelihoods and agriculture’s
potential contribution to global issues such
as food security, climate change,
and biodiversity.

OUR APPROACH
1. Purpose & Context
• What are your
business/policy objectives?
• Which audiences will help you
reach these objectives?
• What do we want our audience
to think/feel/do?
• What issues/trends are shaping
the external environment?
2. Insights & Planning
•Which messaging will resonate
with audiences?
•What evidence &
endorsements exist?
•What insight or creative idea
can trigger a change?
•What is our communications
strategy to deliver this?
3. Delivery & Impact
•What activities/tasks must
we undertake?
•Who is responsible for
this?
•What budget is required?
•What KPIs should be
collected?

Lack of deep
understanding of
each SDG2 target
Saturation of SDG
stories/ campaigns
to date
Absence of an
obvious external
news hook
THE CHALLENGE
Provide stories &
evidence to
illustrate each
target
Partner with
relevant event in
NYC
Engage creatively
to catch attention
Context Insight
Policy Objectives
•Ensuring that agriculture remains a key
solution across all SDGs.
•Showing tangible evidence that progress is
being made on SDG2;
•Highlighting achievements of Farming First
supporters in advancing SDG2

Audiences
•High-level influencers (UN, business,
NGOs)
•Development community

What do we want them to
think/feel/do?
•Build the capacity of the agriculture
community to become advocates for the
sector’s role in achieving the SDGs

THE APPROACH
• Created the #SDG2countdown campaign, in which
we explored the five SDG2 targets over five weeks
ahead of Agriculture & Food Day
• The countdown concept conveyed urgency and
progress, and also provided a framework for other
agriculture groups to “crowd in” their content
alongside ours
We created a suite of weekly materials to
bring each target to life:
•Weekly quiz
•Weekly infographic based on quiz answers
•Video series “SDG2 in 2 Minutes”
•Social Media graphics
•Expert blog series
•Sustained social media & blog outreach
•“Made-for-social” video to launch and unite
campaign

AGRICULTURE & FOOD DAY
Agriculture & Food Day Social
Media Partnership
•Created social media graphics for 20+
speakers ahead of time
•#Ag4SDGs was official hashtag of
event, used by high-level stakeholders
•Farming First “owned” the online
conversation of why agriculture is
important to the SDGs
•Created polls for each breakout
session

THE OUTCOMES

•#Ag4SDGs was used by 1,262 accounts creating 39.6
million potential impressions
•@farmingfirst RTs on Twitter increased 581%
•Overall, farmingfirst.org web sessions increased 18% and
average time spent on the site increased by 44 seconds
•Campaign quizzes were played 875 times
•16 campaign videos were viewed 4,457 times
•13 expert views guest blogs were published, including 4
blogs placed in external media outlets
•High-level UN stakeholders such as José Graziano da Silva
(FAO) and Thomas Gass (UNDESA) interacted with the
campaign on Twitter

liz@marchmontcomms.com
+44 (0) 7963 122988
THANK YOU

The #EFUF2016 Communications team
Communications success stories GFAR webinar
12.9.2017
Boris Rantaša, Slovenia Forest Service

The Challenge
1.Bring international audience to the
EFUF.
2.Bring the EFUF to an international
audience.

#Forests2015
Social Media
Bootcamp
Leading NGO
volunteer teams
Blogging and
social media
experience
Inspiration

Idea: #EFUF2016 communications team
• Create a volunteer communications / social media
team to promote EFUF
• Multidisciplinaty, multi-institutional, different
generations – sharing of knowledge and
experience
• Positive, learning, forgiving atmosphere

Creation of a team (roles)
• Manager / motivator
• Professionals/ employees– recognising interest,
pitching, convincing, permission?
• Students – presentations at university, e-mail lists of
societies, interns

Education for communication team
• Seminars: „How to create a good blog post?“
• Workshops & tutelage on using social media tools
• Tutelage on editing photos
• Team members picking up effective & strategic
communication

External infrastructure
• Official website
• #EFUF2016 blog (unofficial website)
• E-mail list (Mailchimp)
• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn group
• Flickr

Blogs = content
• #EFUF2016 blog:
–Blogs from the Communications team
(promotional & personal)
–Invited bloggers (Keynote speakers, authorities
in the field)
–#EFUF2016 blog competition (win a free
conference package!)

Outcome of the promotional campaign
• Received 12 competitive blog posts from 12 different
authors.
• At the end of the competition, blog posts have reached
more than 2800 readers from 90 different countries.
• Over 80 participants from all continents except
Australia and Antarctica  - a truly global forum (30
more than expected)

Live Reporting from the Forum
• Live tweeting from each presentation (at least 1 person)
• Photos put on Flickr after sessions
• Content constantly shared on facebook, twitter, LinkedIn
• Blog posts (interviews etc.) and daily news produced
continuously through the day and published at the end of the
day
– #EFUF2016 blog
– E-mail list (Mailchimp)

Read more (links)
• The #EFUF2016 blog
• Blog posts on how to organise a communications team /
campaign (How to organise a forestry conference in the era of
social media?)
• Personal story about the #EFUF2016 social media team
• EFUF2016 flickr
• EFUF2016 official website

Thank you!
Let‘s keep in touch!
boris.rantasa@zgs.si
•https://facebook.com/boris.rantasa
•https://twitter.com/borisrantasa
•https://linkedin.com/in/borisrantasa

Clowning AroundClowning Around
Travelling Roadshow, 27 – 30 March 2017,Travelling Roadshow, 27 – 30 March 2017,
Champasak Province, southern LaosChampasak Province, southern Laos

Aims and objectivesAims and objectives
1. To diversify smallholder livelihood strategies
2. To reach family members not often involved in the research
& extension process
3. To connect the broader agricultural community
3. To use clowns,
magic & humour to
transfer information
to children as
‘agents of change’
4. To maximise project
resources

Collaborative effortsCollaborative efforts

1. Improved input
management
(fertiliser & water)
2. Non-rice crops for
dry season
production & the
importance of crop
rotation
3. Animal feed
sources (residues
& forages)
4. Mechanised dry-direct seeding
5. Pest & weed management
6. Financial literacy
Common key messagesCommon key messages

Target villages – Champasak provinceTarget villages – Champasak province

Impact & evaluationImpact & evaluation
• 3 days, 3 villages, > 1000 students,
teachers, village chiefs, farmers,
NAFRI researchers, PAFO/DAFO,
AVID tech staff & regional dev
experts, traders, suppliers & private
sector stakeholders
• Formation of amateur clown group,
Maya Ha Hey (OxFam Women &
Water Management, 13 Sept 2017)
• Additional theatrical training
workshops for local youth in
association with NGO
World Concern

• Mobile Acquired
Data: ag-related
information &
general M & E of the
event
• 2 surveys: one post-
show & follow-up
survey one month
later
• Greater sharing of information & resources between GoL
offices e.g. PAFO Crop Section, Pakse; Phone Ngam Rice
Research Centre, Pakse; & NAFRI Coffee Research Centre,
Paksong
Impact & evaluation cont.Impact & evaluation cont.

Follow-up surveysFollow-up surveys
• 50 % indicated that it
was entertaining &
informative
• ~ 42 % of parents
received at least part
of the message
(mostly dry season
crops & fertiliser use
• 10 % indicated that
greater integration of
music/sing-a-long
would be good

Sources of InformationSources of Information

ChallengesChallenges
• Know your audience!
• Adequate sound
gear!
• Get a copy of the
script in English (or
whatever your first
language is)!!

Camilla Vote
Research Fellow (Crop water use & nutrition)
cvote@csu.edu.au

Who Will
Feed 9
Billion
People by
2050?
Present Day: 2017Present Day: 2017
55+55+ 3030 10+10+
DeceaseDecease RetiredRetired
FutureFuture: 2050: 2050
ProfessionalProfessional

What careers 10 year olds
think about?Engineer
Scientist
Lawyer
Doctor
Police
Pilot
Decline in Youth inDecline in Youth in
AgricultureAgriculture

AGRICOOOLTURE
Increase in Youth
in Agriculture
Agriculture

DEAR INNOVATORS:
BREAK THE
RULES
LET THE RULES

Social Media-My Journey
Principal Scientist & Head
Div of Extension Education
ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute
Izatnagar-243 122 (UP) INDIA
mchanderivri@gmail.com
www.ivri.nic.in
Mahesh Chander

I am a Scientist, What We Do?
• Conduct research
• Write Research Papers
• Only a few read these research papers
• Public at large don’t know what we do & write
• We wish our work known to many
• We want to be known widely, but don’t know how
• Social Media offers wonderful platform to spread
the word quickly and to larger audience- less is
more here
• Blogs are more widely read than academic journals
• Thankfully scientists now recognize the potential of
Social Media- big majority yet to know its potential

WCA-2014 changed my life…
• Till 2011- a typical scientist, shying away from Social Media
• 2011- joined FB
• 2012 onwards-Joined FB professional groups
• 2013-first blog for AESA - more of a ARTICLE than a BLOG
• 2014-WCA-2014 launched me into blogging
Thanks to Peter for the blog tips
• Now I Write blogs for GFAR, YPARD, AESA & GFRAS
• 2016- Joined WhatsApp groups
• Admin of several FB groups & active in WhatsApp too
• My SM updates are eagerly awaited by scientists,
students, farmers and many other stakeholders
• I am able to reach more people far & wide than what I
could reached through my research papers

Thanks to GFAR, YPARD, AESA, GFRAS & Peter

Present & The FUTURE
• I am an established Social Media user now
• Scientists & Extensionists recognize & try following me
• I guided one PhD thesis on social Media application
• I Coordinate social Media activities at my institute to
improve visibility of the work scientists are doing
• I get invites to lecture on Social Media
• I am known in scientific, academic and professional
circles-thanks to Social Media
• My self esteem is up & feel more confident
• My Social Media engagement has been professionally
rewarding to me
• Social Media drives me to work more & profile success
stories of farmers-BLOGGING IS MY PASSION

Being active in Social Media Is a challenge…….
• We need to be creative to sustain interest
• We should be engaged in activities worth sharing
• We need to be alert all the time
• We should be aware of Social Media DOs & DON’Ts
You can Master Social Media to do even better…
Wish you all Good Luck…

YAP
Communications with an attitude
Peter Casier (GFAR)

The challenge
• Communications
• ..but more

The process & timeline
• Jan 26th
: Call for sponsors
• Feb 17th
: Call for submissions (3w)
• Mar 16: Results are out
• Apr 2: Start the training

Why “successful”?
• 6 champions
• 428 submissions, 372,000 pageviews
• 64,000 comments (3 weeks)
• Blog subscribers: 105 -> 1,202
• Still most popular, most comments
• Shows youth the power of comms, and networking
• Longer term conversations (YAP group)

GFAR webinar: "Communications Success stories"

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