Campaigns to End Violence against Women and Girls - Virtual ...

questions to ask include: Have any factors that may determine the success of the
strategy been overlooked, or overstated? Have any assumptions been made which are
not based on reliable evidence? Can the necessary resources be mobilized?
The “ask why” test, illustrated below in an example from a public health campaign, is an
easy way to guide such thinking.
Why Ask “Why?”
A good strategy demonstrates not only what is being done, to whom, and how it will be
done, but also why. All statements at every stage of a strategy should provide a clear
rationale. Therefore, the most important question that a strategist can ask when
developing or reviewing a communication strategy is, “Why?”
- Why is this the most important problem?
- Why are urban men aged 18–24 the primary audience?
- Why are you expecting to convince 25 per cent of adolescents to visit health care
clinics?
- Why are you designing a logo when all the partner organizations have their own
logo?
- Why is it important to emphasize the friendliness of providers?
- Why use television when 70 percent of the households do not own television sets?
- Why produce newspaper ads when the intended audience does not read
newspapers?
- Why do you need a poster?
- Why use community participatory activities when you are implementing a national
program?
- Why evaluate all women when the intended audience is rural women ages 20–49?
You should ask “why?” at every step of communication strategy development and at
every level of design. Asking “why?” ensures that everyone and everything stays on
strategy.
Source: O’Sullivan et al., 2003. A Field Guide to Designing a Health Communication
Strategy.
124
Campaigns December 2011