Modern Public Sector Communications in Northern Ireland · The public sector must challenge itself to operate outside of the traditional departmental silos and across organisational

Modern Public Sector Communications in Northern Ireland

Welcome

The Northern Ireland Public Sector Communications Forum (NIPSCF) has brought together communications professionals from Northern Ireland Executive departments, local authorities and arms-length bodies.

We have listened to your views and experiences and we want to support you to deliver professional communications excellence in your organisations and across the sector.

This guide is a professional programme for communications excellence. It - and the NIPSCF - aims to increase professionalism, standardise and raise the profile and quality of communications across the sector.

We understand that many of you are working in small teams, with limited budget and resource. This guide will help all of you to deliver more to your audiences for less; making the most of what is available to you, and encouraging you to work with peers across the sector.

This guide sets out a new standard for the practice of strategic communication, consistent with the aims of the Programme for Government. We would urge all public sector organisations to adopt the approach, structure, capabilities and skills set out in this guide.

We want to thank all the members of NIPSCF for their hard work, insight, input and commitment to continuous improvement, and excellent public service delivery.

The NIPSCF Steering Group

Michelle CanningHousing [email protected]

Nicky JacksonCabinet [email protected]

Philip [email protected]

Ann WilliamsonDepartment of [email protected]

Keelin KellyConsumer [email protected]

Emma QuinnDriver & Vehicle Agency, [email protected]

Foreword

The creation of a Northern Ireland Public Sector Communications Forum (NIPSCF) and the publication of this guide for public sector communications excellence comes at an opportune time.

We are all aware that for the new style Programme for Government to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland, we must work differently.

The public sector must challenge itself to operate outside of the traditional departmental silos and across organisational boundaries, in partnership with the public, voluntary and private sectors.

That challenge is the same for us in the communications discipline. To develop and help deliver communications strategies and campaigns at the right time to the right target audience, we must be open to new ways of working, new partnerships and new ideas.

The context of our work is increasingly demanding; resources are limited and yet expectations continue to grow.

Against this background, NIPSCF’s commitment to fostering a strong communications profession, of improving skills and sharing best practice is not just a good thing, it is essential.

I have witnessed at first hand numerous examples of excellent work being undertaken by staff in communications teams across the public sector and it is important that expertise and knowledge is widely shared. There are real opportunities to work together to deliver collaborative, impactful campaigns.

The NIPSCF can help to support that work across the public sector as it continues in its efforts to grow its membership, build skills and establish partnerships.

Irrespective of the resources at your disposal or the size of the communications team in which you work, the principles within this guide should be familiar, and can be applied across the public sector.

I am grateful to the members for all their work in developing this guide and I would encourage you to join the Public Sector Communications Forum, and take advantage of the advice, support and expertise on offer.

Chris McNabbHead of Operations, Executive Information Service

ContentsThe Northern Ireland Public Sector Communications Forum (NIPSCF)

NIPSCF for Excellence 7

Small Teams 8

Themes 9

Working Together 10

Modern Communications Teams

Six Core Skills 12

Four Core Functions 14

Governance 15

Tools and Frameworks

The Four Is 17

OASIS and Campaigns 18

Modern Media Teams 19

Evaluation 20

Case Studies

Still Me 22

Go For It 24

Belfast’s Next Top Doggie 26

Bike Speed & Bike Aware 28

Changing Lives, Building Communities 30

6 | Modern Public Sector Communications in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Public Sector Communications Forum

A guide for communications commissioners, leads and practitioners | 7

The Northern Ireland Public Sector Communications Forum (NIPSCF) was set up in April 2016 and is made up of communications professionals from across the public sector.

Aim The aim of NIPSCF is to build skills, establish partnerships and support professional communications excellence in the public sector; putting the citizen at the heart of public sector communications.

Success NIPSCF will help to build a network of well-structured, skilled and unified professionals who communicate effectively, innovatively and talk directly to their audiences. They will be agile and flexible in keeping pace with modern communication methods and in adopting best practice.

NIPSCF Principles Successful and modern public sector communications changes lives for the better, running campaigns that provide powerful, timely and relevant information to allow people to make effective choices. NIPSCF members should adopt the following key principles, that communications must be:audience focused, digital first and evaluated.

Organisations signed up to the model suggested in this guide will assess communication requirements and have the right skills to respond to an increasingly networked society.

Professional PracticeNIPSCF organisations are urged to put communications at the centre of their decision making processes and they should aim to recruit suitably skilled communications

NIPSCF for Excellence

officers who can:• analyse audience needs • create relevant, concise and useful content• build alliances.

Due to the ever changing, multi-faceted nature of modern communications, it is no longer enough to have primary or single specialisms. Whether issuing public information or embarking on campaigns, practitioners are required to use a mixture of traditional and new platforms to reach target audiences.

To successfully plan and implement activity, it is essential that communicators have a range of skills including, but not limited to, media handling, internal communications, marketing and digital, with the ability to evaluate output. Organisations should be committed to the ongoing development of their staff and to sharing best practice. Skills should be aligned to core competencies, for example around the ‘four Is’ of Insight, Ideas, Implementation and Impact.

NIPSCF members benefit from: • Access to regular, communications-specific

training and professional development events with speakers from both the public and private sectors.

• Access to a network of communications colleagues from across the public sector in Northern Ireland, to share best practice, advice and support. This includes the NIPSCF LinkedIn group.

• Opportunities to collaborate and partner with other public sector organisations, where audiences, priorities or objectives align.

• An opportunity to be part of shaping the future of the NIPSCF and of public sector communications in Northern Ireland, by becoming a steering group member.


A Note on Small Teams

Many public sector organisations will not have large communications teams or budgets. In these circumstances, the resources of NIPSCF can assist you in delivering your objectives.

Membership of NIPSCF can help sole communicators or small teams to:

• Keep up-to-date with industry best practice and learn from examples set by colleagues within and outside the public sector. It is a free resource for networking and training.

• Get advice on developing communication strategies.

• Link in with colleagues who have undertaken similar work in the past and establish partnership with other organisations who have similar audiences, objectives and messages to yours. The Common Ground working group of NIPSCF and the register at www.nipscf.com are valuable resources.

• Learn how to create innovative digital content which makes messaging real and relevant to target audiences. This can be done quickly and easily in-house, with the use of free-to-use tools. A list of tools can be found at www.nipscf.com. Make the most of available training and support from NIPSCF and others.

• Develop skills to help you properly measure and evaluate. Thinking laterally about how to measure success with little budget or resource can help prove the value of communications to your organisation. Use free digital and social tools, and make use of existing organisational surveys, events and communications to benchmark and assess campaigns success. Use the NIPSCF network to learn from others about how to evaluate and measure with little or no budget.


As part of NIPSCF’s work, three key themes for public sector communications improvement have been identified:

01 Citizen-Focus Looking into how communications

teams can share knowledge and insight and how we might benefit from each others’ skills, experiences and knowledge to test communications messaging, gain better insight into our audiences, and put the audience at the heart of our communications strategies.

02 Common Ground Looking at identifying core

priorities, audiences, and campaigns, for all Forum member organisations to input into, and from which we can assess where, how, and to what extent collaboration and partnerships between organisations can work.

03 Leadership Identifying best practice in

managing communications with leaders outside of the profession, building the reputation of professional communications in the public sector and getting senior-level buy-in for the development of effective, strategic communications.

Themes

Working groups made up of NIPSCF members from across the sector have been investigating these themes and issues.


Working TogetherCommon Ground Register

As a basis for collaboration, we have identified a number of key areas where there is scope to work together to achieve better results. Whilst we recognise that campaigns run by organisations will differ, public sector communications share common ground in terms of their goals, audiences and objectives.

As all public sector organisations contribute to improving the lives of people and communities in Northern Ireland, we have identified they are unified in a common goal around “Health & Wellbeing”.

Within this theme, we have identified sub-themes as a way to help identify common ground between organisations, campaigns and other communications activity:

• Community Planning• Data Protection• Education• Homes• Leisure• Safety • Waste• Welfare

Building on these themes, a common ground register has been produced to help match organisations for collaborative activity based on common priorities, campaigns and audiences. A collection of useful information and data sources, as well as online tools have also been created.

The register should be used by NPSCF members to identify where they share common ground with others, to help build alliances, improve strategic engagement and inspire each other to work together.

You can access the latest version of the Communications Common Ground register at www.nipscf.com and contribute to the register by sharing your organisations’ stakeholders and priorities.


Modern Communications Teams


Six Core Skills

In order to deliver public sector communications that changes lives for the better, there are a number of core skills that all communications teams need to contain.

01 Audience InsightThe first stage of developing any

campaign is to gather insight - from statistics and data to qualitative research for context. This will enable teams to identify and understand the target audience, appropriate channels and potential partners.

Campaigns must be audience-focused and work across public, private, voluntary and community sector organisations in a collaborative, collective, co-ordinated nature, where possible.

02 Media HandlingIt’s important for every media team

to lead the news agenda and be proactive in placing stories rather than simply follow and react. While responses, rebuttals and corrections are an essential part of the media service, strategic communications to deliver the long-term key messages of organisational policy and operational delivery should be at the core of a modern public sector media team. Horizon scanning and evaluation of output (with changing sentiment rather than volume of coverage as the most basic measure of success) are also essential elements of a successful media team.

03 Campaigns Marketing campaigns should be

strategically planned, to ensure that they meet an audience and organisational need. NIPSCF recommends following the OASIS model outlined in this guide on p.18 and that campaigns should be managed more during implementation and not just planned once. This means campaigns should be continually improved and updated by reacting in real-time to feedback data, evaluation and campaign outcomes.

04 Creative Content There has never been a better time for

the public sector to talk directly to their target audience, using a range of communication channels, (broadcast, print, website, social media etc). The press release can provide the core script to kick-start the creative content needed to explain each organisation’s policies. Creating this content is about providing your audiences with messages in the format they want, which will break through the ‘traffic’ of the modern media landscape. Content, including video, infographics, quote pics and animations, can be produced in-house at low cost, and should tell stories which will resonate with audiences.


05 Internal CommunicationsThis is an essential part of any

modern communications team. Internal communications help the business to deliver its objectives; help staff see the connection between their job and the organisation’s vision; understand employee engagement and what drives it and help managers communicate better with teams. A strong internal communications team needs to be properly integrated with the wider communications function, as well as with HR and departmental leads.

06 EvaluationAll campaigns should be continually

reviewed, refocused in real-time and in response to feedback data, evaluation and campaign outcomes. A campaign should evolve rather than be a rigid process of plan once and evaluate last.

NIPSCF commits to industry best practice standards of evaluation and recommends using the UK Government Communications Service Evaluation Framework. This helps organisations assess their requirements and select the appropriate metrics to manage, plan and deliver robust evaluation of communications activity.


NIPSCF recommends that all public sector communications teams should include some core functions which, whilst requiring different skills, complement and support each other:

01 Strategic Communications

Develops a strategy to support the delivery of organisational priorities, policies and services through planned communications activity. Communication is strategic when it is completely consistent with the organisation’s mission, vision and values, and there is a clear ‘golden thread’ between communication objectives and organisational purpose. Strategic communications provides the plotline for an organisation’s core narrative, gathers insight and evaluates communications work.

02 Media, Digital and Campaigns

Produces publishable content and can flex according to the latest needs of the organisation. Integrated campaigns teams should respond quickly to meet changes in policy or public reaction, but should focus on forward-looking, planned and proactive campaigns which support clear and agreed goals and narrative.

Four Core Functions

03 Stakeholder Engagement

Builds alliances across the public, private, voluntary and community sector to strengthen the message, share content and garner third-party endorsement.

04 Internal Communications

Supports and engages staff to deliver organisational priorities, policies and a culture open to change, creativity and collaboration. The flow of information within an organisation is crucial in motivating and engaging staff to achieve overall aims.


Governance

A modern communications team needs to be aware of the culture, skills and expertise needed for success. We have identified some key themes that should be considered when building, training and managing communications teams, or when looking to evolve and improve the core skills of solo communicators.

Evolving Digital Skills The increasing use of smart phones in every aspect of our life means public sector communicators must keep pace with digital advances. ‘Digital first’ should be the default position for public sector communications, replacing a reliance on traditional media and printed materials. Communicators should take responsibility for keeping abreast of emerging trends, channels and tactics, and upskilling themselves for a changing audience landscape. We need to ensure the most appropriately skilled staff are recruited now and in the future.

TransparencyAll spending on public sector communications should be subject to the same stringent standards of accountability applied across other public sector disciplines.

Common GroundEvery opportunity to work across public sector organisations should be taken advantage of where it is practicable and more cost-effective to do so. NIPSCF will aim to support organisations looking for opportunities to collaborate where there are common priorities, objectives and/or audiences.

ProfessionalismCommunications teams should be resourced with staff with appropriate skills and knowledge developed through professional training and / or on-the-job experience. This is essential for effective communications.


Tools andFrameworks


The Four Is

For more detail on the GCS Competency Framework and specific competencies under these headings for different grades and disciplines, visit www.gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/competency

Having a shared understanding of the competencies we need is at the heart of delivering better communications, with reduced resources.

The UK Government Communications Service has developed core competencies which define not just what it does but how it does it, the skills needed now and those it is likely to need in the future. This is a useful model for all organisations and one which the NIPSCF endorses.

The competencies are split into four key areas which all modern communicators need to be skilled in, despite their specialism or primary function:

ImplementationDevelop and

implement effective communication

strategies and plans. Work with stakeholders and partners to deliver

communication.

3

Impact

Implemen

tati

onIdeas

Insight

The Four Is

ImpactAssess the impact and effectiveness

of communication.Review achievement

of objectives. Identify lessons learnt and

share feedback.

4Insight

Gain an accurate and deep understanding of the issue(s). Use insight to identify

target audiences and partners and to inform

communication objectives, messages

and solutions.

1

IdeasDevelop the

communication strategy and plan. Select channels

and develop key messages and content for target audiences.

Identify evaluation criteria.

2


The OASIS campaigns planning framework is designed to help communicators deliver world class strategic communications.

OASIS outlines the five steps that can help bring order and clarity to planning campaigns, which can sometimes be a complicated and challenging process.

• Objectives

• Audience Insight

• Strategy/Ideas

• Implementation

• Scoring/Evaluation The aim is to help make the planning process simpler and easier to remember.

OASIS is a guide for all communicators, regardless of discipline or organisation, and it applies to every kind of planned communication or campaign. From the most effective way to put out news via press and

OASIS and Campaigns

digital at no cost, to large-scale, multi-million pound behaviour change campaigns.

The OASIS framework will help you develop your plan and inform your thinking. The time it takes to develop a campaign plan varies greatly. For press/digital campaigns your plan may take a few hours, whereas for long term behaviour change campaigns the audience analysis alone may take weeks.

A campaign is a planned sequence of communications and interactions that uses acompelling narrative over time to deliver a defined and measurable outcome. All public sector communications should be viewed in the context of a wider campaign: what is it we want to achieve and where does communications fit in? This way we can ensure that all our work links to a clear objective and we can evaluate the impact of everything we do.

You can find the full OASIS campaign planning guide, and other resources, at www.gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/campaigns

The OASIS Campaigns Planning Framework

Scoring/Evaluation

Implementation

Strategy/Ideas

Audience Insight

Objectives

Feedbackto optimiseimplementation

Review and refresh the approach after each phase of the campaign


Media relations professionals across the public sector deal with issues of the highest importance.

They are at the forefront of communicating policy and responding to events across all of these issues, delivering a vital role in informing the public and supporting the delivery of every aspect of policy and service provision.

Practical ways to achieve these goals include:

• delivering long-term organisational messages

• horizon scanning and planning to assess potential coverage in advance

• creating and seeding stories strategically to showcase policy strategy and operational delivery

• highly-responsive reactive handling capability to explain policy and spike inaccuracy before publication

• evaluation of output based on sentiment rather than volume of coverage as the most basic measure of success.

Five Core Skills for Modern Media Teams

Proactive media handlingMaking announcements | Nations and regions |

Consumer media | BAME | International

Reactive media handlingMedia monitoring | Call handling/rebuttal |

Crisis communications

Digital/content creationDigital | Content creation

Insight and evaluationInsight | Evaluation

The vast majority of teams are already doing this – and doing it very well – but it is important to keep improving. Media teams need to work at pace, become expert in generating content, routinely evaluate and understand how technology will carry on changing the media industry. But the most important set of skills that media relations teams need to have is that aimed at building trustful relationships – with ministers or councillors, with policy and operational colleagues and, of course, with journalists and commentators.

For a more detailed guide to these five core skills, visit www.gcs.gov.uk and search for ‘modern media operations’.

Relationship managementPolicy shaping and corporate |

Integration with other communications | Ministerial and special adviser engagement |

Winning and retaining journalists’ trust


As public sector communicators, it is vital that we demonstrate the impact of what we do and ensure that our work is as effective as possible.

Evaluation allows us to assess our performance in delivering on objectives such as changing behaviour, improving operational effectiveness, building the reputation of our organisations and explaining policies and programmes.

The UK Government Communications Service Evaluation Framework is designed to help standardise the set of evaluation measures collected and reported on for each type of communications activity, and for the range of communication objectives it sets out to achieve. The use of consistent data and reporting means that GCS can draw more meaningful conclusions about its work. It can also assist with benchmarking and target setting. The NIPSCF recommend using this, or the similar AMEC Framework, to plan and undertake robust communications evaluation.

The GCS Framework is based on the latest industry thinking and reflects the needs of a modern, integrated and outcome focused communications function. It clarifies the importance of communicators demonstrating the impact of their activities across all disciplines. It is a useful resource for all communications teams.

Evaluation

The GCS Framework provides a set of valid evaluation measures – outputs, outtakes and outcomes – to collect, analyse and report on for each type of communications activity. It can be used to plan evaluation for low cost and no cost activities as well as paid-for campaigns.

The Framework builds on the eight golden rules of evaluation:

1. Set SMART objectives well before the start of your activity.

2. Think carefully about who your target audience is when selecting relevant metrics.

3. Ensure you adopt an integrated channel approach when evaluating your communications activity.

4. Collect baselines and benchmarks where possible.

5. Include a mix of qualitative and quantitative evidence.

6. Regularly review performance.

7. Act on any insight to drive continuous improvement and inform future planning.

8. Make the link between your activity and its impact on your organisational goals or KPIs.

To download the Framework and for more resources, visit www.gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/evaluation/

Case StudiesGreat work is already going on across Northern Ireland in public sector communcations, and many teams are already showcasing much of the process, discipline and rigour that we have recommended in this guide. On the following pages are just a few examples of the power of planned, strategic modern communications helping to change people’s lives for the better.

Still MePublic Health Agency 22

Go For ItInvest Northern Ireland 24

Belfast’s Next Top DoggieBelfast City Council 26

Bike Speed & Bike AwareDepartment for Infrastructure 28

Changing Lives, Building CommunitiesHousing Executive 30


Still MePublic Health Agency

Still Me is a dementia public health campaign, launched on 20 September 2016. Its aim was to raise awareness of the signs of dementia and reduce stigma and fears about the condition.

Campaign Objectives1. Increase awareness, understanding,

knowledge, and change attitudes in relation to dementia (from a baseline set by pre-campaign survey).

2. Highlight help available for people with dementia and their families/carers.

Audience Target: males and females over 60, as age is a major risk factor for dementia. Secondary: Partners, children, friends and siblings of target audience.

StrategyThrough real-life stories, the campaign strategy aimed to challenge public perceptions about people with dementia and highlight that each person with a dementia diagnosis is an individual with an individual set of circumstances. The individual stories were united with the phrase Still Me.

ImplementationEngagement with stakeholders and service users provided key insights and feedback throughout the campaign process. Following testing with the target audience the Still Me concept was developed for TV, radio, poster, press and online advertising. A leaflet outlining the common signs of dementia was also produced. The campaign signposted people to www.nidirect.gov.uk/dementia for more information. Content on the site included:

• videos of a number of individuals talking about their experience of dementia

• information about the signs of dementia and the difference between these and natural ageing

• steps to take in seeking a diagnosis and medical advice

• how to support those living with a dementia in daily life and the help available for those caring for loved ones with dementia.


Case study 01

Scoring and EvaluationAn evaluation was undertaken following the initial phases of the Still Me campaign that ran from September 2016 to January 2017. A representative sample of 1,000 people aged 16 and over took part in the survey. 86% recognised one or more of the campaign adverts. Of those aware of the campaign:

• 90% found the adverts thought-provoking• 64% felt the adverts were relevant to them• 37% discussed the adverts with family

and friends• 12% found out something new from the

adverts• 14% said the adverts had changed their

attitude to dementia.

The campaign also started to chip away at negative perceptions towards dementia.

• 11% reduction in the number of people saying they would feel unsure about how to chat with someone with dementia (41% pre-campaign falling to 30% post-campaign)

• 11% reduction in the number of people saying they would feel unsure about how to give someone with dementia the help and support they need (52% pre-campaign falling to 41% post-campaign)

• Overall, 64% agreed ‘if I had just been told that I had the first signs of dementia, I would still be able to have a good life.’

Still Me and Modern Communications PrinciplesThe kind of audience-focus shown within Still Me exemplifies a core tenet of this guide. By using real, varied and diverse people to tell their stories about dementia, the campaign ensured that its target and secondary audiences connected with the campaign. Using voices of real people gave the campaign both credibility and heart.

All of the people in the Still Me campaign volunteered and were identified through a number of Northern Ireland voluntary organisations: Dementia NI, Alzheimer’s Society and Age NI. These organisations were identified as having a common goal to improve the lives of those living with dementia.


Go For ItInvest Northern Ireland

Go for It was launched by Invest Northern Ireland in 2002. Go For It works to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs, and gearing entrepreneurs for growth and competitiveness.

Campaign Objectives1. Encourage more people from all

backgrounds to take the first step towards starting a business.

2. Initiate change in the attitudes and perception by making entrepreneurship accessible to all.

3. Create a positive entrepreneurial environment and build a longer-term cultural change towards enterprise.

Underneath this was a need to raise awareness of the support and help available through Business Advisors, and increase web visits and appointments made.

Audience Insight and SegmentationThrough a series of interviews with key stakeholder groups across Northern Ireland, coupled with extensive research, three distinct types of entrepreneurs were identified:

• Intentional entrepreneurs (40% of startup businesses)

• Dawning realisation entrepreneurs (25% of startup businesses)

• Necessity entrepreneurs (30% of startup businesses).

StrategyThe core strategy, identified by workshops, was to tell inspirational stories, particularly of underrepresented groups such as women and young adults under the age of 25, to make the process of starting your own business seem achievable and relatable.

ImplementationResearch was conducted to ensure that the campaign resonated with the three targeted segments. Creative executions were then produced for TV, radio, outdoor, press, digital and online case studies. Influencers, case studies and channels were selected based on their likelihood of reaching the target audience groups.

Using geo-targeted display advertising through the Google Display Network, search marketing, pay-per-click, remarketing, digital sponsorships and social media integration, online campaign efforts were monitored and optimised weekly.

Between October 2012 and October 2016, £968,000 was invested into the Go For It campaign. This was split into:

• Campaign Production and Monitoring £248,300

• Media Placement £653,600• Campaign Research £66,700. All figures are exclusive of VAT.


Scoring and EvaluationBetween October 2012 and October 2016, the Go for It campaign delivered:

• 34,600 enquiries with 45% from online sources.

• 13,590 completed Business Plans. • Average conversion rate of 39% from

enquiry to Business Plan approval.

This resulted in Invest NI helping over 9,300 local start-up businesses and 127 social enterprises, and promoting over 8,600 jobs.

In terms of accessing under-represented groups:

• 40% were women• 12% were young adults under the age of 25• 50% were unemployed • 36% were from the most deprived areas in

Northern Ireland.

The Go for It campaign has won multiple IPA Effectiveness and CIM Marketing Excellence awards.

Case study 02

Go For It and Modern Communications PrinciplesThe Go for It campaign has been adopted by enterprise partners and delivery agents, the Accelerating Entrepreneurship Strategy, Northern Ireland Economic Strategy, Programme for Government 2011-2015.The campaign was audience-focused, and insight-led. Entrepreneur voices were used as as influencers, increasing the appeal to the target audience by using first-hand experience from their peers and inspirations, rather than from a faceless organisation. Following refinement of the online media strategy, the volume of online enquiries reached a monthly average of 56%, peaking at 64% in July 2015.

December 2013 to March 2015Invest NI: Mul -media strategy transi ons into increasing digital focus

New Crea ve Outdoor Facebook Website E-zine


Belfast’s Next Top Doggie Belfast City Council

Belfast City Council ran a no-cost social media campaign to increase dog owners’ sense of responsibility and lower incidences of dog fouling in the city.

The Belfast’s Next Top Doggie campaign sought to encourage behaviour change by tapping into the social media habits of pet owners, and their pride in their animals. Campaign Objectives1. A 25% increase in the number of dog

licences issued during the three months of the campaign (compared to the same time period the previous year).

2. 100 sign ups to the ‘Paws and pick up’ pledge.

3. An increase in reporting of ‘offenders’.

Key KPIs to indicate reach and engagement included:1. 500 more ‘likes’ on the council Facebook

page.2. 500 more followers on Twitter.3. To attract 50 competition entries in Belfast’s

Next Top Doggie.

AudienceTarget: dog owners, to affect behaviour change. Secondary: general public, to raise awareness of the potential dangers and challenge them to report offenders and identify hotspots.

StrategyThe strategy was to reach a wider audience by using a public vote for Belfast’s Next Top Doggie on Facebook to find the new face of the council’s anti-dog fouling campaign. Part of the conditions of entry were that the dog was microchipped and licensed, as well as ensuring owners signed up to the ‘Paws and pick up’ pledge around dog fouling.


ImplementationThe campaign’s main presence was on Facebook, where the first #TopDoggie entrants were entered into a gallery. Traffic was directed to the gallery via Twitter and the website. The competition went on for one month.

The competition featured on local radio as well as print media after press releases were sent out to local media. BBC’s Good Morning Ulster also covered the story on the day of the launch.

The competition launch coincided with pre-planned outdoor advertising as part of the ongoing dog fouling campaign, which included a mix of ads near ‘hotspot’ areas - on buses, trailers and ad bikes. There were also radio adverts, press adverts, and details of the campaign were shared on internal council channels.

Scoring and EvaluationThe campaign exceeded its targets: • Over 200 people signing up to the ‘Paws

and pick up’ pledge.• 40% increase in number of dog licences

applied for compared to same period last year.

• An additional 2,500 ‘likes’ on the council’s Facebook page.

• Approx. 1,000 additional followers on Twitter.

• Post engagement averaging 13k (highest audience reach 32.5k).

• Generated 245 tweets with hashtag #topdoggie in 30 days.

• 200 entries to the competition (117 eligible).

• 3,490 unique page views on the council website.

Case study 03

Belfast’s Next Top Doggie and Modern Communications PrinciplesThe council used audience insight to understand the power of the pet-owning community and the impact of using peer voices to lead the campaign. By thinking digital first, and using traditional media to support a social campaign, rather than vice-versa, the council was able to spread their message widely, despite having no budget. By using real audience insight and citizen-focus to affect behaviour change rather than focusing on negative outcomes, as has traditionally been the case, this campaign put dog owners and their love for their dogs at the heart of the campaign.


Bike Speed & Bike Aware Department for Infrastructure

Bike Speed and Bike Aware are two elements of a Northern Ireland road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcyclist casualties. Launched in March 2015, the campaign aimed to change both motorcyclist and driver behaviour through a mix of TV, radio and cinema advertising, PR, digital and social media.

Campaign Objectives1. Contribute to the reduction in death and

serious injuries to motorcyclists.2. Exceed 50% awareness of the vulnerability

of motorcyclists among road users (measured by campaign awareness).

3. Exceed 50% awareness of the shared responsibility for motorcyclist casualties between biker and driver (measured by campaign awareness).

4. Influence the behaviour of 30% of car drivers and motor cyclists seeing the campaign (using post-campaign survey tracking).

AudienceFocus groups were conducted during the research phase of this campaign, which indicated a lack of empathy between the two groups. This highlighted the need to address both audiences separately. And so; Bike Speed, is aimed at the rider, and Bike Aware, is aimed at the driver.

StrategyFor Bike Aware, the strategy was to raise awareness of driver fault in regard to the vulnerability of motorcyclists. For Bike Speed, the strategy was to focus on urging bikers to consider the emotional wreckage left behind if they are in a collision as a result of speeding.

ImplementationThe decision to go with two messages meant that two separate adverts were developed. The main adverts was developed for TV, and then adapted for radio, cinema, outdoor and online.

The creative was developed taking into consideration the results of the research and the insights provided by the PSNI data collected at the scene of a collision and focus groups.

The digital elements of the campaign allowed for an initial burst of activity using the full advert, as well as additional activity using different elements of the adverts to focus on specific behaviours and situations. The campaign was launched in March, to coincide with the biking season.


Scoring and EvaluationAn evaluation of the campaign was undertaken in March 2015. This has become a running campaign, part of the wider road safety portfolio.

After the initial burst of activity, the tracking research revealed the following:• Overall, 86% of car drivers and 91%

of motorcyclists were aware of either ad, with 69% of car drivers and 72% of motorcyclists aware of both advertisements.

• 94% of car drivers and 90% of motorcyclists stated that the campaign had influenced them, with 68% and 66% respectively stating that they had been influenced a lot.

• 97% of car drivers and 94% of motorcyclists stated that the campaign made them think about their own behaviour as a road user, with 73% and 67% respectively stating that it made them think a lot.

• 97% of car drivers and 99% of motorcyclists believe that it is important that drivers and motorcyclists in Northern Ireland see these advertisements. 83% of car drivers and 89% of motorcyclists believe that this is very important.

Case study 04

Bike Speed & Bike Aware and Modern Communications PrinciplesThe Bike Speed and Bike Aware campaign is part of a wider picture and aligns with the NI Road Safety Strategy 2020’s objective to reduce the number of people killed in road collisions by at least 60% by 2020.The campaign used digital media channels extensively, allowing for a more interactive and two-way discussion with some stakeholders, particularly motorcyclists. A group which in the past with whom it has been particularly challenging to engage.


Changing Lives, Building CommunitiesHousing Executive

The Changing Lives, Building Communities campaign documents the story of an interface community in North Belfast on their journey to remove a peace wall.

It focuses on the organisation’s work in facilitating and relationship building between the communities. Research shows that almost 94% of social housing estates remainsegregated in the city.

Objectives1. Promote understanding and communicate

the Housing Executive’s cohesion strategy.2. Showcase our work in leading the way

in challenging segregation and building peace.

3. Generate publicity and promote public and political discussion on our work/shared future.

4. Give interface communities a voice.

AudienceThe audience comprised of both internal and external, with a focus on communities who continue to live at interfaces in a post-conflict society.

StrategyIn February 2016, the Housing Executive launched its cohesion strategy. Much of the public conversation was around ongoing segregation rather than the ground-breaking work of the organisation. Community advocates also reported negative experiences. The campaign set out to reverse negative coverage. This was done through a specially commissioned film, showcasing the peace building work of the Housing Executive, unique in NI and the UK. The campaign was developed and implemented in-house with a budget of £4,060 for filming and photography.

ImplementationAn external and internal campaign was developed to represent the story of those living on both sides of the interface. Central to that was the film Changing Lives, Building Communities, available at: http://bit.ly/2wL8sro. The decision was taken not to pre-publicise the removal of the wall, however a film-maker and press photographer were present to document the historic moment. In the immediate aftermath the Housing Executive provided broadcast quality film footage and press-ready photos to the Irish media of the wall coming down as well as a prepared release. The community led on media interviews. There was also a social media campaign to raise awareness and kickstart discussion, #peacewall.


Changing Lives, Building CommunitiesHousing Executive

Scoring and Evaluation We recorded the highest ever social media reach along with 15 positive print and online articles in daily and local media within 24 hours.

In August 2016, a multi-platform campaign to promote the film with a cross-community day held at the interface reached audiences stretching as far as the USA after the work was highlighted by local and national media. The Housing Executive has secured additional funding for its interface work.

The film has been shown to academic institutions in the UK as evidence of our peace work and the project has picked up four awards in the PR and housing sectors. The peace wall project was funded by the Department of Justice and supported by IFI Peace Walls, PSNI, Belfast Council and is part of the Programme for Government.

Case study 05

Changing Lives, Building Communities and Modern Communications PrinciplesReal, meaningful audience insight and an understanding of what the walls – and their removal – mean to those living in interface communities, was at the core of the work carried out by the Housing Executive – and at the core of the campaign’s success. Telling real stories and putting communities at the heart of the campaign led to real audience engagement, and believable, authentic voices leading the campaign.

Key contacts and leads

The NIPSCF Steering GroupNicky Jackson, Cabinet OfficeMichelle Canning, Housing ExecutiveAnn Williamson, Department of HealthPhilip Maguire, nidirectEmma Quinn, Driver & Vehicle Agency, DfIKeelin Kelly, Consumer Council

Common GroundEmma Quinn, Driver & Vehicle Agency, DfI (Chair)Lynda Hughes, Housing ExecutiveRegina Mackin, Newry, Mourne and Down District CouncilGary Sullivan, Mid & East Antrim Borough CouncilVictoria Poole, Education Authority

Citizen FocusPhilip Maguire, nidirect (Chair)Alison Goddard, Lisburn and Castlereagh City CouncilUrsula Mezza, Mid Ulster District CouncilPatrice Morris, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young PeopleMargaret McCrory, Public Health AgencyAnna Shiels, Northern Ireland OfficeUna McCambridge, NI Fire and Rescue Service

LeadershipMichelle Canning, Housing Executive (Chair)Vicky Newman, Department for the EconomyNicky Jackson, Cabinet OfficeJennifer Pleavin, Invest NIJeanie Johnston, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust

Professional StandardsAnn Williamson, Department of Health (Chair)Frances Byrne, Education Authority Eamon Deeny, Northern Ireland OfficeKeelin Kelly, Consumer Council

Northern Ireland Public Sector Communications Forum

@NIPSCommsDesign:Niall McGlinchey

Documents

Modern Public Sector Communications in Northern Ireland · The public sector must challenge itself to operate outside of the traditional departmental silos and across organisational