UNU-MERIT Communications: Results & Plans

Howard Hudson, Editor / Communications Coordinator

18 July 2015

Network inspiration

1. Own channels

2. External channels

3. Current partnerships

4. Nascent partnerships

“...more resources are being devoted to innovative means of messaging on our website...

UNU researchers will also continue to be encouraged to work together across UNU institutes…

thus… delivering a truly unique, multidisciplinary perspective.”

Communication pillars

1. Own channels

2. External channels

3. Current partnerships

4. Nascent partnerships

1. Own channels: UNU-MERIT in 2014

• Highest web traffic of all UNU institutes: 109k users / .81m pageviews

• Largest social media: Over 65,700 views on YouTube, 4,000 likes on Facebook, 1,400 followers on Twitter.

Expanding our own channels: Further in 2015

• More blogs: 15 in 2014… 20 in first half of 2015: Partly thanks to comms workshop for researchers & PhD fellows (v. link below)

• Multimedia: More in-house production: audio, photo, video, etc.• Better targeting: Geographic & interest-based audiences, esp. on Facebook

http://bit.ly/1Lyfm59

Expanding our own channels: Social audience

Survey on OW2.0 magazine (2011)- 68% with a university degree - 10% with a PhD- 80% under 40 years

Expanding our own channels: Feedback loop

Facebook > website: Over 83% rise in referrals YouTube: Almost 10% rise in views

Expanding our own channels: Main website

2. External channels

10 PRs since September 2014: mainly research reports & policy briefs

Zero cost: Non-profit accountRecommended to other institutes

Partner of the UK Press Association

External channels: News articles 2014• International: Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, National Geographic, Reuters.

• National: RTBF (Belgium), The Globe & Mail (Canada), Le Figaro (France), ZEIT Online (Germany), Trouw (the Netherlands), Channel 4 News, The Guardian, The Daily Mirror (UK).

External channels: News articles 2014

3. Current partnerships: Comms & outreach• UNU-wide: new ‘sharing economy’ means larger institutes help

smaller institutes, as well as headquarters. - Hosted first UNU comms meeting in Maastricht, May 2014- Led two sessions at UNU comms meeting in Tokyo, June 2015- Now coordinating joint media work: articles, events, outreach, etc.

- Leading comms innovation: New Wordpress website, social media accounts, promotional trailers; now producing UNU-wide multimedia (WWW2015)

Current partnerships: Comms & outreach• EU & UN agencies: often the commissioned or junior partner =

lower visibility. Contractual solution suggested by UNU-EHS. - Untapped potential for work on innovation (EU Scoreboard), migration (UNHCR, ILO, IOM, WB) & sanitation (India, Kenya).

• National governments & international organisations: Good contactsvia DEIP innovation workshops, now with media session. CPR tie-ins?

4. Nascent partnerships: Comms & outreach• Chatham House, London: Member since 2014. Learning from a top global

think tank. Speaker options, e.g. MDG Legacy event, 10 September

• United Nations Regional Information Centre, Brussels: App promotion & launch event, 10 November: ‘World Science Day for Peace & Development’

• World Federation of Science Journalists, Montreal: Events & partnership proposal shared at UNU comms meeting. Interest from migration network.

Postscript 2015: How important is comms?

http://bit.ly/1uevrXs

• World Bank reports, 2008-12(v. link below)

• Never cited: 86%• Downloaded <100 times: 40%• Never downloaded: 31%

• Dead ends = Jargon-filled PDFs• Live ends = Multi-layered approach

via articles, blogs, briefs, op-eds,training & videos in clear language.

Postscript 2015: What’s missing?

• UNU Head of Communications- Little oversight from either Maastricht University or UNU HQ- Need to build relationships with both UN counterparts & press corps in Geneva, NYC & Brussels- Create & maintain partnerships for UNU - Balance interests of all institutes

• UNU Communications Strategy- incl. audience targeting, core messaging, coordination, etc. (last done Nov. 2011)- in order to fulfill our charter commitments:“The University shall disseminate the knowledge gained in its activities to the United Nations & its agencies, to scholars & to the public, in order to increase dynamic interaction in the worldwide community of learning & research.” (Article 1.4)