How to develop a national advocacy campaign?

Maria BrandaoConsultant to Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals

at Burson-Marsteller Brussels

IF Workshop, Brussels, 28 June 2011

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What is advocacy?• Advocacy by an individual or by an advocacy group normally aims to influence public­policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions

• Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organisation undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research, polls, briefings, position papers, etc

Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy

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What can YOU gain from advocacy?

• Public recognition, increased awareness of and mobilisation for your issue...

• ... Leading to POLICY CHANGE...

• ... that will improve in the LONG TERM the situation                     for your organisation and the issue you are defending

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How can you start an advocacy campaign in your country?

The five step process

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Step 1: Monitoring

Step 2: Information & Analysis

Step 3: Strategic Consideration

Step 4: Develop and key messages and communication tools

Step 5: Advocate: make noise

Development phase

Implementation phase

Five step process for an effective advocacy campaign

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Monitoring:What’s happening?Who’s doing what? How canyou benefit from or shape the environment toreach your objectives?

Tips: Mozilla Firefox, Google alerts, etc

Information and Analysis:Map stakeholders and developments you canuse/leverage (e.g. Guidelines, policies, etc).Identify potential opportunities versuschallenges early enoughTips: make sure you get facts and figures ofinterest to your country

Strategic consideration:Develop your strategy based on the information& analysis, and set out objectives, actions,responsibility and timeline! (e.g. European andnational plans in key countries)

Tips: make sure you track down your activity asit will help you keep focused!

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Develop key messages and other tools:­Identify which stakeholders you will bereaching out to, what you will tell them and withwhich objective in mind­Develop messaging accordingly

Tips: use message houses to structure yourmessages and make sure you include evidence

Advocate: make some noise­Reach out to stakeholders identified in step 2, set up a meeting and follow up accordingly on next steps (e.g. Establish collaborations, get them to speak up about your issue, discuss funding)­ Organise an event and generate media attention (e.g. Policy event or media luncheon)­ Disseminate communications tools widelyTips: Prepare, know what you’re asking each partner to do and be ready to give them something in return

Message House

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Key Message 1

(Context)

Key Message 2

(Relevance)

Key Message 3

(Difference)

The Story in 30 seconds

Supporting facts and examples

Supporting facts and examples

Supporting facts and examples

Case study: The EU NTD advocacy campaign

Objectives1. Move the debate on NTD prevention up the EU policy agenda and from the food to the public health arena

2. Develop partnerships with credible  3rd parties to improve the visibility of your organisation and the NTD issue

3. Secure the inclusion of  NTD prevention in healthpolicy  programmes (e.g. rare diseases) and education

Case study: The EU NTD advocacy campaign –RESULTS at regional level

Improved visibility of the NTD issue and debate being held in public health arena Dissemination of key messages via postcard campaign Dissemination of 2000 copies of the report to policy makers, healthcare community (e.g. congresses) and online (e.g. Commissionwebsite)

Members of the EP published questions and Commission’s Heath Department (DG SANCO) expressed commitment to NTD prevention

Secured  partnerships and political support to be leveraged           if/when needed (e.g. with MEPs, EFCNI, etc.)

Secured policy successes that will last in the long­term NTD prevention to be included in the EU Rare Disease Road Map Maternal health dimension in EP report on health inequalities

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Coming up soon...

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Strengthening partnerships with importantpartners and exploring activities of mutualbenefit not only at EU but also at national level

Publication of studies on NTDs in medicaljournals

What can you do?Publish them online and disseminate them toyour contacts

Publication of the 2nd report on NTDs

What can you do?Coming up later today

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Any questions?

Thank you for listening!

How to leverage advocacy activities and the report at national level?

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Maria BrandaoConsultant to Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals

at Burson-Marsteller Brussels

IF Workshop, Brussels, 28 June 2011

About the 2nd report on NTDs

1. Partners

2. Concept: focus on policy impacting NTD prevention from a horizontal perspective

3. Key messages1. Little has happened in the last 20 years and no progress                                 

since the first NTD report2. More can be done in the area of prevention14

Led the drafting and  sponsored (MC and Bayer)

Supported with dataEndorsed                           (partly or fully)

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About the 2nd report on NTDs

Our call to Action1. Adopt and align recommendations of folate acid intake with WHO standard and monitor their 

implementation by healthcare professionals

2. Raise awareness in women of childbearing age and the healthcare community (for example, include messages on prevention of NTD and the importance of folate levels in health and sexual education curricula)

3. Ensure NTD prevention is included in related policy (e.g. Rare Disease, Health Inequalities, Nutrition, etc)

4. Continue funding European registries and push for more and better collection of comparable data 

5. Investigate further the costs of food fortification and supplementation strategies

6. Explore new methods to raise folate levels of women of childbearing age including the value of food fortification  and supplementation strategies

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How to create some noise about the report? 

How can you leverage the 2nd report on NTDs at national level?

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Get the report adapted to your nationalsituation, translate it in your language & secureforeword by key national personality (policymaker, Key Opinion Leader, etc.)

Use it as a point of entry to discuss the issuewith policy makers, Key Opinion Leaders andother 3rd party organisations and identify yournational champion to ensure he/she voices yourkey messages!

Disseminate it online, in your publications andask partners and policy makers to do the same(e.g. Post it on Ministry of Health website)

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Disseminate it (e.g. at stands, in meeting packs,etc.) and secure speaking opportunities at yourpartners’ congresses to present it

Work with a Key Opinion Leader to exploreauthoring a feature article

How can you leverage the 2nd report on NTDs at national level?

Collaborate with national partners on a launchevent with media campaign to present reportfindings

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Any questions?

Thank you for listening!