UNICEF Educational Campaign for Africa: Boom or Bust?

So if a picture is worth a thousand words, what do these images convey? Imagine if you were a tourist in Germany and couldn’t read the ad? What do these images stand alone convey to you?

“I’m waiting for my last day in school, the children in africa still for their first one.”

Is it inspiring? Uplifting? Do they make you want to make a difference?

As a trained social marketing/health communication professional who is mindful of cultural sensitivity in campaign development, I am concerned of the social responsibility of the ad campaign.

This summer I along with communication colleagues from UNICEF, WHO, UNDP and other agencies spent time gaining continuing education in developing global health/social campaigns at New York University in partnership with the World Health Organization by addressing health, educational, environmental and social issues through integrated marketing communication approaches.

And I am not sure if this ad campaign will render the desired results that UNICEF and its donors want.

Well, I could be wrong. However, I ask: who is the audience? what is the objective? was pre-testing involved? how did it resonate to potential donors?

I perceive the goal of the campaign is to encourage German residents to support the educational programs of UNICEF. Smiling children with mud on their face…does it capture the tone and appeal that was MOST affective and LEAST socially responsible and culturally insensitive?

“In africa, many kids would be glad to worry about school.”

By public perception (even a niche market), the campaign can be deemed as ‘dead on arrival, in a minute or in an hour.’ And some people’s eyes (who could have been potential donors), the campaign…is ‘dead on arrival.’

Marketers who don’t do the due diligence of the SWOT analysis, force field analysis, gauging the level of cultural competence, polling of public perception, and understanding of behavior change communication may find themselves in a position of pulling ads and explaining their creative, which is not a professional badge of honor to have.

To say that time constraints and dealing limited resources forces you to develop a campaign in a crunch time at disregard to doing your homework is just professionally irresponsible.

Social marketing campaigns can not be created in a vacuum.

Maybe this campaign will be effective in parts of Germany when niche marketing to Caucasian affluent, educated, and influential audience?

So may say it’s easier said than done with limited time and funding that has to be spend before the fiscal year. I caution that even if the campaign has a quick deadline, it doesn’t matter if the campaign is ‘dead on arrival.’

“In africa, kids don’t come to school late, but not at all!”

However from a socially responsible perspective (when factoring in issues of self-esteem, dignity and respect to the people who are intended benefactors of the campaign), the campaign resonates the infamous ‘blackface’ that visually stings the hearts some in communities of African descent. So though overt irrelevance to the history of race, culture and class may not have been on the forefront of the creative team; it should have been in order to deploy a wide spread campaign.
But let’s have you be the judge! Read one blogger’s take on the campaign.

“Some teachers suck. no teachers sucks even more.”