Media & information flow in market systens development

INFORMATION FLOWS within Market Systems & Value Chains

Delivered in Mombasa, Kenya at the Kenya BDS Donor Coordination Group Pre-Conference Training

December 2012

Trainers:

Mehrdad Ehsani, Kenya Markets Trust

Clement Tulezi, Kenya Markets Trust

Curriculum developed by:

Mike Field, Adam Smith International

Margie Brand, EcoVentures International

Richelle Matthews

BUILDING CAPACITY IN

MARKET SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

Key learning: Recognize and leverage multiple formal and informal

points of information transfer within the market

Recognize and encourage private sector promotions as

central mechanism to sharing market information

Recognize and strengthen media as its own value chain

to leverage change in markets

Part One:

Understanding and Leveraging Information Flows Recognize and leverage multiple formal and informal points of information transfer within the market / value chain

Multiple Information Sources in markets

x x x x

x x x x

x x x x

x x x x

Want more than just a single source of

information

Want multiple sources of information that together build

a picture of the message

• All the sources do not have to give all the information

• All the sources do not have to be ongoing, but could act as a stepping stone to change

Information flow: Water flowing through healthy rivers is like the flow of information through healthy market systems / value chains

Good quality: • Clear (transparent, honest) • Constantly flowing (not held as

source of power)

• Readily available • Tried and tested paths

(evidence-based)

Accessing Multiple Points of Information

This is Susan. She is a subsistence maize farmer in the western part of Kenya. She is semi-literate. She lives in a rural area about 50 km from a large town. She heard from her neighbour that there is a new type of input that she could use on her maize.


She wants to learn more about this. Her questions are ... • What are these inputs? • How and where can she

access them? • How must she use them?

Where and how can Susan learn more about the

inputs?


• Input Shop

• Family and friend network

• Local leader

• Extension worker

• NGO

• Community training

• Posters

• Television

• Radio

• Newspaper

• At the market

What if Susan has no access to quality information?

… It is not easily and readily available

… It is not a good quality

… It is not clear and transparent (it is dishonest)

… It is not constantly flowing (but is held by some sources as a show of power or influence)

… It is not based on tried-and-tested evidence


What if Susan has no access to quality information?

She may purchase the wrong type of inputs, which would affect her production

Someone could cheat her

There could be no feedback back to retailers or others on the inputs

She could negatively impact her neighbours’ crops and create poor social capital

She may spend more than she needs to … and on the wrong inputs


Examine Push & Pull of information

PUSH: Want to identify ways to PUSH information through the system

PULL: Want to identify incentives to PULL information through the system and provide feedback back into the system

Information & Influence Mapping

Map the sources and flow of information and influence between each market actor in the market system / value chain in which you are operating.

Good quality: • Clear (transparent, honest) • Constantly flowing (not

held as source of power)

• Tried and tested paths (evidence-based)

• Readily available

Global Enabling Environment

National Enabling Environment

Financial (cross cutting)

Input Suppliers

Sector specific providers

Cross-cutting providers

Processors/Traders

Wholesalers Exporters

National Retailers

Global Retailers

Producers

What makes information flow between producers and their buyers and suppliers more or less effective?

Information flow between producers, buyers & suppliers

Ineffective Information Flow: Effective Information Flow:

One-off communication Long-term with repeat communication

Limit upgrading (investments and improvements)

Promote upgrading (investments and improvements)

Do not guide effective upgrading: Information provides no clarity to time and resources investments

Guide effective upgrading: Information provides guidance for where time and resources should be invested

Lack open communication and transparency

Have open lines of communication and transparency

Information retained as source of power in market

Information shared

Is not mutually beneficial Is mutually beneficial

Increase cost inefficiencies Reduce costs

Limit ability to respond to changes in market

Support greater responsiveness to changing market

Reduce market confidence Building market confidence (e.g. enhancing access to better quality or more affordable information can shift self-perceptions from being price-takers)

Types of Information Vehicles

Multiple Information Sources in markets • What are sources of information in markets?

All have their own interests!

All are effective at different times for different purposes…

Media Self-Interests

All media has its own self-interest

Can you think of examples?

Why is this important for market facilitation practitioners to recognize?

How could we subtly work with or work to change this for the benefit of the poor?

Leveraging different information channels

Between two people or smaller group of people

Generally immediate feedback

Better understanding of recipient

Addresses large/ diverse group of people

Feedback not immediate

Hard to confirm recipient of message

INFORMAL Interpersonal

Communications

FORMAL Mass Communications

• Telephone • Face-to-face • Small meetings • Letters • Formal reports • Community

meetings

• Firm-to-firm feedback & communication

• Television • Radio • Print (e.g.

newspaper)

• SMS platforms • Internet • Outdoor media

(e.g. billboard)

Equally powerful for influencing market actors BUT scale and replication differences

• What are the messages that Shamba Shape-Up is trying to share?

• What behaviour is it trying to change?

• Is it an effective or less effective form of communication to poor, smallholder farmers by market actors?

• What could even more effective strategies or channels be that could be used by market actors?

Case Study: Shamba Shape-Up TV Series, Kenya

Strengthen Push & Pull of information

PUSH: Want to strengthen ways to PUSH information through the system

PULL: Want to strengthen incentives to PULL information through the system and provide feedback back into the system

Case Study: Coffee sector in Uganda Bulema Coffee Factory USAID’s LEAD Uganda project

Bulema Coffee Factory Business as Usual …

• Bulema coffee factory provides hulling services to farmers at a price; this service costs more to operate when the coffee is wet. Bulema also buys coffee from farmers

• Buying agents travel to the field at harvest time and buy coffee from farmers; they bring it back to the factory warehouse

• Buying agents who work for Bulema offer subjective prices to farmers (e.g. based on observations, biting the bean)

Future …

• Use equipment and processes to transparently assess coffee quality against standards (i.e. moisture meters, screens for bean size)

• Use various channels (media and radio, in-person outreach events, market days) to communicate pricing and quality parameters.

• Offers training and public information services to farmers.

• Offers premium pricing for quality coffee – prices are differentiated based on specific end-market requirements

• Establishes strong trust relationship between agents and farmers

• Provides support, advice, connections to input services and suppliers - to improve volume and quality of coffee supplied

Bulema Coffee Factory

Future … • Gives farmers feedback on how they

are performing with respect to coffee quality standards, and specific advice on how to improve in the following season

• Gives performance incentives – cows, goats, recognition, and prizes – to high-performing suppliers

• Markets coffee aggressively to buyers, meets their requirements, and is able to secure higher prices because meeting end-market requirements

• Expands hulling operation, improves its management and achieves lower operating costs for factory

• As market requirements change over the years, Bulema is able to manage supply chain and meet current market demands

Bulema Coffee Factory

Case Study: Coffee sector in Uganda • What is the role information flows

are playing in this firm’s business?

• How can the business use media to address some of the information flow issues?

• What are the benefits of using media this way?

Project Facilitation Role

What do you think

the role of the project

could be in supporting access to information?

Part Two:

Using Market Actors as key information-sharing mechanisms Recognize and incentivize the private sector as key mechanisms to sharing market information

Using Market Actors as key information-sharing mechanisms

• What are ways that market actors (public or private) can be used to share information into the market system?

Examples

Marketing

Promotions

Competitions

Discounts

Demonstrations

Embedded technical support

Customer loyalty programs

Education-based

Promotional Events

Promotional events that:

• Give smallholder farmers an ability in their village to learn, see demos, and ask questions

• Education-based (contain educational info)

• Targeting solutions (not individual products)

• In local communities (such as local open-air markets)

Education-based promotional events targeting solutions

Why:

• Stimulate information flow in the marketplace

• Create higher comfort level and more trust with the market actor

• Lead to testimonial information-sharing (advertising) that is high effective with smallholders

Buying

Discounts

Discounts that are: • Targeting solutions (not individual

products) • Driving high volume orders and

bulking of orders • In local communities (such as at local

open-air markets)

Buying Discounts

Why:


• Discounts lower the financial risks of farmers to try new products and services


• Discounts that incentivize trialing new products create a higher comfort level and more trust with the market actor (e.g. with the input provider)

Local

Contests

Contests that are:

• Targeting solutions (not individual products)

• In local communities (such as at local open-air markets)

• In-person (e.g. planting, picking, or ploughing contests) or local radio-show contests

Local Contests

Why:



• In-person contests create more diffused and effective demonstrations by having multiple farmers test a product / service under supervision of input firm

• Create a higher comfort level and more trust with the market actor (e.g. with the input provider)

Case Study: Private Sector Leveraging Media Obuoba FM and Golden Stork ADVANCE project Ghana Primary implementer: ACDI/VOCA. Donor: USAID

Engaging with consumers and injecting new information into interpersonal networks

Highly successful agricultural competition:

• Partnered with Golden Stork (input company) to offer a radio contest on inputs

• Winners answered questions on air from content that had been discussed in the program, won product (inputs, and a backpack sprayer

• To receive the prize all winners needed to attend a training at the radio station on how to use the inputs properly

• Gifty had never learned how to use inputs, and was so happy with knowledge that she shared this with the rest of community network

• Gifty established herself as a distributor of the product within her community

Obuoba FM & Golden Stork

Customer Loyalty Programs

What: • E.g. specials for customers with

certain number of repeat purchases • E.g. part of buyer clubs

Customer Loyalty Programs

Why:


• Create a higher comfort level and more trust with the input provider


Leveraging market actors’

Marketing & Promotional activities

Market actors’ marketing & promotions as information-sharing mechanism

Market systems that function well have a high degree of marketing and promotional activities

Marketing & Promotional Activities benefit the flow of information in the system because they are:

Informational

Cost effective

Help customers have choices

More informed buying decisions

Build relationships & ongoing source of information

Supports application of information through decreasing risk of trying new things

Private sector marketing & promotions as information-sharing mechanism

Benefits Example: Benefit to smallholders

Informational Provide information to smallholders on what is available in the market (e.g. what new herbicides or soil testing services are available) and even how to use it (e.g. when the promotion involves demonstrations)



Cost effective Are absorbed by the firms as part of their targeted promotional activities directly to their new or existing customer base, rather than being separate general information campaigns





Provide comparisons on different products and services available from one retailer or even between retailers (e.g. what are different types of seeds or pesticides that smallholders might choose from)






Informed buying decisions

Provide comparisons on characteristics of products/services and which situations they are most useful for. Helps smallholders make more informed choices (e.g. which sprays to use when)








Build relationships

Develops ongoing relationships with smallholders as customers and therefore an ongoing information source








Build relationships

Develops ongoing relationships with smallholders as customers and therefore an ongoing information source

Supports application

Promotions could mean that products or services are available at lower cost through discounts to smallholders, incentivizing them to try out the new info as there is less financial risk in doing so

Marketing & promotions as information-sharing mechanism

• Think about what information flows might be needed within the market systems that you are working in

• Discuss examples of where a private (or public sector) promotion or marketing tactic by a retailer, buyer or other market actor may be able to provide this information and influence

Benefits

Informational

Cost effective


More informed buying decisions

Build ongoing info source

Supports application of information

Case Study: Input Supply Retailer with Agents Inputs Sector in Kenya Dfid’s Market Assistance Program (MAP)

Hand outs: Summary of Magos Input Supply case

Magos the Input Retailer

In the beginning:

• Had one retail outlet with no other distribution channels

• Accepted cash only

• Had no regular promotional activities

• Had links to a small spray team which did not use much

• Had no embedded information as part of his product and service offering

• Was product not customer-focused

Magos the Input Retailer Expanded retail outlets: • Has multiple retail outlets

Expanded reach to rural areas by setting up field agent network: • Has field agent teams • Field agents accept orders • Field agents discuss inputs with the

farmers • Farmers can pre-order the inputs

Runs Promotions: • Input stalls (demonstration, ordering

and sales) set-up in different rural towns on their open-air market days

Makes deliveries: • Has invested in a van to make

deliveries to rural areas


Expanded Financial Services:

• Accepts M-PESA is a form on payment both in the store, at the open-air market promotional stores, and at the delivery van

Links to 3rd-party Suppliers:

• Refers farmers to spray services and directly signs farmers up for appointments during open-air market days

• Starting to distribute soil testing kits and collect soil testing samples on commission basis for soil testing company


Setting up management information system and customer research tool:

• Testing cell phone research tool to keep in contact with customers, take orders, and research usage and needs

Provide Technical Assistance through Embedded Services:

• Provides information on how to use and apply inputs effectively and safely as part of the sale of products through sales agents


What do you think


was?

Project Facilitation Role Agent Model:

• Introduced idea of agent model through meetings / presentations

• Organized study tour to Zambia to see model at work (smart subsidy to cover travel costs)

• Will be supporting trainers on how to train agent network

Promotions:

• Introduced idea of input stalls at open-air market days

• Covered initial transport costs (smart subsidy that had a rapidly decreasing cost share model)

3rd-party Supplier Linkages:

• Introduced idea of promoting linkages to spray service teams to increase customers for his other inputs

• Introduced to soil testing facility

Management information system and customer research tool:

• Introduced to SMS research tool

Crowding In

Incentives

Demonstration Effect

Upgrading

Exit Strategy

Buying Down Risk

Incentives

• Understanding and building on the drivers (interests and motivations) of the actors to take on a new behaviour (take on or participate in a new activity)

• May be social, personal, financial, etc.

• Agrovet and 3rd-party support services want to grow their businesses and make higher profits, by: • developing better relationships

with customers (for repeat sales from farmers)

• reaching new customers (by selling to new farmers in rural areas)

• making more sales (by making it easier to order, access and pay for their products)

Buy-down risk • To demonstrate the benefits of

new market behaviours, a project might decide to decrease (“buy down”) the risk of a market actor trying out the new behaviour - using strategic “smart” subsidies.

• It may seem too risky for the market actor to bear the cost and time of taking on the behaviour/activity on their own for the first time

• A cost share was used by the project to share costs for the open-air market day promotional stalls as a demonstration to agrovet that this would indeed bring in more customers and sales.

• The project covered a rapidly decreasing % of the cost of transport for the first 10 open-air market days

Demonstration Effect •Effects on the behaviour of

individuals or firms caused by observation of the actions of others and their consequences

•Uses early behaviour change adopters as examples / models

•Goal: deepen ownership of behaviour changes in the value chain actors, and broaden the change throughout the value chain so that it becomes a “norm”

• Other input suppliers

(agrovets) see how successful the agent network and rural market day promotions are, and start setting up services to reach poorer farmers in rural areas.

Upgrading Investing time, money or other resources into improving the enterprise - Process upgrading (new

production techniques or improved technology)

- Product upgrading (improving the product or other product lines)

- Functional upgrading (improving skills)

• Invested in new technology to

improve his business (M-PESA payments, cell phone customer research tool)

• Invested in bringing in new partners to be able to offer a more sophisticated range of products and services

• Invested in improving skills and buying new equipment to run local promotional events

Crowding-in

• Interventions catalyze or bring in other players and functions into the market system so that it works better for the poor.

Can result in: • Expanded breadth (more

transactions in the market) • Expanded depth (supporting

functions) • Expanded reach (new areas or

markets)

• Increasing number of agrovets may see the success of a business strategy to target rural farmers, and start copying or adapting the activities of the agrovet

• Increasing number of support service providers are seeing the benefit of partnering with agrovets to target poorer producers (spraying, soil testing, …)

Exit Strategy •Stopping investments in a

certain activity once a certain level of uptake or behaviour change has been reached.

• “Rolling exit strategies” stop cost-sharing, using a wait-and-see approach, to see if a market actor self selects to take on an activity by themselves, showing that they have the ownership and capacity to continue without the project’s support.

•The project stopped cost-

sharing open-air market day stalls as the agrovet started seeing value and demonstrated the ownership, capacity and means to take on the activity

•The project planted the idea of an agent network, but waited to see if the agrovet took the initial steps to put this in place before investing more time and money into strengthening the network.

Part Three:

Media market system as a leverage for change Recognize and strengthen media as its own value chain to leverage change in markets

Media: People see and hear information … but what actually influences them?

Wealthiest

Poorest

Media Poor

Media Rich

Rad

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Bro

adcast Televisio

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Cab

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Magazin

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New

spap

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Mo

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Intern

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Potential of rural radio to impact poverty through behaviour change in market systems

Why the focus on radio?

Among three main categories of mass media tools - radio, television and print media - influence of rural radio at a local level cannot be denied

Improving the content, listener orientation, and proactive advocacy of radio on behalf of its listenership is a critical piece to achieving sustainable poverty reduction

Interventions in rural radio and media can provide attributable gains to income in select market systems / value chains

Media … traditional role for media providers in rural areas

Content driven by advertizers paying for advertizing space

(e.g. Radio’s Pay-to-Air Model)

• CONTENT: Limited ownership over content

• AUDIENCE: Limited value placed on audience

• ADVERTIZERS / SPONSORS: Limited understanding of needs of clients

• ADVOCACY: Limited advocating on behalf of their audience

• Advocate / Watchdog

• Advocate on behalf of audience

• Market Connector

• Understand needs of clients

• Investigator •Value placed on audience

• Educator / Information Provider

• Ownership over content

Content Audience

Advocacy Clients

(Advertizers / Sponsors)

Media … new Influence-Advocacy model to strengthen market systems

Content Audience

Advocacy Clients

Understanding characteristics of their Audience: What media needs to sell:

• Audience segment • Ability to influence that audience!

What media needs to do:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of audience through market research and strategic interaction

• to understand who precisely is listening and what they want to hear (interests, demographics, needs)

• Become more responsive to needs of the audience, in sectors that are working


Content Audience

Advocacy Clients

Understanding their Clients: What media needs to do:

• View sponsorship and advertising relationships as core to their business model and sustainability

• Understand range of client segments in order to have tailored pitches / proposals

• Create client relationships and mechanism to track on-going clients’ perceptions, expectations, and satisfaction


Content Audience

Advocacy Clients

Content Ownership and Quality Control:

Advertizers respond to content, therefore … What media needs to do:

• Building quality and credible content that will

promote strong relationships with their audience

• Actively take on information provider/educator, watchdog/advocate, and market connector roles, by owning their content, as opposed to sponsors/advertisers directing it

• Generating content that is demanded by audience segment to increase number of listeners, build trust, loyalty, and ultimately influence


Content Audience

Advocacy Clients

Advocacy:

What rural media (eg radio) has potential for:

• Shape public dialogues that form community rules / standards

• Influence masses and act as advocate or watchdog on behalf of audience

• Give poor people a voice to make their opinions, grievances and ideas known

• Reveal hidden public or private sector wrongdoing or incompetence, point out important, but ignored, community issue that require resolution, or highlight unfair or unjust treatment of particular groups or individuals

• Deepen trust levels and increase ability to influence audience


Listeners are engaging with the identity of the station

An influential station becomes a part of the listeners community

Media in the role of Advocator for it’s audience

Radio as an

effective outreach medium among the rural poor

Media market system value chain map

Government Sources of

Information

ICT companies Media Houses

Private sector eg. input suppliers, banks

Audience

Skill Centre: Universities /institutes

Media Research Companies Advertisers

Advertising Agencies

News Agencies Journalist Associations/Free lance

Consumer Associations

Advertising Agencies

Info on Media Habit

Readers Statistics

Services

Services

Improved Programming

Media Consumption Data

Quality Info Service

Legislation Lobbying

Information/Advocacy/market linkages

$ $

$

$

$

$

Time/ Attention

$

Services

Services

Case Study: Strengthening Radio sector in Kenya Radio Nam lolwe, Nyanza

Dfid’s Market Assistance Project (MAP) Kenya Markets Trust

Engaging with Consumers and Injecting New Information into Interpersonal Networks

Radio Nam lolwe In the beginning …

Audience: • Had minimal understanding of audience. • No focused effort to begin to engage with audience • No data on audience based on reputable research Relationships with Advertisers / Sponsors: • Not developing tailored marketing proposals for clients • Not actively seeking out advertisers • Proposals were lengthy and convoluted • Focused on Pay-to-Play - so did not focus on building

long-term relationships with advertisers • No strong revenues from program – believed that no

high interest amongst sponsors to advertise Content: • Content generated mostly from the internet - read by a

presenter • Existing agricultural radio show • Focus on a Pay-to-Play business model, so did not have

control or ownership over their content, unsustainable • Used SMS technology to interact with audience • Not actively developing content that put them in role

of educator/ information provider, advocate/investigative or market linker

Now / near future …

Audience

• Starting to realize that don’t have very much information about audience

• Beginning to understand that need that information to develop tailored marketing proposals to clients

• Expressed interest in buying listenership data from Synovate

• Presenting offers to advertizers that add value and offer multiple touch-points with audience

• Have piloted Frontline Radio SMS platform to engage audience through polling and feedback

• Engaging with audience to maintain and increase listenership e.g. voting process for attending Equity Bank promotional event

Radio Nam lolwe


Content / Advocacy

• Engaging audience through offering diversified content

• Education on pesticide control (by chemical company)

• Weekly financial tips (by bank) • Farming tips (by seed company) • Educational campaigns on entrepreneurship

targeting fishermen, sugarcane, rice and cotton farmers

• Weather and soil fertility tips

• Trying out new strategies for content

• Radio contest (with chemicals company)

• Drama (with ag radio)

• Talk show (with MOA)

• Radio contest (with agro vet)

• Campaign to nominate farmer representatives live-on-air for a forum sponsored by a bank

• Trying out promotional events as a new information source for program ie. live coverage and gathering interviews

• Outdoor promotions on good farming practices

Radio Nam lolwe


Relationships with Advertisers/ Sponsors

•Redesigning offers to be more concise and visually focused to clearly and effectively communicate the pitch

•Developing offers that are tailored to align with business objectives of advertisers/ sponsors

•Understand value and opportunity for increased revenue by proactively seeking out advertiser relationships

Radio Nam lolwe


What do you think


was?

Project Facilitation Role Relationships with Advertisers: • Linked to market actors to approach for

advertising/sponsorship and content involvement • Technical support (Staff subsidy) • Helped refine commercial (marketing) offers to be

tailored to business objectives of clients • Reformatted offers/proposals to be simplified and

visually focused so that pitches are clear and concise

Content: • Technical Support: Built capacity on how to take

ownership of content, and new program formatting • Provided technical resources on developing radio

dramas • Linked to technical experts for interviews • Technical Support: Supported integration of

promotional events into product offering to improve content and to take on role of market linker, information provider/ educator

Advocacy: • Introduced idea of investigative reporting that would

support a stronger advocacy role

Case Study: Private Sector Leveraging Media Obuoba FM and Golden Stork ADVANCE project Ghana Primary implementer: ACDI/VOCA. Donor: USAID

Engaging with consumers and injecting new information into interpersonal networks

Highly successful agricultural competition:

• Partnered with Golden Stork (input company) to offer a radio contest on inputs

• Winners answered questions on air from content that had been discussed in the program, won product (inputs, and a backpack sprayer

• To receive the prize all winners needed to attend a training at the radio station on how to use the inputs properly

• Gifty had never learned how to use inputs, and was so happy with knowledge that she shared this with the rest of community network

• Gifty established herself as a distributor of the product within her community


Obuoba FM & Golden Stork In the beginning …

Content: • Program content always presented in same format • No support from management to do field interviews • No tactics to actively engage listeners except call-ins

Relationships with Advertisers/Sponsors: • Despite popularity, had trouble securing advertisers • Advertisers only wanted ad spots during sports programs • Did not develop proposals tailored to clients • Not proactive in identifying prospective advertisers • No value placed on developing relationships with clients

Audience: • No strategy to build trust and loyalty with audience • No strategy to focus on demand-driven content • Content was one dimensional / studio driven • Single touch-points with client call-ins

Advocacy • Management unsupportive of host investigating issues • Management did not understand opportunity to leverage

passion of presenter to investigate issues and continue to build trust, loyalty and influence


Relationships with Advertisers/ Sponsors • Developed tailored pitch to add

value to Golden Stork’s strategy • Developed content that offered

multiple client touch-points • Developed pitch for radio contest, ad

spots and educational event • Focused on developing long-term

relationship • Collected data on number of phone-

in’s/ inquires for client • Prepared second offer to client prior

to completion of first to leverage momentum and success of current promotion



Audience

• Engaged with clients through phone-in and SMS for contest, and interpersonal interaction at education and training event - opportunity for planned and casual communication

• Leveraged word-of-mouth networks to build brand of radio station and their client (Golden Stork)

• Educated audience on proper use of inputs throughout radio contest, and training on how to use products. Embedded information through providing information and creating a feedback channel through phone-ins, SMS and interpersonal communication

• Took on role of market linker and educator/information provider

• Built trust with Gifty who has shared information. Contest was able to leverage word-of-mouth promotion



Content

• Golden Stork was expert panelist on program. Sales rep interviewed and audience could ask questions, in order to engage with audience - provided market relevant information on the use and purchase of inputs

• Station still "owned” content by interviewing Golden Stork as opposed to Golden Stork directing content

• Contest improved content through multiple touch-points, and increased incentives to listen

• Generated content through interviews at education event



What do you think


was?

Project Facilitation Role Relationships with Private Sector Advertisers:

• Linked to private sector actors

• Technical support:

• Developed tailored marketing proposals (showing insights into clients marketing objectives)

• Gathered data and information to provide to client for feedback on success of promotion

• Coached on strategies to develop and add value to client relationship

Content:

• Helped develop idea for contest and promotion e.g. having input demonstration as part of prize

• Supported setting up promotional event

• Smart subsidy:

• Paid for cost of participants to attend input training (Golden Stork paid for prize, Obuoba FM hosted promotional event at their facility)

• Project field staff attended training to support Golden Stork staff

Project Facilitation Role Audience:

• Technical support:

• Gathered information about callers and number of callers for contest to provide to client

• Audience engagement:

• Attempted to introduce SMS platform - management didn't want to pay for the platform despite cost share offer - host increased use of SMS on personal mobile phone

• Built trust/ loyalty with audience through providing them with valuable knowledge

• Program Design:

• Supported on how to create more engaging and relevant content, opportunities to gather content and link in market actors and experts

• Created opportunity to engage with audience in meaningful way e.g. input training, and as a result tapped into family and friend network. Gifty took on role of star and brought new information into her network

Constraints in media market systems that market facilitators can support

Market facilitators (practitioners) can strengthen media market systems by recognizing key constraints to overcome

In this way media can become an active leverage point to support market and value chain development activities

• Example of constraint: Lack of listenership profile and numbers required by private firms prevents quick buy-in to local radio stations that are closer to smallholder listeners

Dealing with constraints in media market systems

Bayer Crop Sciences Western region field representative from Bayer Crop Sciences identified local radio station as primary communication medium for agricultural information to people in his sales territory

however…

Bayer’s marketing department preferred to advertise with Nation Media Group

why might this have been?

Bayer Crop Sciences Bayer’s marketing department utilizes Media Buyers whose research focus on listener demographics and number of listeners

Media Buyers do not have research on the local radio’s listenership

Media Buyers place greater emphasis on number of listeners compared to how listeners may absorb information differently


Local Radio Station Local radio station has not been able to generate marketable data on its listener demographics or its total listener base

Local radio station does not have relationships with Media Buyers used by firms like Bayer

Local radio station has not been able to generate a marketable pitch on why its listeners are more likely to absorb information compared to national stations


Case Study: Radio Mangelete Dfid’s Market Assistance Program (MAP)

Radio Mangelete

• Only truly community-owned radio station in Kenya

• Owned by a network of 33 women’s groups (837 women)

• Not managed by radio or media professionals

• Content generated by women with emphasis on empowerment issues

• Content driven by listener needs and interests

• Nature of programming creates personal and trusted relationship with listeners

• BUT … struggle to generate revenue through advertising or outside content

Radio Mangelete Audience:

• Highly dedicated, regular listeners

• Deep trust of Radio Mangelete content

• Likely to amplify Radio Mangelete messages through interpersonal communication

Radio Mangelete

Relationship with Clients (Advertisers/Sponsors):

• Limited capacity to quantify listenership

• Limited capacity to market airtime to advertisers or content generators

• Disconnected from formal media system

Radio Mangelete

Content:

• Well-targeted to listener needs and interests

• Focused on issues of particular interest to women

• Often deals with highly personal issues

• Limited in the breadth of issues covered

Radio Mangelete

• How might the project work with this type of media firm?

• What are the key areas that they might address?

Case Study: West FM, Kenya

West FM

• Family-owned and privately financed station

• One of only two stations that broadcasts programming in KiSwahili and English

• Listener base is not limited by local language dialects

• National and international following

• Technologically advanced with professional website and streaming content

• Active social media presence • Global audience interests not

always connection to needs of local constituents

• Limited advertising revenue

West FM Audience:

• Not geographically limited by local language dialects

• National and international following as a result of professional website and social media presence

• Not always well-connected to local listenership

Ownership:

• Family-owned and privately financed

West FM

Relationship with Advertisers/Sponsors:

• Limited capacity to describe the characteristics of listenership and followers

• Quantitative measures of social media followers, but limited capacity to quantify local listenership

• Limited capacity to segment followers into distinct groups by geography, demographics, or media platform followed

• Has not successfully marketed to Media Buyers

West FM

Content:

• Does not always meet the needs of local listenership

• Emphasis on national and international issues driven by wide network of followers

• Brings national and international issues to local listeners

• Local issues for local listeners underrepresented among content programming

• Little emphasis on pushing local issues out to national and international audiences

West FM

• How might the project work with this type of media firm?

• What are the key areas that they might address?

Selling the Offer to Media Buyers

• You work for a radio show

• You want to make the case to media buyers (companies or other stakeholders who could sponsor programs or buy advertising space) to be involved in your advocacy and information-giving strategy

Selling the Offer to Media Stations

• You work for a development project

• You want to make the case to a radio station that they could take on an advocacy and information-giving role which would be better for their business and their audience

Prepare a roleplay showing how you will make your offer