One of the big campaigns I am gearing my team up for is IWD, and one of my main objectives is to get them thinking of innovative (by Afghan standards) ways to reach their audience. For example, Afghans love to print up pamphlets and posters or to put up billboards. Here’s the problem: over half of the country is illiterate. On top of that, it is estimated that at least 30% of the female population is shut-in; meaning their husbands/fathers control what they see and listen to and forbid them to go out without an escort (usually themselves). By the way, all numbers are estimated as Afghanistan hasn’t had a census since the early 1970s. Most of these figures come from the various province heads (of which there are 34), and there is no organized media measuring organization here so you have to trust that when a TV or radio group says they are the most listened to, that they are. Trust isn't something you do easily here.
Back to the way we are going to reach our audience. In the first brainstorming session, the staff came full of ideas for posters and billboards. When I asked them about how we reach the illiterate they looked perplexed. Since I am here as a capacity builder, I should not be plying them with ideas, but rather guiding them on how to get their own (so they can function without me). All I wanted was for one of them to think of radio as a means to reach the audience, but since they kept coming back to print, I had no choice but to offer an extreme suggestion to nudge them to a middle ground. I brought up “Afghan Star”. It is the hottest show on TV and when it is on, all work in Afghanistan stops. It works like “American Idol”, with people calling in their votes. I suggested we, in conjunction with a radio or TV station, run a version of the show, but call it “Afghan Mother Star” for the most inspirational mother. It was at this point that my plan backfired. They loved the idea. They put all things on hold while they sussed out which TV or radio station would be the best to work with on it. And here I was just hoping they would come to the realization that perhaps billboards weren’t the most effective use for our marketing campaign. Since I cannot stomp on their enthusiasm and I given them a few days to think about it and t talk to their friends about it. Standby. Afghan Mother Star might be coming to a cable channel near you.
Back to the way we are going to reach our audience. In the first brainstorming session, the staff came full of ideas for posters and billboards. When I asked them about how we reach the illiterate they looked perplexed. Since I am here as a capacity builder, I should not be plying them with ideas, but rather guiding them on how to get their own (so they can function without me). All I wanted was for one of them to think of radio as a means to reach the audience, but since they kept coming back to print, I had no choice but to offer an extreme suggestion to nudge them to a middle ground. I brought up “Afghan Star”. It is the hottest show on TV and when it is on, all work in Afghanistan stops. It works like “American Idol”, with people calling in their votes. I suggested we, in conjunction with a radio or TV station, run a version of the show, but call it “Afghan Mother Star” for the most inspirational mother. It was at this point that my plan backfired. They loved the idea. They put all things on hold while they sussed out which TV or radio station would be the best to work with on it. And here I was just hoping they would come to the realization that perhaps billboards weren’t the most effective use for our marketing campaign. Since I cannot stomp on their enthusiasm and I given them a few days to think about it and t talk to their friends about it. Standby. Afghan Mother Star might be coming to a cable channel near you.
(this is a photo of the press office. Going from closest to furthest from the camera: Yari, Abbas, Hasseb, and in the background Gity and Solma)
2 comments:
what percentage of homes with women have TVs and do the women in th ehousehold have time and permission to watch Tv? What about radio as media?
start by teaching them to read and liberate them. what about the hairstylist school. why not a reading school
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