This is the third in a three-part series that will explore the key takeaways from the Annual Meeting.
In Part 3, we will focus on navigating the new media landscape.
| Hosted by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), this year’s DevCom Annual Meeting in Madrid was the first held outside of Paris since 2012! The two-day event brought together 41 development communication specialists from 28 different institutions in 15 countries. This was a unique experience for participants to share their ideas, knowledge, challenges and explore new opportunities through a combination of expert panels, peer learning workshops and group challenges, |
Navigating the New Media
The communications profession is changing.
In an increasingly fragmented media environment, communicators must manage a growing array of distribution channels to reach niche target audiences. They need new techniques and skills to reach people who are tired by what feels like an endless deluge of bad news, causing many to tune out completely.
Trust in institutions, governments and media is at an all-time low. With the rise of the platform ecosystem, traditional journalism is weakened, creating “news deserts” in many markets. Many of our traditional media partners are behind a paywall for citizens who cannot afford it.
Amid all of this, AI has drastically changed the media landscape in ways we do not yet fully understand. Some participants have begun experimenting with generative AI, while others are developing ethical codes and roles to address its risks.
| DevCom resources to navigate the new media |
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DevCom Toolkit: Learning Area 5: Channels & Learning Area 6: Formats Comms Guidance: When the Best Pictures are on Audio: 5 Podcasting Tips from OECD DevCom, Event Summary: Viral Video and Visual Branding & Going visual: A playlist of videos from the DevCom community Guest blogpost by Monique Tummers, Senior Communication Advisor at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs: When Influencers Move Much More than Make-Up |
At the Annual Meeting, communicators shared ideas on how to reach audiences, and how to source and generate great content, particularly the video or visual content that tends to make the biggest impact.
How to communicate: Talk to news-fatigued audiences on their terms.
- Tell the human story: too few stories have a human face – stories that succeed put the emphasis on people.
- Emphasize results: Communications must go beyond talking about money and focus on impact, particularly in an environment of aid budget cuts. People want to know what worked, what didn’t and what’s next.
- Focus on positivity amid crisis: Hope is a strategy, and no one wants to join a lost cause. As development communicators, we have an inspiring “product” to sell.
- Leverage universal interests: Campaigns can use crowd-pleasers like sports, cooking, arts and culture to reach people who are harder to convince. And don’t be afraid to make it fun. We discussed the potential of reality TV and entertainment education.
- Keep it simple: Avoid jargon and break down complex information for the public.
- Offer solutions: Give people something to act on, particularly when it comes to SDGs. Communicators should help citizens understand that international cooperation is part of the solution to the problems they face.
- Finally, the content shared needs to align with your audience’s values.
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