Gather a team​

This includes the programme manager and technical specialists who support and guide campaign development from beginning to end, with oversight from the CMT and input from the CAC. You will need to determine which roles may be combined based on the needs of the campaign and skills of those who will contribute to the campaign. You will also need to clarify which roles can be filled by staff members and which need recruitment for external support. 

Programme Manager

All campaigns require an individual who is responsible to oversee the general programme. Tasks often include the following:

• Management and communications: Manage campaign timeline, workplans and budget to ensure deliverable targets are met. Lead, facilitate and align communications among team members, contributors and officials during the programme planning, development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation phases. Ensure that Ministry officials, CMT, and CAC are regularly updated on the campaign progress.
• Creative agency recruitment: Contribute to the procurement and selection process, including drafting of a Request for Proposal (RFP), attend pitch presentations, support final deliberations and document the process and decision. Assist with creative agency contracting, including negotiation of final deliverables, planned communications and workflow. ¨
• Creative agency support and guidance: Relay feedback and guidance between the technical experts, leadership teams and creative agency. Maintain communication documentation, including content and outcomes.

For large or complex campaigns, a partner liaison could also be considered to facilitate and coordinate communications among partner organisations, technical specialists and country-level stakeholders, including government representatives and advisory team members. This individual would be directed by, and support, the programme manager.

Technical Specialists

These roles and responsibilities will depend upon the needs of the team and programme scope. It is expected that the IYCF, SBCC and monitoring and evaluation technical specialists will work together to fulfil their respective duties to support the campaign. In some cases, the roles may be combined. Each role is defined as:

Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Technical Specialist

This individual will provide critical input into identifying campaign priorities and ensure that campaign materials reflect scientific evidence and best practices. They will contribute to campaign planning, interpret data, identify key issues in the country and select behaviours. They should have expertise and practical experience in IYCF, including breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and IYCF programming and interventions.

Social Behaviour Change Communications (SBCC) Technical Specialist

This individual will provide critical input into identifying campaign priorities, and ensure that campaign materials support the targeted IYCF behaviours. They will support campaign planning, help to identify behaviours and audiences, and collaborate with the creative agency. They should have expertise and practical experience in SBCC, including campaign development, media communications, and the underlying theories that support SBCC.

Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Specialist

This individual is the focal point for campaign pre-testing in Step 1, and also monitoring and evaluation activities outlined in Step 4. They should have expertise in methodologies relevant to SBCC monitoring and evaluation, including selection of programmatic indicators, development of tools for data collection, outcome evaluation, and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. They should be integrated into the programme team from the start, not solely when monitoring and evaluation activities become the focus after implementation. Depending upon the programme goals, the scope of monitoring and evaluation can be significant. Programmes should determine whether support from an individual or team may be required.

This is a critical part of the governance structure for campaign development. The CMT should be comprised of members representing the Ministry of Health, other governmental agencies, UN agencies, and two or three supporting organisations working in the country. Collectively, CMT members provide high-level oversight and hold responsibility for approving all campaign materials.

This is another important part of programme governance made up of a diverse group of campaign advisors, including a broad range of professionals, managers and policymakers with relevant knowledge of the IYCF and SBCC programming. Participants may be invited from sub-national and local governmental agencies, non-governmental organisations, academia, healthcare or others. Together, the CAC should support strategic decision-making and alignment with existing IYCF and SBCC programmes in the country.

Such agencies are diverse and their offerings commonly include multiple services, such as: campaign and communications strategy development, campaign visualization and branding, concept testing, programme management, and media and production services.

The type and experience of the organisation leading the programme and campaign goals will set out what qualifications and expertise are needed from a creative agency. In some cases, multiple creative agencies may be recruited to suit the needs of a campaign or programme.

For most campaigns, one or multiple creative agencies will be responsible for:

• Strategy and campaign materials: Develop a communication and media strategy and ensure that the campaign is designed using the COM-B Model and appropriate IYCF messaging. Develop, draft and refine campaign messages, key visuals and activities based on feedback from the programme team, CMT and CAC, as well as pre-testing participants.
• Pre-testing and research: Pre-test campaign messages with a group representative from the campaign’s primary audience. Pre-testing may include qualitative or quantitative data gathered via surveys, interviews or focus groups. Lead or support additional research efforts related to the campaign, its implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Implementation: Identify appropriate media channels for the campaign based on budget, primary audience and reach. Facilitate media planning and scheduling, including media type, frequency, scripting, securing timeslots and more.

During the campaign development and implementation processes, the creative agency and will meet with, and receive feedback, from members of the programme team, CMT and CAC. The agency is expected to work collaboratively to ensure that the campaign is appropriate, relevant, evidence-based and meets the needs of the programme, the local or national IYCF and SBCC strategies, and addresses the primary audience.