Lu's idea portfolio
FANT case
Imagine having to do a cross media campaign for a relatively small and new NGO who doesn’t have much of a budget, employees or focus allocated to its communication.
Well, that is exactly what my Cross Media teacher asked of her students when she introduced the case of the Danish NGO: FANT.
Present in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Gambia, FANT is short for Football for a New Tomorrow. It partners with local organizations to create stronger civil societies and promote development within the community through sports. Since their start in 2012, the Danish NGO has launched five projects, but the one chosen for my class’ project was “Backway is not the solution”.
“Backway is not the solution” collaborates with YAIM (Youth Against Illegal Migration) to prevent Gambians from falling into the trap of illegal migration, and consequently suffering from a scam that leaves them with trauma and economic loss.
YAIM was set up by a group of young hopeful individuals who, under the quest to move to Europe for a brighter future, were left imprisoned in Libya. After returning home in 2017, they decided to create the foundation and be drivers for change through workshops, focus groups and initiatives.
As their youngest project to date, not only does it not have cross media communication, but FANT has only posted about it once on their social media and website to announce its launch. This leaves a lot of room for improvement, and therefore, opportunity.
CMC plan
The cross media communication plan would center around the “A letter to oneself” campaign. Through transmedia storytelling, this campaign would share the story of members of YAIM, taking viewers on a personal journey from the past to the future. The main protagonist would be YAIM’s founder, Mustaoha Bai.
This is a story of growth and hope, showing how even scarring mistakes can provoke positive change; not only for one, but for others. Through this campaign, FANT would not only amplify the local voice of a person who has experienced the hardship of the backway firsthand, but bring two different worlds together.
In order for this story to be told and for Gambian members of YAIM to have proper narrative representation, it all starts in the workshop. Each member would be given the task of writing a letter to themselves, reflecting about the past (what they would tell their younger self) and the future (the person they hope they become). Through this bottom up way of producing content, FANT would not only provide an opportunity of contemplation and growth for the Gambian youth, but get true, heartfelt stories which are more likely to impact the target audience.
The main format in which this story would be told is through video. The video would be composed of Mustaoha Bai narrating his story, first speaking to his younger self and later speaking to his future self. It would start with “Dear younger self…” and go on to say everything he wished he could have warned and protected his past self about. How he shouldn’t have tried to escape Gambia, but help rebuild it; how he wishes he wouldn’t have had to suffer the pain and trauma in his time in Libya and how the backway is not the solution (e.g). This would immediately be followed with “Dear future self” where he would speak of his aspirations and dreams for the future: the growth of YAIM, the prevention of other irregular migration, an improved Gambia… even something related to football (e.g).
To hear the voice and see the face, makes the viewer come closer than ever to the Gambian youth. By choosing this format of storytelling, it makes the information less dense, worth watching and worth sharing. It evokes emotions of empathy and hope, planting a seed in the minds and hearts of Danish people, contributing to their intrinsic motivation.
The target audience are Danish millennials. Defined by people born between 1981 and 1996, millennials are the most generous generation in Europe (Nonprofit Tech for Good, 2020). They also compose about 28% of the total Danish population (Kemp, 2022). The fact that they are willing to make donations and represent a big chunk of the total Danish society, makes them the perfect target group for this campaign.
The style of the campaign, and the way the message is meant to be transmitted, is heartfelt, genuine and reflective. The narrative would be centered around a journey and would end with the following statement: “The past has been written, the future is yet to be defined… the present is the time to act. Will you help (the name of the person sharing their story) and many other Gambian youths to rewrite their story? #Alettertooneself #Rewriteyourstory”. The target audience should feel a sense of closeness to the protagonist of the video, almost as if he or she was speaking directly to each member of the audience.
Social media
The video would be present in all of FANT’s SoMe channels. In the posts there would be a brief explanation using emojis to make it more lively and easier to read, a link directing them to the subsite and the following question: “If you could tell one thing to you younger and future self, what would it be?”. The message would also be adapted to the “stories” format, dedicating a whole highlight for the campaign. The stories would include snippets of the video, with the link attached to read more about it. As “Backway is not the solution” uses football as a mobilizing tool to drive improvement, it would make sense for FANT’s ambassador for football related projects to share and promote the campaign, adding to visibility and engagement.
Press release
A press release would be written to notify Danish newspapers about the project and the campaign. Why would it interest traditional media to write about these two? Because the project is closely related to the world issue that is migration. Especially in Europe, it is a common topic in the media, as it affects, and therefore interests, many Europeans. Plus, people have a strong stand on the subject, making it a topic that generates a lot of commentary and buzz (positive for the newspaper). Another reason would be because “A letter to oneself” is an innovative, immersive, creative campaign.
Earning press coverage would be a highly beneficial PR move for the “A letter to oneself” campaign because it would help raise awareness, shine a light on both FANT and YAIM as NGOs, build momentum for the campaign and redirect people to FANT’s SoMe and website (which could generate more followers and members).
Offline communication
For their offline communication, FANT would set up posters in a popular park, like what they did for their exhibition “when sport makes a difference” in the Kolding Storcenter but in another setting. When one goes to the park it goes for leisure, fresh air or exercise. People have more time to stop, watch and read things. They are walking without direction, just for the sake of enjoying some time outside. So by placing the exhibition in a popular park, not only would one guarantee traffic but there are higher chances of engagement.
The posters would be paired together to form a square and always face the audience. In them would be a lenticular image and the text of the letter the YAIM members wrote on the workshops. Through MDA, one could infer that the lenticular image would not only be eye-catching but it would also depict the contrast of emotions from past to future of the protagonist. From one perspective, a reflective Gambian person and from another, you could see them full of hope and excitement. The letter would be put in a font that assimilates to handwriting. This would create the meaning of a profound, sincere, intimate letter; drawing the attention of passers by.
For the interactive component, one of the posters would be empty so that Danish people would be able to write a letter back to the people in Gambia. It would also include two QR codes: one leading people to the subsite in which they could find stories and find out more about the project and the other leading people to donate or become members. Above each code it would be clarified what the purpose of each is, so that it comes from personal interest to participate and create ownership (Davidson et. al, 2010).
Website
FANT would incorporate a subsite in which the public could find out more information about the campaign and the BISNTS project. It would include: the video, the other letters of the YAIM members, links to the YAIM media, the possibility to write a message for the people in Gambia and strong, vivid, appealing, lively imagery.
Through this campaign, FANT would not only use multiple platforms and maximize the advantages of each, but it will allow the story to be experienced and followed through the different mediums; creating a proactive tent pole (Drew Davidson et al, 2010). It would follow Jenkins principles (2010). It is spreadable because of the value, emotion and surprise factor of the content; its outreach in media and the chosen style. It can be drilled with the link to the subsite and QR codes. It is continuous because the story is a puzzle which all of the different media help to complete. It doesn’t have multiplicity but it has immersion (with the offline communication) and extractability (with the participation in the SoMe question and the letters the public can write to the Gambian youth). It is also active on social change because it provides a local voice, actionable stories and it is spread through different mediums.