Creating real-time client engagement in India
Using human centered design, SHOPS Plus developed an innovative interpersonal communication campaign, also called on-ground activations (OGAs), to improve consumer understanding of the importance of family planning and diarrhea management among the urban poor in India. OGAs are an important complement to mass media messages in that they allow messages to be tailored and provide clients with an opportunity to engage directly with health products and information.
The team shared their insights applying market-based approaches in a webinar held on July 2, 2020. Ashok Raisinghani, a SHOPS Plus technical specialist, explained how the project educated caregivers of children under five on diarrhea treatment options, debunked contraceptive myths for young married couples, and increased acceptance of condom purchases among youth.
The OGAs have been so effective with behavior change that companies such as FDC, which owns India’s largest ORS brand Electral, and local NGOs such as Impact Code are investing in scaling up the SHOPS Plus OGAs. As Sushil Patel, Group Product Manager at FDC, stated, “We invested over 1000 [sample messages] into the OGA activities in order to get the insights of the consumers and how they [perceived the messaging]. That was a great experience and we have continued to do it [with our own team].”
Related stories and resources:
- Story: Three lessons on sparking behavior change through interpersonal communication
- Photo Story: Making behavior change fun
- Brief: Entertainment, education, engagement for health
Full recording of the webinar on On-Ground Activations in India: Creating real-time client engagement: