Stephen Follows, creative director, Catsnake and Madhu Parthasarathi, digital campaigns manager, Unicef Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Testing stories in the real world
AcasestudybreakdownwithUnicefandCatsnake
5th March 2020
Stephen Follows
Creative Director
Catsnake
Madhu Parthasarathi
Digital Campaign Manager
Unicef UK

2. 2 Introductions
Unicef is the world's leading
organisation working for
children in danger.
A story agency for the third
sector, identifying and telling
stories that open hearts,
minds and wallets.
“Generations” has been a
three-year legacy campaign of
commercials and online activity.
+ =

3. 3 Finding the right story
• Unicef works in over 190 countries around the world across
education, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, health and
emergency relief programmes
• In 2016 alone, Unicef provided schoolbooks and other learning
materials to 15.7 million children around the world
• Unicef provided 2.3 billion vaccines in 2018, helping protect
almost half of the world's children under five
• Unicef provides 80% of the world’s life-saving food

4. 4 Our process for identifying new stories
Research
Read widely
Reckon
Formulate
theories
Representation
Create
expressions of
the theory
Real world
Test on
audience
groups
Results
Synthesise into
actionable
outcomes
Ready
Use in strategy /
campaigns
1 2 3 4 5 6

5. 5 Step One: Research
• A literature review of many sources:
– Academic: Textbooks, academic papers
– Internal to Unicef: All departments, current and old
– Internal to Catsnake: Past projects and research
– Industry: Articles and reports
• Follow the thread – each book, paper or article will cite others
• Reach out to authors and academics for other work

6. 6 Step Two: Formulate theories
• Bring together different sources to identify common
themes or ideas
• Write them up in an easily understood summary
Example of a valid (but rejected) theory: ”THE ART OF DYING WELL”
Research shows that there may be positive effects of confronting and
accepting death – e.g. it reduces anxiety, and it clarifies what we find
important, our values, helps us live in the moment etc. This approach
acknowledges that death is a central barrier to legacy giving and must be
confronted (and that you’ll feel much better once you have confronted it).

7. 7 Step Three: Create test expressions
• Build simple expressions of each theory
• Could be storyboard video, poster, social content, etc.
• Ensure its laser-targeted on the theory you want to test

8. 8 Step Four: Testing with real audiences
• Test the ideas against each other in a live environment
• Consider sensitivities and copyright when choosing a
route
• Different routes provide different types of data
Qualitative
focus groups
Quantitative
online panels
Social media
A/B tests

9. 9 Step Five: Results
• Create short plain-English summaries of results
• Discuss internally, across departments

10. 10 Step Six: Use in strategy
• Create short-hands and agreed summaries of the
findings
• Hold yourself and others to account by sticking to the
learning
• Be wary of the ‘good idea’ which does not follow the
path. It may work in the short-term but could undermine
the wider message

11. 11 Applying the process on any budget
• Create a methodology for finding, organising and
summarising relevant free research
• Test expressions can be mocked-up at little or no cost.
Remember that they are being tested against to each
other, not finished, expensive work.
• This is a practice rather than a one-time activity
• Slow and steady wins the race

12. 12
Any questions?
madhup@unicef.org.uk stephen@catsnake.com

13. 5 March 2020
Conference: Changing hearts and
minds: social science insights for
communicators

14. Visit the CharityComms website to view
slides from past events, see what events
we have coming up and to check out
what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk