63824 MAY 2011 ABOUT THE AUTHORS COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE ONES WHO KARLA DIAZ CLARKE NEVER SPOKE: is an Associate Operations Of�cer in the IFC Sustainable Business Advisory team, LAC, Running the MIM Marathon in the Peruvian Highlands working on Strategic Community Investment activities. How do you bring public accountability for millions of dollars to a region where the population is largely uninformed and lacks the savvy to monitor FERNANDO RUIZ-MIER the actions of the authorities? From 2006 to 2011, the mining industry in is a Senior Operations Of�cer in the IFC Sustainable Business Peru transferred over $4,774 million in royalties to municipalities located in Advisory team, leading the Strategic Commnuity key mining regions, in compliance with a 2004 mining canon law, but local Investment activities in LAC. of�cials have not always put these funds to the best use. With the support of Canadian, U.S., U.K. and Norwegian (through CommDev) donor partners, APPROVING MANAGER Juan Gonzalo Flores, IFC responded to this need with an innovative project: Improving Municipal Sustainable Business Advisory Manager, LAC. Investment (Mejorando la Inversión Municipal in Spanish, or MIM). MIM Peru empowers the population—gives them a voice—to demand accountability from their authorities in the use of royalties. For this Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) initiative, communications are essential. And the project team learned that developing effective communication is not a sprint—it’s a marathon! This SmartLesson shares lessons learned about communications during project implementation. Background Municipalities in Peru’s mining regions are needy. Some have been used to build poor and located in remote areas, so royalties unnecessary monuments or projects, such as a offer a great opportunity to improve people’s stadium with a capacity greater than the lives. However, these resources have not town’s population. necessarily gone to projects that bene�t the The MIM Peru project seeks to promote municipal social accountability for the use of royalties—by monitoring royalty flows, disseminating information, building capacities, and engaging key stakeholders from the population. It started in 2005 as a pilot, monitoring two municipalities in the Cajamarca region. It now monitors 23 municipalities in seven Peruvian regions. MIM Peru has gained the recognition of the population and of authorities. In the words of Francisco Chavez, deputy mayor of the provincial municipality of Mariscal Nieto, “It is MIM volunteers in Cajamarca are ready for a still necessary to improve transparency and street theater performance to teach rural citizen participation, and I think MIM plays an communities about royalties and municipal important role, as it provides us with investment. information and ideas about the community’s perception about our management.� SMARTLESSONS — MAY 2011 1 Lessons Learned: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! Figure 1: Branding MIM Peru 1) To win the race, don’t be afraid to change the good for the better. The logo conception An eye that sees everything Initially, the communications strategy had an operational A rising sun that sheds light allowing to see approach—focusing on de�ning the content to be disseminated, determining the frequency of publications, and reaching the population. Halfway through the project, we switched to a more strategic approach—focusing on changing behaviors and attitudes in key target audiences. This meant: with the brand, the graphic and visual identity of it, and the key messages that it would convey to the public. (See Figure 1) desired behaviors to start occurring, as well as barriers and facilitators Partnering with local institutions was also essential for the success of this initiative. Selection of local partners was based on such characteristics as good reputation, roots in the community, impartiality toward the mining industry, and interest in supporting local development, values that communications products for each target audience. they would transfer to the MIM. This change in the approach proved to be an effective way Each MIM partnered with 5 to 7 local civil society organizations which are represented in the boards of for each target group, de�ne speci�c objectives, prioritize directors. actions, and effectively use communications materials based on the speci�cities and needs of each group. It also helped us de�ne behavioral-change indicators for each resource for reliable information on royalties and municipal target audience, which facilitated monitoring the evolution investment. It resulted in a better understanding of the of the project results. initiative and created conditions that supported the smooth implementation of its activities. provided during the transition, the project team also Currently, the MIM Peru brand is associated with independence, impartiality, reliability, and credibility. communications strategy became part of the project Survey results show that, by project completion, 20 percent implementation at different levels, touching every activity of the population in the regions recognized the brand1, and material output that the project undertook. which reflects the positioning and awareness that the project created. 2) Just like Gatorade, development projects need a little marketing, too. 3) When sharing the spotlight, keep your dimmers handy. Use of a brand is an effective way to position the initiative to obtain positive results. The team recognized this at an Managing brands goes hand in hand with managing the early stage and de�ned the attributes it wanted its brand visibility of different partners. The project teamed up with 36 to represent. This guided the de�nition of the values— local institutions from seven regions in Peru (business reliability and independence—that would be associated associations, professional associations, and universities) that voluntarily participate to promote social accountability in their regions. The project also was supported by four donors, all of which had different interests and visibility requirements. “MIM’s work helps strengthen the municipal government through the recommendations they give to improve the Initially, we wanted to grant equal visibility to all involved, so quality of our expenditures.� all MIM materials featured the MIM logo along with the Ricardo Alvarez, First Reagent, Provincial Municipality logos of all of the partners—IFC, the donors, and the local of Puno institutions—which made approval for each publication a very lengthy process! (see Figure 2) “MIM gives us numbers to analyze and make us think about the work we do.� 1 According to a study undertaken by the firm Arellano Marketing Javier Ponce, Reagent, Provincial Municipality of Puno commissioned by El Comercio Newspaper in May 2011, the recognition of MIM in the seven regions it works is comparable to that of Mitsubishi cars in the five regions of Peru with the higher consumption levels. 2 SMARTLESSONS — MAY 2011 Figure 2: MIM Publications—Before, with Logos of Local Figure 3: MIM Publications—After, with Logos of Local Institutions, IFC, and Donors Institutions Figure 4: MIM Toolkit, After, with Logos from IFC and Donors SMARTLESSONS — MAY 2011 3 selective but still responded to the interests of our partners. “It is necessary to know about local government’s economic IFC and donor logos appeared only in institutional materials management, but many times we do not understand some (banners, �les, the project brochure, and the MIM Toolkit), of the technical words used and numbers presented. MIM and the logos of the local partners, along with that of MIM provides us with that information, showing data from Peru, appeared in all of the dissemination materials that different public institutions as well as comparative charts went to the broader population. This helped the initiative that allow us to understand the final use of the public take root and encouraged the commitment, pride, and budget. The information we receive is shared with the ownership of the local institutions, while giving suf�cient media, professionals associations, and social organizations, visibility to the project donors. (See Figures 3 and 4) so that they can have a broader view of municipal investments.� 4) Expect the unexpected—and be ready! Yovanni Manrique, Radio Onda Azul, Puno When providing information to the public, doors are open to misinterpretation, controversy, and debate on many levels. interests. risk of being challenged constantly. Therefore, in addition to the procedures established to manage risk (by preparing credible and solid information), there is a need to know how to manage potential crises. strategy to be followed. faced crisis situations that risked its reputation and denied the veracity of the information produced by the of directors). MIMs, so as to avoid looking bad and being questioned. In one municipality, the local media tried to link the project to the mining industry to take advantage of the be delivered. situation. In one case, a local newspaper included the name of one evolution of the situation. of IFC’s staff as an of�cer of a mining company, saying that the MIM should be used to attack the mayor. The The procedure was included in the MIM Toolkit2 and shared with the technical teams in the �eld and with the project Team, rapidly reacted, getting the president of the local partners. and highlighting its independence. 5) Have the media run the race with you. These situations led the project team to devise a crisis- We’re often asked how MIM Peru managed to obtain over management procedure to deal effectively with these 3,800 nonpaid media hits during the life of the project. situations. The course of action included the following (See Figures 5 and 6) steps: Figure 5: Sample Headlines Publishing MIM Information Figure 6: Media Coverage of the MIM Peru Project Media Coverage of the Project Accumulated per semester (Jan '08 - Dec '10) 4,000 3,805 3,000 3,703 2,000 2,197 1,000 1,160 274 111 0 Jan - Jun '08 Jul - Dec '08 Jan - Jun '09 Jul - Dec '09 Jan - Jun '10 Jul - Dec '10 2 The MIM Toolkit systematizes the methodology devised by IFC to promote social accountability at the local level. 4 SMARTLESSONS — MAY 2011 media published only limited information about royalties and municipal investment, and the information disseminated was of poor quality, often sensational, and usually attacked mayors. Whenever MIM gave them material, most media outlets wanted to charge for publishing it or for conducting an interview about it. Early in the project, the team recognized that journalists were interested in obtaining timely and accurate information. They also wanted to improve their capacity, to be in a better position to report on technical aspects, and to be recognized as serious professionals. Through conducting permanent awareness visits and providing material with information on royalties and municipal investment, MIM started to position itself among local journalists as a credible and independent initiative that MIM volunteers in Ancash. regularly generated newsworthy information in an easy- Photo by Karla Diaz to-understand format. Later, the project organized training workshops for The volunteers are mostly university students who �nd journalists. Participation rates were high, and evaluations MIM work appealing, given their desire to contribute as were very good. This process helped build a relationship agents of change, to promote the good use of municipal with the local media, who not only published MIM resources, and to help improve the livelihoods of the local information and held interviews with the MIM team and population. Volunteers come in particularly handy in other key actors, but also provided airtime on the radio activities with communities, because they are enthusiastic and space in the print media—without charge. 6) Motivation determines performance. Give your where basic concepts of royalties and municipal investment volunteers more than thank-you notes. are taught to rural communities in a fun and interactive The MIM Peru project work plan is very detailed and intensive. It includes preparation of materials, distribution The use of volunteers has proven to be an effective way to activities (including face-to-face meetings with work with volunteers, who have helped reach over 44,500 communities and local leaders), and capacity-building people from 221 communities. activities. The MIM technical teams—each composed of two to three young professionals who receive support high targets set for them. That’s why they started recruiting Box 1: MIM Caravans: Young Volunteers Put the Fun into volunteers. Becoming Informed The “Don Justo� theater, educational games, a question box for residents’ questions to the mayor, and a mobile chalkboard (to gather local opinions and inform the population about other activities) were part of the education caravan held in the town square of the city of Moquegua, the copper capital of Peru. The caravan initiative, organized by MIM Moquegua, seeks to inform and educate the local population regarding local authorities’ management of mining canon resources and help residents exercise informed citizen oversight. The mayors of the cities of Arequipa and the province of Mariscal Nieto (Moquegua), both located in southern Peru, visited the activities and were surprised at the massive showing of local residents and the enthusiasm present. “Young people are clearly very interested and concerned about municipal investments in Moquegua,� said the mayor MIM volunteers perform “Don Justo� street theatre in a rural of Arequipa upon witnessing the participation of the young community of Ancash. volunteers who gave the caravan life by guiding, motivating, Photo by Karla Diaz and educating the population in fun and entertaining ways. SMARTLESSONS — MAY 2011 5 The project aimed at having the volunteers Conclusion Projects such as MIM Peru that focus on however, there was high turnover among informing and educating the population are volunteers, with over 300 volunteers who an integral part of promoting development. participated on average three months. Communications were a key factor in the success of the MIM project, as indicated by a The team learned that this turnover was due to the lack of a formal structure that could have kept the young students motivated. Managing volunteers includes considering them part of the project’s team and preparing showed an increase in their understanding of basic concepts of royalties and training, dissemination activities, a certi�cate municipal investment. of participation, and, where possible, the recognition of their work as an internship (required to graduate) by the university from 17.7 percent to 46.7 percent. where they study. increased from 30.8 percent to 43.9 Box 2: The Next MIM Marathon! percent. The new MIM Peru project (ID 581028): information increased from 45.4 percent to 55.0 percent. as a transversal component based on a behavioral-changes approach. It has clearly defined its target audiences and the of municipalities on the use of revenues expected behaviors, and all the materials increased from 8.0 percent to 26.3 percent. and activities have been developed accordingly. way in which municipalities report their spending increased from 25 percent to 58 accountability and focuses on promoting percent. good governance, it has a refreshed image due to the revision of the attributes and The lessons shared here have been tested and benefits associated with the project brand. have proven valuable, so much that they were incorporated into the design of a new information, capacity building, and incentives that target the media so they may continue to be engaged with the project. DISCLAIMER SmartLessons is an awards program to share lessons learned in development-oriented advisory services and investment operations. The �ndings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of IFC or its partner organizations, the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. IFC does not assume any responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of the information contained in this document. Please see the terms and conditions at www.ifc.org/ smartlessons or contact the program at smartlessons@ifc.org. 6 SMARTLESSONS — MAY 2011