EU COMMUNICATION

CAMPAIGNS
 Communication campaigns
Initiated by a collective, organised source

Goal-driven, objective based

Public

Many communication channels, many competing

messages

Mass media + interpersonal channels

 Communication campaigns
Distinct publics, according to objectives

Must be legitimate in the eye of the

public opinion, must fall within the
accepted norms, must avoid any
controversies
Types of communication campaigns (1)
Public awareness campaigns

Publicity campaigns

Public education campaigns

Public health campaigns

Individual belief change

Individual behaviour change

Types of communication campaigns (2)
Awareness campaigns, whose topics concern the general public
Information campaigns, targeted at segments of the
population, that are specifically concerned with the topic
Public education campaigns, whose goals are to change public
behaviour in certain areas of activity
Campaigns to re-instill adherence to common socio-cultural
values
Campaigns to alter existing beliefs
Public information campaigns for delivering the technical information
needed by applicants, grant holders and authorities, together with a
call to action
Awareness campaigns, facilitating a rather emotional message for the
general public.
Nowak and Warneryd (1985)
Starting points Factors that mediate the effect

Competing Message
events/
actions/
campaigns

Goal Expected Receiver Channel Actual

effect obtained
effect

Target
Sender
 Starting points
Objectives
Competing actions
Expected/ planned effect
Sender: institution/ individual
Target
Receiver

Attention: target public may be different of the

receiver of the message!
Factors that influence the effect
The message

The channel

The sender
 Objectives
To gain attention
To inform
To influence
To produce a change in behaviour
To make known sth
To persuade sb
To reach a decision
To validate
 Success factors

Defining needs, objectives and resources (target research)

Systematic planning
Ongoing monitoring and evaluation
Choosing the appropriate communication channels
Entertaining
Avoiding a direct attack of preexistent beliefs and
attitudes
Using persuasion techniques adapted to the targets
 Characteristics of press materials

Up-to-datedness: old news is no news

Originality: unusual events (not to be mixed up with sensational!)

Proximity: people are interested in events happening in their

proximity

Suspense

Progress: inventions, discoveries

Preeminence: contemporary personalities

 Success of a public communication campaign

Have a fun component

Avoid to directly attack existing beliefs of

the target audience

Use persuasion techniques adjusted to the

target
 Failure of the communication campaign

Adoption of a moralizing tone

Use of complex messages

Insufficient funds

Lack of media support

Key questions regarding public communication
campaigns

Why do we need a public communication

campaign?
Who are the target audiences of the campaigns?
What needs to be communicated?
When does a communication campaign need to
be implemented?
How does a communication campaign have to be
implemented?
 Communication matrix
COMMUNICATION MATRIX
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
The decision to adopt one single currency among the
European countries: the 1991 Maastricht Treaty, during
which the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was
established

1 January 2002: the countries participating in the EMU

changed their national currency units to the euro
banknotes and coins

The Euro 2002 Information Campaign: the largest unitary

public information and education campaign ever done
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
In order to ensure a smooth transition and to protect
citizens from accepting counterfeits, an information and
an education campaign was necessary

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the participating

National Central Banks (NCBs) were responsible for
guaranteeing that all citizens were informed about,
prepared for and aware of, this major change through
this campaign
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN

The European Parliament, the European Monetary Institution (IME)

and the other European institutions were associated with the
activities of the European Commission in developing a common
position concerning the competence of each organisation

The Commission guaranteed the coherency of all the actions,

prepared the legislative proposals, which fixed the juridical
framework of euro utilisation, and worked together with the
Council, the Parliament, the European Monetary Institution and the
other participants to assure the effective realisation of this project
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN

The responsibility for the information and

communication activities concerning the changeover
toward a common currency was under the jurisdiction of
the relevant member states and private sectors

The Commission had the task of previewing the

effective programs to remove every kind of
misunderstanding
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
The strategy behind the ECBs campaign was based on the concept of
co-operation with multipliers, such as banks, retailers and their
associations, as well as educational institutions and governmental
authorities, at both European and National level

The campaign was conducted in two main phases

1) the partner organisations (multipliers) were approached in order
to enable them to prepare their own activities with regard to
training and the provision of information

2) scheduled for the second half of 2001, the general public was
actively provided with information by means of a mass media
campaign in order to ensure a smooth changeover to the euro
banknotes and coinns
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
Main lines of the communication strategy
a) Subsidiary
As the single currency concerned all Europeans, the
responsibility for information and communication
activities accompanying the changeover process to a
common currency belonged in the first instance to the
Member States and the private sector.ain line of the
communication strategy
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
Main lines of the communication strategy
b)Coherence
The European Commissions main task was to ensure the coherence of
all the activities and prepare proposals for legislation fixing the
legal framework for use of the Euro, in liaison with the European
Council, European Parliament, the European Monetary Institute
(EMI) and the other parties involved

The European Commission put confidence-building measures in place.

It developed analyses and arguments, communication tools and the
basic means of information, which were utilised by the Member
States and by the different players.
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
Main lines of the communication strategy
c) Decentralisation
Actions on the ground were taken mainly by the Member
States, the different players and economic operators,
the relays and networks as well as organisations
representing civil society.
For the European Commission, the offices in the Member
States had the role of promotion and co-ordination
within this framework
The Association for the Monetary Union of Europe played a
dominant role in this context
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
Main lines of the communication strategy
d) Partnership
Actions in partnership with all the players involved in the
process were essential
Communication was interactive and took into account the
specific information needs, which were identified and
expressed by the different categories of users and
audiences
EURO 2002 INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
Main lines of the communication strategy
e) Gradualism
The Euro existed as a currency from 1 January 1999 but moved only gradually
into general use, with the introduction of coins and notes in 2002

The length of time that Banks and consumers had to prepare themselves
therefore differed. Initially, relevant information was given to the sectors
concerned (public authorities, banks, businesses, etc.) and more general
information to individuals in order to meet the immediate demand for
information expressed by the public, according to the results of surveys

From 1 January 1999 it was necessary to focus on the practical preparation for
the changeover by the general public and give people information suited to
all their activities.
 Campaign analysis
1) Brief presentation/description
(context, purpose, effects)
2) Description of the main
communication strategies used
3) The Nowak and Warneryd matrix
 Campaign analysis
3.1.) Goal
The main goals of the Euro 2002 campaign:
to gradually prepare the general public for the introduction of the
euro banknotes and coins
to help the general public to recognise the euro banknotes and coins
(information about the security features)
to show cashiers in shops and banks how to examine the euro
banknotes quickly and efficiently in order to detect possible
counterfeits
 Campaign analysis
3.1.) Goal
The Euro 2002 Information Campaign had as a priority the diffusion
of euro changeover information in each euro zone country but
also in the other EU and non-EU countries

The campaign aimed to ensure that every citizen was informed

and aware of the visual appearance, including the colour and
dimensions, the security features and the denominations of euro
banknotes and coins

In addition, the changeover arrangements in each country needed

to be widely and effectively publicised through a national level
campaign
 Campaign analysis
3.1.) Goal
The Euro 2002 Information Campaign was not responsible for
messages which were communicated by the government campaigns,
such as the acceptance of the euro as the single currency, the
calculation of the euro compared to the national currency (scale of
values); and the continuity of prices and administrative fees

These issues were discussed at the national level through a specific

and original internal campaign
 Campaign analysis
3.2.) Events/actions
In the first phase, the information focused on particular sectors such as
administration, banks, enterprises etc

Following opinion poll results, the public wanted some answers concerning
the main euro topics, especially people from the private sector

After 1 January 1999 it was necessary to prepare the general public with
practical information for the changeover and to give the citizens well-
developed information as regards their activities

The priority information action considered the different economic and

political situations among the member states, in particular public
opinion and the government decisions
 Campaign analysis
3.2.) Events/actions
First phase: the development of partnerships with multiplier partners

Second phase: making the specific target groups and public

increasingly aware of the general aspects of the introduction of the
banknotes and coins

Third Phase: training and educating the specific target groups and the
public on the technical security details of the euro banknotes by the
end of 2001

Fourth Phase: evaluating carefully the effectiveness of the campaign

after the introduction of banknotes and coins.
 3.3.) Effects

to educate the general public and, more specifically, the

different target group in how to recognise euro banknotes
to train shop and bank cashiers how to examine euro banknotes fast
and efficiently in order to detect possible counterfeits
to ensure favourable reception of the euro banknotes and coins
to gradually prepare the general public as a whole for the
introduction of the euro banknotes and coins by repeatedly drawing
attention to their designs
 Campaign analysis
3.4.) Target groups
European and National Authorities and Changeover Boards
Police forces
Banks
Retailers
Tourist and Travel Industry
Educational Institutions
Press and Media
Blind and partially sighted
General Public
 Campaign analysis
3.5.) Receiver
The general public was the last to be
informed during the preparation of this
campaign for many reasons; one of these
was the result of effective impact on the
daily life of European citizens
 Campaign analysis
3.6.) Message
Different messages to different target groups

A fundamental main message, the changeover, which was carried by every

country and in every different media

The explanation of the introduction of the euro was made with concrete
examples taken from daily life, adopting them to different languages for
the different audience
 Campaign analysis
3.6.) Message
The creative strategy was concentrated more on creating
emotion towards euro currency than on informing

Initial market research indicated that the topic of cash

conversion was seen as a very abstract matter and could
create some fears among the audience

The logo, "the EURO. OUR money contributed

substantially to concretise this feeling.
 Campaign analysis
3.7.) Channel
The main communication tools consisted of television commercials and
printed matter widely distributed, and supported by radio
commercials and both billboard and press advertisements

A mass advertising campaign started in September 2001 with the

launch of a television commercials wave with the aim of appealing
to Europeans to participate in the preparation process and
highlighting the notion of a common currency as a symbol of our
European identity

The concept and content of this mass media campaign was uniform
throughout the 12 euro area countries
 Campaign analysis
3.7.) Channel
The mass media programme formed the most visible part of the integrated
communications programme. The programme was broken down into three
parts:

1. On-line advertising: this took place in April 2001 in order to create traffic
towards the website
2. National media campaign: the National campaign started in September
2001, with growing advertising pressure to build information levels in the
euro area general public as a whole, with extra emphasis on selected target
audiences
3. International media campaign: the international campaign focused on
international and pan-regional media with the objective of transmitting and
multiplying the message of the launch of the euro and other key information
to international travellers and incoming passengers to the euro area
 Campaign analysis
3.8.) Sender
The Euro 2002 Information Campaign was conducted by the
Euro system (the European Central Bank and the
National Central Banks of the euro area)

It was designed to complement other information

campaigns on the euro, particularly those run by
governmental authorities in the individual euro area
countries.
 Campaign analysis
3.9.) Actual obtained effect
Overall the materials produced received a very positive reaction

A general criticism was the centralisation of the organisation, in that it seems

that European countries preferred to follow the idea to Think global, and
act local

All of them realized that a stronger decentralised organisation could better fit
with the local activities and save time and money

This organisational problem affected the southern countries, whose strategies

were less developed, and as a consequence the general public showed they
were less sensitive to euro questions and to the changeover