Avian Influenza Mass Media Campaign

This campaign featured an integrated strategy involving several mutually reinforcing elements: mass media, print material distribution, and community-level events. Messages focused on two key risk reduction behaviors: Report (suspected AI outbreaks) and Burn and Bury (dead poultry). A popular Indonesian television celebrity served as the ambassador of the CBAIC mass media campaign, providing a link between its on-air and off-air elements. Organisers chose this young man for his personality and popularity; "[h]e infused the campaign with energy and stirred public interest in the importance of AI control and prevention."

Specifically, the on-air campaign centred around 2 television public service announcements (PSAs); radio and additional television content (fillers and sponsorship of popular programmes) were also utilised. Print material included stickers, posters, banners, t-shirts, fliers, and booklets. In order to increase recognition of CBAIC materials and to reinforce key messages, print materials incorporated the same messages, as well as images, colours, and branding, that were included in the on-air campaign. In addition, AI-themed variety shows were held in high-risk areas to stoke local interest and encourage participation in community-level AI control and prevention efforts. As with the print material, the variety shows incorporated the same key messages, images, colours, and branding. The popular television personality that starred in the educational and entertaining TV filler content appeared at each variety show; this was a strategy for raising the level of excitement and interest in each community.

Health, Natural Resource Management.

Since July 21 2005 (when the first human case of AI was confirmed in Indonesia) through September 10 2008, the Indonesian Ministry of Health reported a total of 137 confirmed human cases, including 112 fatalities – a case fatality rate of over 80%. Indonesia accounts for more than one-third of all human cases worldwide, and almost half of all fatalities.

A total of 3,408 TV spots were aired and 34,991 radio spots were broadcast during the campaign. Using Neilsen media research data, it was estimated that CBAIC reached 96% of the intended audience (men and women aged 22 to 45 across Indonesia); this translates into an estimated 159 million viewers seeing a TV spot at least once during the campaign. CBAIC radio content reached an estimated 31 million listeners nationwide at least once. Quantitative and qualitative research found that:

1. People who saw CBAIC television messages were more likely than those who had not, to burn, bury, and report dead chickens to authorities;
2. The more often people had seen the CBAIC messages on TV, in person at a variety show, or in print, the more likely they were to carry out these behaviours; and
3. A cost-benefit analysis found that an investment of US$ 1.10 per household per message could affect positive behaviour change to reduce the risk of AI transmission.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), CBAIC provides assistance to the National Committee for AI Control and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, trains and mobilises community volunteers, and develops and implements targeted BCC initiatives.