Media Plan

Background Study

An electoral process is a democratic procedure which gives citizens the right to elect their preferred political leaders by exercising their franchise. The common interest of every citizen is economic transformation and progress that will bring jobs, reduce the burden of high taxation, huge utility bills, high cost of living and others to make the country a better place to live in. However, the story becomes completely different immediately after these politicians are elected into office. Several media reports have emerged showing how corruption has permeated in the political economy with several being prosecuted and punished after being found guilty of the crime.

Citizens have lost hope and confidence in our politicians because of the failure to bring the needed development to their communities which are usually marked by promises made by the politicians. Historically, and for the past 15years, Ghanaians have lost trust in these politicians because of the challenges the communities faces since time immemorial with regards to poor sanitation, bad roads, lack of school buildings, lack of portable drinking water, lack of basic health facilities, no electricity and lack of social infrastructure.

Tactically, politicians try to find easy ways and they do so by exploiting the citizens with money, gifts and others to get them to do their biding which do not end up peacefully when realised.

Research has proven that a great number of  illiterates and especially the youth living in rural communities are the victims who are stired to engage in these electoral and political violence due to inadequate knowledge and understanding of political conflicts ,violence and it's adverse consequences .

This is manifested in various forms such as arson, physical assault and murder which poses threat to security and development.

In Ghana, Information gathered by various media houses on election happenings so far recorded some scary incidents. Even though they may have not led to wars, the fear of it happening has clouded the minds of many as the 2016 general election period is drawing nearer.

Scope of Study

The Medie community can be found in the Ga west municipality of the Greater Accra Region with a total population of 2631 comprising 1006 males and 1625 females with alot of youths .The religions found in Medie include Christianity, Islam, traditional religion and Hindu with the population dominated by Christians. The Medie people originated from Chorkor. However, ethnic groups present in the community include the Gas, Akans, Hausa, Ewes and Busangas. The main occupation of the majority is farming while the few are involved in menial jobs with most having attended school to the basic level.

As the project demands the scope to be rural, Medie was considered due to its a past history of political anarchy, making it a highly on stable area amongst several other characteristics.

Situation Analysis/Problem statement:

The perception gathered so far from public discourse after the 2012 elections in the media, press releases and conferences, demonstrations ,political parties and expert opinion shared by security analysts point to the fact that, if care is not taken, the 2016 general elections in Ghana may be marred by chaos and violence and this might start from highly volatile rural areas like medie which has a past record of such activities.

Media objective/Strategies:

To use Posters (Print (outdoor media)) and Broadcast media specifically the local Information centers to generate and advocate for peace by creating awareness on the reprecautions of electrol violence and the importance of Peace before and after elections admist the Youth within the of ages of 18 and above by 100% in the Medie area within 5months Under the theme "Vote Not Fight" No Gidi Gidi meaning "No unwanted or uncalled for activities or behavior "

This is going to be implemented by:

1.By designing a campaign poster to sensitize 100 % of residents of Medie within the period of 5 months.

2. Trained personells will be brought in to educate and create awareness in the people of medie especially the youth about activities that can lead to conflict and it's negative impacts.

3. To generally promote peace amongst the people  of medie.

Why posters and broadcast media(local information centers):

Posters:

1. Long message life.

2. Repeat exposure

3. Easy and increased visibility.

4. Encourage active response.

5. Wide and broader reach.

Broadcast(Information centers):

1. Reach is higher and quicker.

2..Large amounts of information  can be desemeted within a short time.

3. Easy comprehension.

4. Active response.

5. Easy to get message across to the target audience.

To accompany the Posters and information centers ,will be a number of trained person ells who will be visiting the medie area on specific days to help with the campaign.

Advertising objective:

As the 2016 elections gathers momentum with its attendant apprehension it stirs within the polity, the “Vote Not Fight, No Gidi Gidi” campaign, is targeted primarily at the youths that constitutes a great deal of the voting population in the country, and ironically are the main culprits in election violence, The main aim is to generate awareness and advocacy for Peace before and after elections by 100% within a period of 5 months amongst the youth of medie.

Conclusion:

This peace campaign dubbed, “Vote Not Fight, No Gidi Gidi” seeks to mobilize young people not only in medie but across Ghana to create awareness, advocate, take action and commit to an everlasting era of peace. The project also aims to build a coalition of like-minded stakeholders from all sectors of society that are committed to ensuring peace and tranquility, especially in this year’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections.