Call for proposals: Communications campaign on designing new perspectives of Africa

Introduction

Africa is a complex and multifaceted continent, yet it is often portrayed in the media through a narrow lens that emphasises its deficiencies and negates its successes. These portrayals reinforce stereotypes and hinder efforts to change the way Africa and Africans are perceived and treated and helps perpetuate the power imbalance between the global north and south.  

To contribute to addressing this issue, Partnering for Change (PARC) have organised a competition aimed at stimulating the public to create new and different perspectives on how Africa should be portrayed in Finnish media. We are now seeking to engage a communications agency to run a multimedia campaign that is based on the themes arising from this competition.  

The campaign’s primary goal is to diversify the Finnish perception of the region and its people and to inspire more empathetic, informed and diverse relationships between Finland and sub-Saharan Africa. 

About Partnering for Change project

PARC is a project funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and implemented by the Deaconess Foundation and Filantropia ry. PARC was developed to present the reality of countries south of the Sahara and to challenge the traditional development cooperation narrative. 

In its quest to foster a new and more equitable representation of Africa, PARC is tackling the question of what this new representation of Africa shall be like. To develop a response, PARC plans to invite the public, including NGOs, the African diaspora in Finland and other interested parties to participate in a competition, the results of which feed into a communications campaign that is focused on disseminating this new perspective. 

PARC is running a public competition between February and April 2024 in which the general public will be asked to share their thoughts and ideas and to envision how they would like to see Africa being portrayed. 

The competition will be completed in spring 2024. Following that, a communications campaign will be launched based on the results of the competition. As such, PARC wishes to engage an external communication agency in the planning and execution of this campaign. The aim is to implement a campaign that highlights the diversity and realities of sub-Saharan African countries, and challenges the traditional imagery of developing economies.  

Campaign objective

The primary objective of this campaign is to reach Finnish people with messages portraying a diversified view of Africa. 

Scope of work

Please note, the campaign will be carried out in Finland and in Finnish. 

The selected advertising agency will be responsible for disseminating the competition results in a manner that encourages public engagement in the subject. The scope of work includes: 

1. Developing a campaign concept:

• • The agency will develop a creative and compelling campaign concept for presenting the Finnish general public a diversified image of Sub-Saharan Africa on the basis of the results of the competition The concept will contain, at the least, social media and traditional media components.

2. Implementing a media campaign

• • Advertisements both digital and physical in the form of billboards, brochures and other assets.  
  • Contacting media outlets, content creators and influencers.

3. Implementing a social media campaign in cooperation of the Deaconess Foundation’s communications team

• • Plan and execute a social media campaign that shares the competition results with a designated hashtag, inviting individuals and organisations to engage with the content. 
  • Monitor social media engagement, promote user-generated content and encourage discussion  

Deliverables

To be considered for this assignment, applicants must provide a proposal that outlines a creative approach to the task and that captures the essence of the competition and its objective. 

• The primary target group will be the Finnish general public, a more specific definition of the target group may be agreed later. 

The campaign concept and proposal should cover the following deliverables 

• Multimedia content
  • A comprehensive package of multimedia content based on themes identified in the competition. The proposed assets include out-of-home (OOH) and digital out-of-home (DOOH) media. 
• A social media campaign 
  • A thorough social media campaign plan, execution and management with regular updates. 
  • Regular reports on social media engagement, user-generated content and content reach. 
• A list of distribution channels 
  • A list of collaborators and partnerships with organisations, NGOs, media outlets, content creators, and influencers including a summary of collaborative activities and their impact on the campaign 
  • Opportunities for paid advertising 

Timeline

The campaign is expected to run for up to three weeks in late August to early September 2024. The advertising agency should provide a timeline for each phase of the campaign, from concept development to post-campaign evaluation. The competition is expected to end in April. The plans and content for the communication campaign are expected by late June.  

 The contracted agency will be expected to provide strategic input regarding the timing and duration of the campaign. 

Budget

A detailed budget proposal should be included that includes a breakdown of costs for each component of the campaign.  

Evaluation and reporting

The agency will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on the progress and impact of the campaign. This includes: 

• Regular updates on the campaign’s performance, including user engagement and reach. 
• Evaluation of user-generated content and discussions, and identifying common themes and insights related to the project. 
• The agency will work closely with the PARC team to ensure an effective campaign. Regular communication and updates are expected to facilitate a successful partnership. 

Proposal submission

Interested communications agencies should submit a detailed proposal that includes the following: 

• A description of their agency, including experience with similar campaigns. 

• A portfolio of previous relevant work. 

• A detailed campaign concept  

• A budget proposal 

• A proposed timeline. 

• Contact information and brief bios for key team members. 

The deadline for proposal submission is January 21st 2024. All proposals should be sent to sara.haavisto@hdl.fi with the subject line ” Showcasing New Perspectives – (Agency Name).” 

Selection process

• Proposals will be evaluated based on creativity, experience, budget, and alignment with the campaign’s objectives.  
• Diversity within the agency and tangible links with Sub-Saharan Africa will be considered an advantage. 
• Shortlisted agencies will be invited for an interview or presentation. 

Further information

For any inquiries or further information, please contact PARC Project Manager Sara Tabrizizadeh-Haavisto at sara.haavisto@hdl.fi.   

Foreign agencies are welcome, however please note the campaign will be in Finland in Finnish.