"Hero for hope": a communicative tool to reduce fear on pandemics

"Hero for Hope" its a communicative tool based on a web-platform, and a communicator - mascotte - which helps to reduce harming influence of fear in pandemic, providing messages, balanced in negative and positive appeals towards COVID19, with the potential to be employed for other diseases (like cancer).

Natalia Gladkikh, PhD in Psychology, Director of Institute for Advanced Study of Human and Society (IASHAS), author of the books "PSA:The Korean Way", "Evaluation of social advertising"

The COVID19 has become an important challenge for people around the globe. Many issues have received a new development in the light of the new challenges.

One of these issues was the role of media which became the main source of information, and taking this role out from doctors.  

Media communications have some specific features. It can easy recall the heuristic of over estimation of negative effects, learned helplessness etc. All of these induce the fear as the basic element of the attitude towards the disease.

From the other side, there are no media communicators which would be interested to reduce the fear, because fear is an effective tool to make people to follow rules of behaviour in pandemic.

But as medical researchers said, fear has negative influence on health. In traditional Chinese medicine “fear injury kidney” considered as the main damager of immune system. In traditional medicine, so-called nocebo effect is a direct manifestation of negative attitudes on the patient's health.

In this situation we raised up the question:

How can a balance be found in mass media communication in order to avoid the nocebo effect and vice versa, to turn media from damagers into healers?

We would describe our target audience as "all people" in the era of pandemics (as well as after and before the active period of a pandemic). But we would also figure out the sub target audiences:

1. "Just people" (general public, different ages, 14+). Those who are affected by media, who are seeking for information to make their own decision, who potentially can experience fear - the emotion which can damage their immune system, so to reduce ability to be protected from virus.

2. Representatives of media - those who develop media policy.

3. Doctors - who can influence on their patient's fear, and resistance towards the virus.

4. "Survivors" - their testimonials will help to produce the inspirational stories, as a significant part of content for IT platform. The interesting form of presenting their stories (specially invented) will produce the "healing by reading" effect. 

5. People responsible for disseminating of knowledge about the pandemics. They can use the materials of the library for free, presenting not just the scaring data and facts, but the balanced content, professionally revised and tailor-made, so to reduce fear, but without the fake hope.

1. Web-site aggregating and presenting the "healing" messages

2. Ad materials with the mascotte, as well as identity (brand book) open for free use (published on web-site)

3. Peer-review publication resulting and presenting the project results after the first year of the project

4. In general, the scientific analysis of the problem (nocebo in pandemic) and sharing the insights on international conferences, publications etc. As the result, changing of attitudes of people responsible for media content delivering towards the influence of fear. 

On the level of impact (outcomes): 

1. Changing of media content about pandemic (cancer)

2. Significant decreasing of harming effect of fear on the people's health which was affected by destructive messages of media

Our logical frame can be described as following:

Tasks of stage 1: 

1. We develop a technical frame: mascotte, web-site

2. We develop a data set of UGC from survivors (2 languages)

3. We make scientific analysis (experts in psychology) of messages and the dataset, so to make the tailored content for the web-site

Output of the stage 1: web-site with tailored content

Tasks of stage 2: 

1. Promotion of the web-site - launching of the ad campaign (2 languages)

2. Partnership development (NGOs and other interested parts)

Output of stage 2: Raised awareness of the project

Tasks of stage 3: 

1. Knowledge dissemination - participation in conferences, organising round tables, so to involved people from media to the project (in form of sharing the vision)

2. Publishing of article in peer-review journal

Output of stage 3: Media involved in the project / share the idea of the project

Tasks of stage 4:

1. Scaling of the project - translation of the content on other languages (at least of 3 else)

2. Scaling of the project on the other subjects, starting from cancer, using the same scheme, starting with 2 languages

As it was mentioned in the previous, we plan to scale our project, and to expend our impact as following:

1. Scaling of the project - translation of the content on other languages 

2. Scaling of the project on the other subjects, starting from cancer, using the same scheme

The key idea of the project about reduction of damaging influence of media, based on the nocebo effect, is universal, and could be used (and scaled) in any language. As well, as this phenomenon (nocebo) is universal (and could be scaled) on the other diseases, which is actively discussed in society (media), accompanying with myths, stressing on fear etc. - like cancer.

We will develop a detailed evaluation system for the measurement of our performance, as well as monitoring. We will rely on the system of indicators for the each of the stages. There is a specialist with 10+ experience in impact evaluation of social projects in our team.

We are going to measure the baseline - the characteristics of media context of the pandemic, including the retrospective analysis of the 2 previous years. Then, we will make monitoring of the projects results in term of quantitative and qualitative outputs (number of involved people, web-site metrics, social media buzz etc.) At the end of each year we are going to conduct the measurement pf the projects's outcomes. After the three years of the projects we are going to conduct the external evaluation of the project, so to evaluate all of the outcomes, and the impact of the project.

We need the financial resources to develop the project. We don't rely on the ROI, at least at the beginning of the project (2 years). The project has more significant social impact than economic. It makes us dependent from the external sources. We relied on our own resources for the development of the evidence base of the project, market analysis etc. But for further activity, we need to find the financial sources. From the other side, the project "not enough scientific"so to apply for the scientific grants program. It's also neither social entrepreneurship, at least during the first three years. And also, the idea doesn't correlate with interests of some stakeholders who are interested in increasing fear, because when people afraid of something, than they are very good to be controled and guided, they are ready to buy new medicines etc. - much more than they really need.

To cope with this barrier, we will look for other interested people and organisations. Also, we will invest our own time, free from our main jobs, so to continue this project. 

Foundation for development of social programs and media projects GLADWAY (NGO)

We are looking for counterpart which would be also interested in this solution, and would provide the financial support for it. But the feedback to our idea of this solution is also very important for us. We can see the prospective of the solution, but the external assessment is also valuable for us. We would also appreciate support and participation from the members of Trinity Challenge members in form of expertise, and also the promotional support (advertising).

1. We would much appreciate the expert help from the Universities, The Trinity Challenge Members. In particular, LSE Behavioural Lab for Teaching and Research recently launched a study of behavioural effects of COVID-19. Expertise of the informational materials and the balanced messages would also be very helpful from other Universities too.

2. We would very appreciate help in promotion and advertising of the Hero for Hope from the Google and Facebook.

3. We would very appreciate the evaluation and assessment from the Institute for Health metrics and evaluation.