In the age of instant communication where we are faced with an abundance of information every day, media literacy and critical thinking are extremely important, especially among children and young people. Since 2011, the Association for Communication and Media Culture (DKMK) has been carrying out numerous activities in the field of strengthening media education, and this year, in cooperation with the Croatian Association for Public Relations (HUOJ) and the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, we helped them in design and media placement of the first awards ceremony for the best media literacy teachers in Croatia.
Such non-commercial projects of great social importance require a specific approach in implementation, therefore our communication support consisted of three key phases:
In the sea of ideas, it is important to single out the right one! After we had precisely defined the communication goals and concept of the project, we started working on it, which included, among other things, the name and visual identity. Based on the example of the Greek philosopher Socrates, who encouraged his students to think critically about various topics by asking questions, “Medijski Sokrat” became the official name of the award that will be awarded to educators in primary and secondary schools for an exceptional contribution to the promotion of media literacy. children and young people.
At this stage, the visual identity was entrusted to the external collaborators of the association, and we set the basic guidelines for the rules and mechanics of the award and the communication of the project on different platforms.
After the World Teacher’s Day was chosen as the best date for awarding the Medijski Sokrat, an invitation was sent to all educational institutions in Croatia to apply for media literacy activities via newsletters and social networks. For the purposes of promoting the project, we also placed a press release in the media. Also, short video materials were created with invitations to apply, and with our support in advertising and targeting the target group, invitations to participate in the competition were seen by more than 50 thousand targeted users of social networks.
The success of the campaign is best evidenced by a total of 55 applications received from all over Croatia – from southern Dalmatia to Istria and Kvarner through central Croatia to Slavonia and Baranja, which exceeded all expectations.
The highlight of the project was the ceremonial award ceremony, attended by high-level representatives of state institutions, which took place at the Croatian State Archives and where recognition was given to the best teachers in the field of media culture in Croatia. The event received excellent media coverage, with television and radio support. The coverage of the first Medijski Sokrat Awards ceremony was even broadcasted three times on national television, while the press release announcing the winners was picked up by all major news outlets.