The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Impact Data - Mass Media Vasectomy Promotion Campaign

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Impact evaluation of a 15-month mass media vasectomy promotion campaign in three major Brazilian cities: São Paulo, Fortaleza, and Salvador. The campaign consisted of a combination of prime-time television and radio spots, magazine ads, flyer distribution and an electronic billboard along with other public relations activities.

Methodologies
This campaign was evaluated by examining the clinic records and sources of referral (a standard intake question at all clinics, not requiring separate surveys). The evaluators compare monthly mean data from the six-month pre-campaign period, during the six-week campaign period, and the five and one-half months after the campaign. The in-depth analysis of the PRO-PATER clinic uses daily averages rather than monthly means, and examines the impact of the mini-campaign and post mini-campaign periods. This analysis also assesses the distribution of referrals that led clients to the clinic. In order to evaluate vasectomy rates over time and assess the potential long-term impact of media campaigns, the evaluators performed an 11-year longitudinal regressions analysis. A cost-effectiveness assessment was also performed.
Practices
Across the three clinics, calls, visits, and actual vasectomies increased markedly during the campaign, though post-campaign performance varied substantially between them:
  • PRO-VAS (Fortaleza): The mean number of calls and visits per month increased by 133% (from 15 to 35) during the campaign, while in the 6-months afterwards the monthly mean dropped to 12; less than before the campaign. The monthly mean number of vasectomies increased by 108% from 12 at pre-campaign, to 25 during the campaign, and then down to 7 for a total decline of 42%.(Note: the PRO-VAS clinic was disrupted by a labour dispute during the post-campaign period, which partially skewed the findings.)
  • CEPARH (Salvador): The mean number of calls and visits per month increased by 169% (from 39 to 105), while in the 6-months afterwards the monthly mean fell to 85, for a total gain from pre-campaign of 118%. The monthly mean number of vasectomies increased by 59% from 32 at pre-campaign to 51 during the campaign, and then increased further during the post-campaign period to 59, for a total gain of 84%.
  • PRO-PATER (São Paulo): The mean number of calls and visits per month increased by 261% (from 529 to 1,911 during the campaign), while in the 6-months afterwards the monthly mean fell back to 679, for a total gain from pre-campaign of 28%. The monthly mean number of vasectomies increased by 82%, (from 303 at pre-campaign to 550 during the campaign. The mean then dropped off slightly, to 542 for an overall increase of 79% during the post-campaign period.
Access
In the total 15-month campaign period, it is estimated that 4 million people were reached through the combined activities and press coverage.
Other Impacts
Referrals
The source of referrals for the clinic (PRO-PATER only) shifted over the course of the campaign:
  • Pre-Campaign: Friends/relatives = 55%, Other = 25.2%, Magazines/newspapers = 15.3%.
  • Campaign: Television = 57.9%, Friends/relatives = 20.2%, Magazines/newspapers = 10%, Radio = 5%.
  • Post-Campaign: Friends/relatives = 43.3%, Television = 33.8%, Other = 25.2%, Magazines/newspapers = 6.2%.
  • Mini-Campaign: Friends/relatives = 52.7%, Magazines/newspapers = 17.1%, Other = 16.2%, Television = 12.2%.
The electronic billboard in downtown Sao Paulo was a very minor referral source (<1%). The proportion of referrals from the television spot ultimately returned to very low levels after the campaign, and referrals from friends/relatives returned as the dominant source.
Source
D. Lawrence Kincaid; Alice Payne Merritt; Liza Nickerson; Sandra de Castro Buffington; Marcos Paulo P. de Castro; Bernadete Martin de Castro, "Impact of a Mass media Vasectomy Promotion Campaign in Brazil," International Family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 22, No. 4. (Dec., 1996), pp. 169-175. Click here for access to this full article through the JSTOR archive. Access to this archive is available only through affiliation with a participating academic institution.