---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:strategies/Governments-should-develop-strategies-for-testing-"
type: "GovLab policy strategy"
title: "Governments should develop strategies for testing different messages and delivery methods to understand what…"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/governments-should-develop-strategies-for-testing-"
summary: "Governments should develop strategies for testing different messages and delivery methods to understand what is the best combination to deliver specific messages to specific groups."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Governments should develop strategies for testing different messages and delivery methods to understand what…

Governments should develop strategies for testing different messages and delivery methods to understand what is the best combination to deliver specific messages to specific groups.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Academia, Civil Society
- Type: Research, Data, Communications, Partnerships
- Recommendation: [Data and innovation](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/data-and-innovation)
- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/)

## Actions governments should take

1. Develop messages that use different informational frameworks but that communicate the same facts or public health guidance.
2. Use online or digital tools, such as SMS, online advertising, or emails to experiment with messaging frameworks in a data-rich and cost-effective way.
3. Test different messaging frameworks with focus groups of specific demographic and social groups.
4. Partner with private sector firms who have expertise in randomized control trials or A/B testing in advertising or marketing, such as internet services companies or telecom companies. These firms can provide guidance and support for running effective testing strategies and methodologies. [Google Ads](https://ads.google.com/intl/en_us/getstarted/?subid=us-en-ha-awa-bk-c-co!o3~Cj0KCQjw28T8BRDbARIsAEOMBczMiuY2ZTH8km9o-EiCWTSQHh0-2f5GkGTUSCJQi6eCdv7S70h9_UMaAuQpEALw_wcB~76351050606~kwd-12340353~6466339383~445804224654&gclid=Cj0KCQjw28T8BRDbARIsAEOMBczMiuY2ZTH8km9o-EiCWTSQHh0-2f5GkGTUSCJQi6eCdv7S70h9_UMaAuQpEALw_wcB) has offered support to the [WHO and various national](https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/commitment-support-small-businesses-and-crisis-response-covid-19/) and local governments to support targeted messaging on the pandemic.
5. Test frequently and in manageable or small sample sizes. This will save costs and increase efficiency of messaging expenditures as the government will be able to direct funds to scaling the most effective message for specific populations instead of a “one size fits all” approach.

## Examples from around the world

1. [The Behavioral Insights Team conducted an online experiment to test the efficacy of how different messages and infographics contribute to individuals wearing facemasks correctly. Their experiment randomly assigned participants to one of 4 groups, each receiving a different message or a control of no message. The experiment revealed that 82% of participants recalled the information from WHO/BIT infographics compared to 77% for people in the control groups.](https://www.bi.team/blogs/how-to-wear-a-facemask-results-from-an-experiment-with-4099-uk-adults/)