BCC approaches are not one-size-fits-all. The communication needs of projects are highly contextual, and with different stakeholders successful BCC programs require different strokes. The team involved in an ADB-supported primary health care project in Bangladesh initially thought that since most people love discounts, free services are even better. But promoting maternal and child health services as “free” was not particularly attractive for moms in urban poor communities in the capital, Dhaka. They shied away from the brand new, state-of-the-art clinics located near them.

Formative research under the BCC program of the health project confirmed that mothers drew on their personal experience to equate “free” services with low-quality care. This was notwithstanding that health indicators pointed to high rates of maternal and infant mortality, and surveys verified that mothers themselves said they urgently needed the services. — blog.adb.org/blogs