Exploring multilingual Covid-19 crisis communication in Finland through the lens of social marketing: a qualitative study

Effective multilingual crisis communication can improve equity, inclusion, and access to information of linguistic minorities during crises. Adequate and accessible health information also improves linguistic minorities’ ability to make informed health choices and can help reduce inequalities. However, studies examining the perceived effectiveness of multilingual crisis communication are scarce. This study explored the experiences and strategies employed in multilingual communication during the Covid-19 pandemic in Finland from the perspective of professionals responsible for the provision and dissemination of this information. A qualitative design, using semi-structured interviews to collect data, was used. Interviews (n = 25) with persons responsible for multilingual Covid-19 communications were conducted in 2022. The participants worked in municipalities (n = 8), non-governmental organisations (n = 7), or governmental institutions (n = 10). The data were analysed via deductive theory-directed content analysis. The hierarchical model of social marketing served as an analytical lens to systematically examine the results. The main effort was placed on understanding the needs of linguistic minorities and gaining insights into how to reach them effectively. Respondents mentioned co-creation, collaboration, use of existing networks, community dialogues, and creative combination of aforementioned, as effective strategies. Although these key strategies were consistent with the social marketing framework, the respondents also encountered considerable challenges in operationalising these strategies, and their implementation lacked explicit use of systematic frameworks. More effort is needed to utilise communication strategies more efficiently and coherently in future crisis preparedness. Different social marketing frameworks can provide useful tools for developing and operationalising these. In addition, multilingual crisis communication plans should be included into preparedness plans for future crises in the public and third sectors.