In today's world of rapid communications and the growing importance of the internet in the global media market, a significant number of people in Greece - particularly the elderly - do not yet know how to use the internet. According to data provided by the Observatory for Digital Greece, only 15 % of people aged 55 to 65 and 4 % of people aged 65 to 75 years old use the Internet in Greece.
Accordingly, National Bank of Greece has launched a significant initiative: the "Deixtous" (="show them") campaign, a volunteer programme that aims at reducing digital illiteracy by encouraging and motivating young people to disseminate their digital skills and teach older people how to use the Internet.
The Deixtous campaign is basically a communication "bridge" between the young and the old, between those "in the know" and people who because of their age, or any other reason, have so far remained outside the world of modern technology and the new media.
It is implemented via (a) a website (www.deixtous.gr) where the young get motivated to transfer their digital skills (b) e-schools on basic internet skills bringing together young volunteers and the elderly.
Policy Context
The campaign is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of i-bank electronic services by National Bank of Greece (NBG). It is endorsed by the Special Secretariat for Digital Planning of the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping.
Description of target users and groups
The Deixtous campaign has two different target groups: (A) the young, mainly between 20 and 40 years old who act as the teachers and (B) the elderly, mainly between 50 and 75 years old who get trained on basic internet skills by group A. Please note that the age limits are provided for sizing purposes as there is no certain age limit throughout the campaign.
Size: Based on a monthly statistical bulletin from November 2010 and using 2008 data, Group A population in Greece is 3 220 154 and Group B is 3 215 125.
Composition: Group A comprises of students and young professionals and Group B includes people close to or in pension age.
Description of the way to implement the initiative
The first phase of the project started in March 2011 with the launch of www.deixtous.gr and an extensive above-the-line campaign. The whole communication language is "fresh" and "funny", in order to inspire the young generation.
The Deixtous webpage provides some basic learning tools (video tutorials and guides) to help young people teach older friends and relatives at a time and place convenient for them. This informal training platform assists in the quick and cost-free transfer of digital skills, while it also gives different generations the opportunity to communicate and spend time together. It has a fun element with a special contest of "stories" uploaded to the website.
The above-the-line campaign (TV, radio, press, internet banners, cinema, metro & social media) lasted 3 months (March-May) and achieved significant coverage of the total population in Greece (11 million inhabitants): 4,8 million people in the target group 18-54 were exposed to the TV ads, 570 thousand visits in the Deixtous website and browsing 1.5 million pages, 280 entries in the Deixtous contest, 550 volunteers submitted in the website, 65 000 views of the Deixtous youtube channel, 1960 facebook friends of the Deixtous page and 159 followers in Twitter. We had very positive and encouraging feedback for the campaign across all channels. While NBG has a strong social capital accumulated in a parallel history with the Greek state for 170 years, the Deixtous campaign was perceived as a bold and innovative move.
In May-June 2011, the pilot Deixtous courses were held in two municipalities of Athens and instantly proved to be very popular with volunteers and "pupils". A specialised NGO on elderly people "50plus Hellas" has provided support in terms of consulting with tips on how to transfer knowledge. From November 2011 and up to now, 4-week courses take place in NBG's two i-bank concept stores in Athens and Salonica. More than 60 young volunteers, coming from the Bank and externally, and around 120 elderly people have already lived this experience (November 2011- March 2012). The ECDL Foundation also supported the Deixtous courses initiative by providing training material (Equalskills booklet). The Facebook page is still live and covers the story of the courses in order to disseminate the message and provide the example that everyone should follow at home.
Technology solution
A website (www.deixtous.gr) has been developed by an external partner, which worked as a pivot point of the campaign. Training of the elderly people is mainly on Windows and a popular browser, depending on the choice of the trainer/volunteer.
Technology choice: Standards-based technology
Main results, benefits and impacts
Quantitative benefits for the Bank: significant exposure of the Deixtous message to Greek population.
Qualitative benefits for the Bank: positive image creation via the organisation of a fresh and innovative campaign and from publicity created, positive feedback from almost all participants in the training initiative (volunteers/trainers and trainees).
Return on investment
Return on investment: Not applicable / Not availableTrack record of sharing
Presentation of the case during the Innovation for Digital Inclusion Conference held in Gdansk (5-7 October 2011), in parallel workshop 7: European digital literacy & eInclusion network: from action plan to action.
National Bank of Greece is open to collaborate with other actors in the digital inclusion ecosystem. Already collaborating with the ECDL Foundation for using learning material during the informal training sessions held in i-bank stores.
Lessons learnt
1. Drag attention of the public with a clever and "fresh" way & incentivise
2. Build and maintain platform for content dissemination
3. Involve experts in this field, but keep it internal
Scope: National