I got the wonderful opportunity to attend and speak at the Impact + Profit Conference organised by the SIE Society, Population Media Center and Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs. I left the two-day event with one major conclusion: we need to take film and entertainment more seriously and embed them as part of well-rounded social and behaviour change interventions.

The theoretical basis for why entertainment is effective in social and behaviour change

Entertainment is uniquely effective in driving social and behaviour change because it taps into the core psychological and emotional mechanisms that shape human beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. At its foundation, the approach leverages narrative persuasion, which allows audiences to engage with messages in a non-defensive and immersive manner. This aligns with the principles of persuasive communication, a method that guides individuals toward the adoption of ideas or actions through arguments and emotionally engaging storytelling, as per the Communication-Persuasion Matrix and Social Cognitive Theory. When people are engrossed in a story, they lower their cognitive defences, creating an opportunity for new ideas and behaviours to take root.

One key reason for this effectiveness is the concept of identification. Viewers tend to identify with characters who face relatable challenges, dilemmas, or aspirations. As these characters model behaviour or experience consequences tied to certain actions, audiences can vicariously explore the outcomes of these behaviours without personal risk. This process is supported by modelling, a behaviour change method grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, which demonstrates the importance of using relatable characters to increase self-efficacy and drive behaviour adoption.

Another powerful mechanism is emotional arousal. Well-crafted entertainment content often triggers emotional responses such as empathy, joy, or even anger. This emotional engagement helps to reinforce memory, deepen message impact, and motivate behaviour change. The dramatic relief method, as identified in the Trans-Theoretical Model, leverages emotions to catalyse shifts in perception and action, making emotions a key driver for change.

Roma, a film about an indigenous woman who works as a live-in domestic worker for a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City is hailed for its social impact. It increased visibility and value of domestic workers and accelerated adoption of solutions that concretely support their economic security.

Entertainment is particularly effective for social norms change because it can portray collective values and behaviours. People change when they see other people are changing. When audiences see characters in media challenging harmful norms or adopting progressive ones, it can create a ripple effect, especially when combined with reinforcement from real-world community dialogue or interventions. This is grounded in Diffusion of Innovations Theory.

“The highest grossing films are social impact films.”

An interesting perspective was shared on the first day by Robert Ripperberg on how some of the highest grossing films of all time address social issues. For example, Avatar explores our relationship with nature. Star Wars deals with our human struggle of good versus evil. Jurassic Park is a critique on animal welfare and animals held in captivity. These films show that meaningful stories can have mass appeal, making the divide between making money and having a message irrelevant.

“You can convince people [to change their behaviour] by creating a space of shared experience.”

One of the most insightful talks of the conference was by David Linde, former CEO of Participant Media. As producers of social impact films such as An Inconvenient Truth, Roma, and Darfur Now, the production company was long regarded as the north star of social impact entertainment.

While its closure in April 2024 was a big blow to the industry, Linde pointed out that the company’s approach left behind a critical mark on how films are now produced. Some Hollywood studios now have a team that measure whether films lead to some level of (social) impact and that stories are told with authenticity. Another area that Participant contributed to is defining measurement standards for the impact of media and entertainment on social change.

According to Donnelly (2020), Virunga led to concrete action around reducing bribery, corruption and human rights violations at Virunga National Park.

“YouTube and TikTok are where the eyeballs are.”

The media landscape has changed and so has the way that people consume information. Several panellists talked about the importance of intervention and project designers educating themselves about social media and social media creators.

For instance, Jamie Westendarp of the Social Good Club discussed how content creators can be leveraged to start key conversations using their existing audiences and platforms. One insight that came to me from this is the potential to use creators and their audiences to better understand how people feel about certain issues. They could be a good additional source for formative research information.

“Virtual reality can lead to a 40% increase in intention to change behaviour.”

The most fascinating session for me was ‘The Power of Immersive and Interactive Formats for Social Impact.’ The speakers talked about how cutting-edge immersive and interactive entertainment platforms, including XR (Extended Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), gaming, immersive dome films, and gamified mobile applications, are transforming the landscape of social impact. The speakers discussed tangible examples of how these approaches led to change in mindsets and intentions to change. This is an area that I plan to discuss further in another blog as there is so much inspiration to take from work that has been done by World Vision and the United Nations Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Drama Muse GPT

Our session (together with Suruchi Sood, Amy Henderson Riley and Tilly Gurman) explored various techniques for formative evaluation, programme monitoring, and effectiveness measurement. My portion of the talk focused on how we can use AI tools to a) conduct secondary formative research and b) use this data to design authentic and impactful storylines for drama and film. I demonstrated this through a project I worked on where I researched perceptions around chronic and serious illness in Southern Africa through ethnographic research. I then used this ethnographic research to build a GPT that embedded real-life quotes into new storylines. The GPT is open to all, and you can try it out via the link. The point was to demonstrate that even with limited time and resources, there are ways to conduct effective research that will help produce stories that add authenticity and help achieve social change.

From left to right: Amy Henderson Riley, Suruchi Sood, Sarah Osman and Tilly Gurman at the 2024 Impact + Profit Conference.

Key Takeaways

  1. We need to take media more seriously as a key part of intervention design. Media has the power to shift social norms, inspire behaviour change, and create lasting impact. Yet, we often treat it as a secondary element rather than a central pillar of interventions.
  2. The SBC community needs to invest in leveraging YouTube and TikTok more systematically. These platforms are where billions of people spend their time. We need to meet audiences where they are, and that means learning to collaborate with content creators who understand how to engage, entertain, and inform.
  3. We need playbooks on how to use modern media for social and behaviour change. It’s time to develop actionable guidelines that show how to integrate media (whether it’s social platforms, virtual reality, or traditional film) into SBC programmes. A solid framework would help us move from inspiration to implementation.
  4. The social impact sector must invest in media creators from the Global Majority. Too often, the stories that drive global change are produced far from the communities they’re trying to serve. By empowering local creators, we can ensure that interventions are authentic, relatable, and impactful.
  5. Virtual and mixed reality are powerful tools that need more experimentation in SBC programmes. Immersive media has incredible potential to change minds and behaviours. With evidence showing its ability to facilitate behavioural intention, it’s time to explore how these technologies can drive deeper engagement and impact.

This was such an exciting event to be a part of and I am especially grateful to Suruchi Sood for the invitation. There are a few things that I am looking forward to in future iterations of this gathering:

  • More focus on actionable frameworks and guidelines that attendees can implement immediately.
  • Greater emphasis on media’s role in global contexts, especially outside the US and Europe.
  • Virtual or hybrid events to facilitate cross-geographical learning and participation.

What do you think?

Do you work at the intersection of media and SBC? What’s exciting you right now, and what opportunities do you think we’re overlooking? Share your comments here!

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💡I host a free WebClass on the fundamentals of social and behaviour change for social impact professionals. Join the next session here: https://osmanadvisoryservices.com/sbc

Recommended reading

Donnelly, K. (2020). Decoding Media Impact: Insights, Advice & Recommendations.