Sarah Osman
Entertainment has always shaped how we see the world. In recent years, we’ve seen a real acceleration in how strategic storytelling can shift norms, spark conversations, and nudge people toward more positive behaviours. During a recent panel discussion I moderated, organized in collaboration with Robert Rippberger, I had the pleasure of speaking with Laurel Felt, PhD, Margot Fahnestock, Mugambi Nthiga , and Namir Nava, four brilliant leaders from organisations that create social and behaviour change (SBC) dramas across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Together, we explored what it really takes for a drama to move people, influence norms, and create sustained change, as well as how digital channels are transforming the field.
In this post, I’ll break down some of the biggest insights from our conversation, and why I think they matter for anyone working in SBC or social impact entertainment.
Laurel opened the panel by describing C’est la Vie, ONG RAES’s flagship Senegalese drama set in a fictionalised Dakar clinic. With over 140 broadcast episodes and an 81-episode web series, it has truly become a “world unto itself”.
What struck me most is how intentional the team is in crafting a story world that audiences want to return to, because repeated exposure is one of the strongest behaviour change mechanisms we have. The more we see characters like us facing dilemmas like ours, the easier it becomes to imagine solutions for ourselves.
This aligns strongly with what we know about effective digital behaviour change: people engage deeply when they see human stories, relatable journeys, and multiple chances to revisit content to reinforce learning.
Every speaker echoed this: formative research is non-negotiable.
Margot from Population Media Center described their combination of qualitative research, quantitative surveys, and clinic monitoring. In one Sierra Leone project, 50% of clinic visitors seeking contraception cited a PMC radio drama as the reason they came. That’s extraordinary, and it shows what happens when a drama is designed with precision.
Namir walked us through RAES’s 10-step creative process, which starts with formative research, moves through behaviour-centred design workshops, creative briefs, story bibles, bit sheets, and multiple rounds of validation, including a national experts’ committee. It’s a slow process, but the rigour pays off.
This was a recurring theme, and one I feel strongly about in my own work: If the story isn’t good, the impact won’t be either.
Audiences can smell didactic messaging a mile away. As Mugambi from Girl Effect Kenya shared, Kenya has a long history of message-heavy, moralistic content. But what changed everything was the arrival of Shuga, high-quality, entertaining, character-driven drama that still addressed tough issues like HIV, consent, and relationships.
His team applied the same principle to Tuki, their recent series for adolescent girls and young women. They built a strong theory of change, but once that structure was in place, they let the writers play, and that creative freedom resulted in nuanced, authentic storytelling.
This mirrors a principle I often emphasise: behavioural science provides the scaffolding, but collaboration with creators is needed to bring behavioural concepts to life.
One thing I loved about this conversation was seeing how entertainment can generate ripple effects far beyond behaviour change.
Mugambi shared how Tuki was intentionally designed to build women’s creative leadership in Kenya’s film and TV sector. Women were mentored into directing, cinematography, writing, and even roles like intimacy coordination.
By the end of the series:
This is cultural change in action. This is not to mention all the jobs that are created: actors, extras, film crew, catering services, and so on. Plus, people working on these shows are able to use there skills beyond the shows they are working on.
Laurel reminded us that digital isn’t just distribution, it’s part of a 360° behaviour change ecosystem.
C’est la Vie reaches people through:
Their digital channels have nearly one million subscribers. This allows for:
This matches what the literature tells us: digital storytelling is particularly good at prompting reflection, comparison, and discussions around sensitive topics, which strengthens social norm change.
One of the most exciting parts of the conversation was when Laurel spoke about their emerging work on measuring cultural narratives, not just attitudes or behaviours.
They are exploring:
This goes beyond ‘Did people learn something?’ to ‘Did we contribute to a broader cultural movement?’ And frankly, that’s exactly where our field needs to go next.
A great question came from the audience about how to bridge the gap between data-driven practitioners and emotion-focused content creators.
Margot’s answer was spot on: our job is to translate research into something creatives can actually use and then step back.
If researchers dominate the room, the story dies. But if data is translated into character arcs, tensions, choices, and triggers, it fuels more powerful storytelling.
This resonates deeply with the principle that creativity thrives within constraints, especially when those constraints come from real human insights.
A recurring theme was that no single storyline or production can create change alone. True norm shifts happen when multiple organisations, creators, and communities all contribute to a shared narrative environment.
As Laurel put it, we need narrative infrastructure instead of one-off projects.
And that’s the part I find most hopeful: when entertainment creators, SBC practitioners, youth advisors, influencers, and communities all work together, we create story worlds that change real worlds.
What SBC dramas or digital series have inspired you lately? Which ones do you think have real potential to shift norms in your context?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Get the event recording and tons of resources here.
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