What We Do
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Our Method
At the heart of PMC’s work is a unique form of entertainment-education, a methodology first put to use by Miguel Sabido in Mexico over 30 years ago.
A highly successful and proven mass media instrument, the Sabido methodology of entertainment-education has shown a unique capacity for not only raising awareness among large numbers of people about such critical issues as AIDS avoidance, and the benefits of smaller families and gender equity – but for actually motivating audiences to adopt new behaviors.
The Sabido methodology involves creating serial dramas that are customized for the needs and circumstances of specific regions, cultures, and audiences. Social learning theory demonstrates that humans adopt many of their values and learn much of their behavior from role models. PMC’s long-running serial dramas contain plots and sub-plots that unfold over many months. “Good,” “bad,” and “transitional” role models are developed, and audience members gradually learn the consequences of decisions the characters may make with regard to a variety of different issues, including exposure to the AIDS virus, and the benefits of improving the well being of wives and daughters, and achieving smaller and thereby healthier families.
PMC has built on the Sabido methodology to create what we call our Whole Society Strategy. This strategy is a new technique that combines sophisticated audience research with using as many channels of communication as possible to reach an entire society with messages and role models that promote positive behavior. With hard evidence to support it, the Whole Society Strategy is a powerful tool in our effort to use the media to create a more sustainable world.
The Effectiveness Of Entertainment Mass Media In Changing Behavior
Why does entertainment-education work? What makes this methodology such a powerful tool to positively change human behavior on a mass scale? This paper by PMC President William N. Ryerson describes the effects of entertainment-education serial dramas in various countries.
The Sabido Method
The impact of Miguel Sabido’s contribution to entertainment-education is enormous. Find out why Sabido’s early work in this field has been critical in aligning the efforts of many organizations worldwide through this effective methodology.
Theoretical Framework for the Sabido Methodology
The Sabido methodology draws from five theories of communication and behavior change: (a) a circular adaptation of Shannon and Weaver’s Communication Model, (b) Bentley’s Dramatic Theory, (c) Jung’s Theory of Archetypes and Stereotypes and the Collective Unconscious, (d) the Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura, and (e) MacLean’s Concept of the Triune Brain, supplemented by Sabido’s own Theory of the Tone.
