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Brazil - Strategy
Telenovelas with a Message: PMC’s Relationship with TV Globo
In Brazil, Television is the vehicle of mass communication with the widest reach. It is estimated there are 60 million televisions in Brazil, which represents about three people for each television. Where there is reception, practically all people have access to a television, either in their homes or in their communities. TV Globo’s programming, therefore, is received throughout 98% of Brazil.
Due to the popularity of TV Globo’s commercially-sponsored serialized dramas, PMC, along with Brazilian NGO Comunicarte, have an agreement with TV Globo that assists the writers of the prime-time telenovelas to weave suggested social issues into the lives of key characters.
TV Globo inserts messages related to reproductive health and other issues in its most popular programs at no cost to Comunicarte/PMC. The air time TV Globo has donated to issues of social concern would have costs tens of millions of dollars within the last year alone. In return, PMC provides pro bono research to the writers regarding the themes they choose to incorporate into the programs.
The writers and Social Merchandizing Department of TV Globo have been very enthusiastic about the collaboration with Comunicarte/PMC. TV Globo sees the social content of its prime-time soap operas as one of the key reasons for its rating success.
Audience research has shown that people value educational content in entertainment programming, as long as it is not presented in a boring way. In fact, TV Globo has received numerous national and international awards for the social relevance of its soap operas.
Planning Process
During the two-month planning period (prior to the launch of each telenovela) a team of two Comunicarte/PMC staff members meets frequently with the writers of the three prime-time melodramas. They review plans for the evolution of various characters with the writers and make suggestions regarding educational themes that can be woven into the characters’ lives.
To monitor coverage of the issues suggested by the project team, project staff and volunteers also track the three prime-time telenovelas and report on how issues were treated in the programs.
As part of the planning process for a new telenovela, the Comunicarte/PMC team prepares a “writer’s book,” which is a referenced manual containing a series of briefings on the various social and health issues that might be appropriate for that program. This includes referrals to experts and institutions, articles on entertainment-education and a retrospective of the author’s previous television writing emphasizing the social issues addressed in his or her work.
The writer’s book also includes a prospective calendar that provides the writer with concise information in advance of important dates or events that might serve as “hooks” for entertainment-education scenes (such as the International Day for Women, the International Day for the Environment, World AIDS Day and World Population Day).
The writer’s book has become very popular in many departments within TV Globo.
Strategy
The strategy PMC is using with TV Globo is quite different from that of organizations that lobby for inclusion of one issue in various programs (as with Hollywood lobbyists).
The PMC/Comunicarte project is focused on being of service to TV Globo, providing them with information on a range of social and health issues that go beyond reproductive health so that the programs are not seen as focusing too narrowly on one particular issue. This also ensures that PMC project staff is acting responsively to TV Globo’s needs and not just pursuing a fixed agenda.
Results
In 2007, the project was successful in helping TV Globo integrate 1,268 scenes dealing with reproductive health, small family size, gender relations, and related social and health issues. In 2006, a total of 1,338 scenes were incorporated into six prime-time programs. In 2005, PMC was successful in assisting TV Globo with the incorporation of 1,551 scenes dealing with health and social issues.Read more about our results in Brazil.
