Entertainment Industry: Developing Partnerships - PCI's Soap Summits
Purpose: Promote health through the increased inclusion of health themes, dialogue on health issues and conveying of health information in those communications which reach the largest numbers of people in a country.
Soap Summit 2: Attended by producers and script writers from the 10 most popular day time television soap operas in the USA.
Ownership: Important in the success of this style of event is that the industry with whom there is a potential partnership are given an ownership role in the planning, management and assessment of the Summit.
Soap Summit 2: A collaborative venture between the 3 major Networks in the USA (CBS, NBC, ABC) and Population Communication International/
Participation: The primary audience is the people responsible for producing the national scale popular communication products - such as editors, advertising executives, script writers, producers, community leaders and activists, marketing managers, leaders of community theatre troupes. Along with people and organisations drawn from the technical health, funding and political fields for a joint dialogue with the communicators.
Soap Summit 2: The majority of the Soap Summit 2 audience were day-time 'soap' producers and writers and executives from the television networks. Also present were: Funders - eg Ford, Robert Wood Johnson and Kaiser Family Foundations; Government - Centers for Disease Control; Technical Health Experts - on subjects from trends in contraception to population growth (many of whom gave formal inputs); Political Figures - Secretary for Health, Under-Secretary of State for Global Affairs; and Advertisers related to Soap Programmes - eg Proctor and Gamble.
Content: The content of the initiative needs to be agreed with the potential communication partners. The process of discussing and agreeing the themes to place on the agenda will identify those areas in which there is common interest.
Soap Summit 2: Through discussion between the major Networks and PCI staff, agreement was reached on a series of topics for the meeting. These included reproductive health, role of young fathers, population trends, tobacco and elements of child health.
Style: The event has to overtly and covertly recognise two important factors: (1) the main purpose of the potential partner's communication activity - eg sell more products, attract more viewers; and (2) control of the production and creativity processes are the responsibility of the producers and writers - none of whom is obliged or should be made to feel obliged to do anything.
Soap Summit 2: The best presentations were those that clearly and simply presented knowledge and perspectives to which producers and writers would not normally be exposed.
Atmosphere: Create an informal, busy environment. Recognise that the target audience involves people who may be competitors.
Soap Summit 2: The script writers and producers attending Soap Summit 2 are busy people with punishing schedules. They may be involved in producing as much as 5 hours of drama a week. It is therefore important that the pace of the Summit is brisk with an accent on conveying information. Soap Summit 2 seated people at a series of round tables in a small, comfortable conference room. In general each of the 'soaps' represented took it's own table though this was not prearranged.
Presentation: In the course of the time available provide a range of perspectives and views rather than an agreed and consistent line. Essential for all presenters, irrespective of the content of their presentation, is effective communication skills. In most cases the target group themselves are engaged in communication and will have little tolerance for poor preparation and delivery. The styles do not need to be the same but each person chosen to present must, in their own way, effectively convey information and ideas.
Soap Summit 2: Included the perspectives of: Researchers (sexual content in Soap Operas); Politicians (Priority Areas and Government Policy); Experts (tobacco trends and effective responses); Communities (views of three young fathers from a poor community) and Practitioners ( Outreach workers in poor communities)...
Timing and Length: The event has to be at a time and place, and of a length, that is most likely to attract the required participation.
Soap Summit 2: Held on a Friday afternoon and Saturday. This came at the end of the 5 day schedule for producers and script writers but still left them with the Sunday off. It was also timed for the weekend before the major industry awards event - the Emmy's.
Recognition: The promotion of effective partnerships can be accelerated through recognition of the contribution that the partners have already made or are planning.
Soap Summit 2: In the course of the opening and as a regular feature of the inputs from the technical people and politicians, the contribution of the soaps to health was regularly mentioned. Specifics included the absence of tobacco use by characters, substantial story lines dealing with HIV/AIDS issues and the apparent decrease over the previous 2 years in 'irresponsible' sexual activity.
Links: A Summit provides the opportunity for the technical health partners, communication partners and the funders to develop closer link through tangible programmes.
Soap Summit 2: In the course of Soap Summit 2 many of the health agencies made offers of assistance to the producers. These included toll free technical assistance phone lines that facilitate a script writer getting quick and accurate information on an issue and the promotion of information sheets on health issues covered in the soap itself.
Evaluation: All partners will benefit and their future working relationships will be motivated by evaluations of the effectiveness of this approach to programming health.
Soap Summit 2: Through a grant by the Ford Foundation, Soap Summit 2 will be evaluated by an organisation called Research Works. They will focus on trends within Soaps in their treatment of health and population issues.
Soap Summit 2: Attended by producers and script writers from the 10 most popular day time television soap operas in the USA.
Ownership: Important in the success of this style of event is that the industry with whom there is a potential partnership are given an ownership role in the planning, management and assessment of the Summit.
Soap Summit 2: A collaborative venture between the 3 major Networks in the USA (CBS, NBC, ABC) and Population Communication International/
Participation: The primary audience is the people responsible for producing the national scale popular communication products - such as editors, advertising executives, script writers, producers, community leaders and activists, marketing managers, leaders of community theatre troupes. Along with people and organisations drawn from the technical health, funding and political fields for a joint dialogue with the communicators.
Soap Summit 2: The majority of the Soap Summit 2 audience were day-time 'soap' producers and writers and executives from the television networks. Also present were: Funders - eg Ford, Robert Wood Johnson and Kaiser Family Foundations; Government - Centers for Disease Control; Technical Health Experts - on subjects from trends in contraception to population growth (many of whom gave formal inputs); Political Figures - Secretary for Health, Under-Secretary of State for Global Affairs; and Advertisers related to Soap Programmes - eg Proctor and Gamble.
Content: The content of the initiative needs to be agreed with the potential communication partners. The process of discussing and agreeing the themes to place on the agenda will identify those areas in which there is common interest.
Soap Summit 2: Through discussion between the major Networks and PCI staff, agreement was reached on a series of topics for the meeting. These included reproductive health, role of young fathers, population trends, tobacco and elements of child health.
Style: The event has to overtly and covertly recognise two important factors: (1) the main purpose of the potential partner's communication activity - eg sell more products, attract more viewers; and (2) control of the production and creativity processes are the responsibility of the producers and writers - none of whom is obliged or should be made to feel obliged to do anything.
Soap Summit 2: The best presentations were those that clearly and simply presented knowledge and perspectives to which producers and writers would not normally be exposed.
Atmosphere: Create an informal, busy environment. Recognise that the target audience involves people who may be competitors.
Soap Summit 2: The script writers and producers attending Soap Summit 2 are busy people with punishing schedules. They may be involved in producing as much as 5 hours of drama a week. It is therefore important that the pace of the Summit is brisk with an accent on conveying information. Soap Summit 2 seated people at a series of round tables in a small, comfortable conference room. In general each of the 'soaps' represented took it's own table though this was not prearranged.
Presentation: In the course of the time available provide a range of perspectives and views rather than an agreed and consistent line. Essential for all presenters, irrespective of the content of their presentation, is effective communication skills. In most cases the target group themselves are engaged in communication and will have little tolerance for poor preparation and delivery. The styles do not need to be the same but each person chosen to present must, in their own way, effectively convey information and ideas.
Soap Summit 2: Included the perspectives of: Researchers (sexual content in Soap Operas); Politicians (Priority Areas and Government Policy); Experts (tobacco trends and effective responses); Communities (views of three young fathers from a poor community) and Practitioners ( Outreach workers in poor communities)...
Timing and Length: The event has to be at a time and place, and of a length, that is most likely to attract the required participation.
Soap Summit 2: Held on a Friday afternoon and Saturday. This came at the end of the 5 day schedule for producers and script writers but still left them with the Sunday off. It was also timed for the weekend before the major industry awards event - the Emmy's.
Recognition: The promotion of effective partnerships can be accelerated through recognition of the contribution that the partners have already made or are planning.
Soap Summit 2: In the course of the opening and as a regular feature of the inputs from the technical people and politicians, the contribution of the soaps to health was regularly mentioned. Specifics included the absence of tobacco use by characters, substantial story lines dealing with HIV/AIDS issues and the apparent decrease over the previous 2 years in 'irresponsible' sexual activity.
Links: A Summit provides the opportunity for the technical health partners, communication partners and the funders to develop closer link through tangible programmes.
Soap Summit 2: In the course of Soap Summit 2 many of the health agencies made offers of assistance to the producers. These included toll free technical assistance phone lines that facilitate a script writer getting quick and accurate information on an issue and the promotion of information sheets on health issues covered in the soap itself.
Evaluation: All partners will benefit and their future working relationships will be motivated by evaluations of the effectiveness of this approach to programming health.
Soap Summit 2: Through a grant by the Ford Foundation, Soap Summit 2 will be evaluated by an organisation called Research Works. They will focus on trends within Soaps in their treatment of health and population issues.
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