Yesterday however, a New York Times article covered yet another strategy that they are pursuing, collaborative message placement in mainstream television programming.   These are not your average PSA’s (public-service-announcements) donated by networks but rather longer-term initiatives that strive to create plot lines that will  disseminate accurate information on topics that are widely misunderstood.  The objective is to use entertainment content as a vehicle for educating mainstream audiences on topics such as HIV/AIDS and education in the hopes of influencing public views and behaviors.

One of these initiatives, Get Schooled, is a partnership with Viacom that will weave education-themed story lines into existing shows or create new shows centered on education.   While some groups like the Kaiser Foundation have been doing this in some form for years, this approach is vital and new because programming content will get paid for - thus get done well and not simply under advisement.

The business of pop culture should not be treated as a separate entity from the real social issues we face, rather social issues should be treated as content that can prove to be both a valuable business avenue with a worthwhile upside.

What’s next…video games?

photo credit: Kalos2007 on Creative Commons

…the Gates Foundation is set to expand its involvement and spend more money on influencing popular culture through a deal with Viacom, the parent company of MTV and its sister networks VH1, Nickelodeon and BET. It could be called “message placement”: the social or philanthropic corollary to product placement deals in which marketers pay to feature products in shows and movies. Instead of selling Coca-Cola or G.M. cars, they promote education and healthy living.

For years, those of us involved with cause marketing have relied on inking deals with manufacturers to support our causes and relying on government funding, public service announcements, paid advertising and public relations efforts to get our message to the people. Now a whole new era of personal responsibility has opened up new doors to new ways of getting the word out.

James Steyer, chief executive of Common Sense Media, which promotes family-oriented entertainment, said foundations typically seek to mold television programs with just advice and prodding.

“The difference here is the Gates Foundation is paying for this, that they are actually willing to pay for programming,” Mr. Steyer said.

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The television show, which premieres on September 17^th, took over the neighboring, inhabited island in militant style by hiring the local police to prevent residents from accessing a public beach. As it turned out, according to local witnesses, MTV had cleared a small patch of rainforest to build a tiki-hut structure near the beach, developed an access road through the forest, and installed generators and lighting on the beach.

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