Reach specific target groups
It is a fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult for traditional media – newspapers, radio and television – to reach young people in particular. For example, the Netflix generation that does not listen to the radio, but compiles its own playlist via Spotify or YouTube. The crucial question – certainly at the moment – is how to bring social issues to the attention of a broad audience.
Proven influence content creators
It is precisely the use of influencers and other content creators that works to raise social issues, such as vaccination or COVID-19 measures, with – online – hard-to-reach target groups. On one condition: provided this is done in the right way and the authenticity of the content creator is not compromised. The problem is that governments mainly send, while they also have to seek out conversations with hard-to-reach target groups.
Use entertainment education
Entertainment education is a communication strategy that uses popular media to make social themes negotiable – originally via radio or television. This communication strategy is more than a message, because it can encourage people to talk about behavior, responsibilities and expectations. And that is an important step towards behavioral change and social change.
Shift to online channels
Nowadays you no longer reach everyone via radio or TV. Many target groups – especially young people – have moved online, where they are mainly connected with like-minded people from a similar age. In addition, it is difficult that some target groups no longer naturally listen to traditional institutions such as the government and science. They determine for themselves what they believe and thus form new hard-to-reach target groups that deal with topics such as COVID-19 measures. How can entertainment education be used to reach those population groups online?
Importance of authenticity
In the new media landscape, citizens play a much more active role and the government has to figure out how groups of people relate to certain topics online in order to be able to effectively engage in the conversation. Which groups are there, what keeps them busy and how do they relate to each other?
