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Entertainment, education, engagement for health

Mass media messages for health compete with a deluge of social marketing and advertising messages that bombard people every day. An effective social and behavior change communication strategy must recognize that mass media alone is inadequate to address the most critical barriers to behavior change. People are more likely to adopt a new behavior when mass media messages are complemented by interpersonal communication, which engages people, provides messages tailored to their context and needs, addresses doubts, and gives people an opportunity to engage with health products and information at a personal level. SHOPS Plus responded to this imperative by designing an integrated social and behavior change communication approach that strategically used different communication channels to improve the demand for reproductive and child health products and services among the urban poor in India.