Deadline: 4-Aug-23
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is accepting applications for the Entertainment Media Content Analysis and Monitoring Program.
Integrating educational messages in EM narratives has shown to be an effective strategy for raising awareness, shifting attitudes, and inspiring individuals to change their behaviors and improve their health and well-being.
In addition, studies have shown that the most popular programs watched by young adults do not always accurately portray the risks, consequences, and responsibilities of sexual behavior. As such, it is critical to understand the content that is being consumed by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their influencers so that they can design the most effective EM interventions. Shifting cross-cutting gender norms among AGYW and their influencers can have a sustaining impact on a range of behaviors and outcomes.
The ASN team is interested in understanding the causal links between EM use/exposure and effects on outcomes related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), age at marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), physical safety, women’s economic empowerment (WEE), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Hence, EM content analysis can lay the foundation for measuring potential causal links between EM use and impacts on these desired outcomes. It can also identify critical entry points or opportunities for the EM industry and content creators to produce and distribute gender-positive content.
Objectives
- This RFP seeks innovative approaches to addressing two objectives: (1) conduct EM content analysis and (2) monitor EM content in India, Kenya, and Nigeria.
- Objective 1 – Conduct EM Content Analysis: Collect baseline data and synthesize the EM content consumed by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their influencers in three countries: India, Kenya, and Nigeria. These include television shows, popular films, radio, digital platforms, etc. Identifying and analyzing the EM content will help to classify harmful content and inform the design of EM interventions that are needed to shift the EM industry toward creating gender-positive content in the three countries and other similar contexts. In a separate investment, a Tool Kit and Scale/Index will be developed to assist content creators in creating more gender-positive content. They anticipate a mixed method approach of conducting content analysis using established methodologies in the literature, including coding themes on the outcomes of interest, visual cues, brief mentions, dialogue, minor & major storylines, etc., and/or using emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) supported language processing, which can provide key insights including but not limited to the following:
- Identify the top shows consumed by AGYW and their influencers and the types of content watched on TV and other media platforms for each of the countries, and specific sub-geographies within each country as relevant.
- Identify how outcomes and norms of interest important for the ASN team (gender-based violence, physical safety, women’s economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, etc.) are portrayed in the shows included for analysis.
- Identify what themes regarding the outcomes of interest are most prominent among AGYW and their influencers.
- Identify if the shows analyzed integrate educational information into their storytelling and/or social media sites regarding the risks and consequences of the outcomes of interest.
- Identify actual frequency of gender-related content (both positive and negative).
- Objective 2 – Monitor EM Content: Set up and maintain a platform for continuous monitoring of EM content for the top shows consumed by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their influencers in India, Kenya, and Nigeria until at least Oct 2027. This public good is expected to provide key insights including but not limited to the following:
- Track the frequency of use of different media sources.
- Track the number of hours AGYW and their influencers spend on different media outlets.
- Track the increase or decrease in quality of gender-positive and gender-equitable EM content.
- Track overtime the frequency of gender-related content (both positive and negative) that AGYW and their influencers are exposed to in the three countries.
- Objective 1 – Conduct EM Content Analysis: Collect baseline data and synthesize the EM content consumed by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their influencers in three countries: India, Kenya, and Nigeria. These include television shows, popular films, radio, digital platforms, etc. Identifying and analyzing the EM content will help to classify harmful content and inform the design of EM interventions that are needed to shift the EM industry toward creating gender-positive content in the three countries and other similar contexts. In a separate investment, a Tool Kit and Scale/Index will be developed to assist content creators in creating more gender-positive content. They anticipate a mixed method approach of conducting content analysis using established methodologies in the literature, including coding themes on the outcomes of interest, visual cues, brief mentions, dialogue, minor & major storylines, etc., and/or using emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) supported language processing, which can provide key insights including but not limited to the following:
Deliverables
- Expected deliverables include but are not limited to the following below:
- A detailed workplan and implementation roadmap for the project.
- A detailed outline of the methodology employed in the work.
- Raw data.
- Initial results for feedback and team discussion.
- Semi-annual learning sessions to help the ASN team digest the results and main takeaways from the findings and facilitate learning discussions.
- Semi-annual reports.
- Publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals (optional).
- Proposal on the best approach to monitor and analyze EM content on an ongoing basis until 2027.
- A platform that can serve as a public good and where ongoing data and results from monitoring EM content in the three countries can be displayed and accessed by the public.
Budget
- Teams that respond to this RFP are expected to provide two budget proposals: please submit your proposed plan and budget according to what is required to complete the scope of work.
- Budget focused on the cost for conducting the EM content analysis for the three countries, deliverable expected no later than July 2024.
- Budget focused on setting up and maintaining a platform for continuous monitoring of EM content in the three countries until at least Oct 2027.
Duration
- The project is expected to start in Oct 2023 and the results for the first content analysis are tentatively expected by Jul 2024.
- The EM content monitoring is expected to start in Oct 2023 and continue until at least Oct 2027.
Selection Criteria
- Knowledge and/or experience with the EM market globally, in Hollywood, in the three focus countries, or similar geographies.
- Deep expertise in the methodologies selected to conduct the content analysis and building a platform for monitoring EM content.
- Engagement of local, in-country partners or organizations that can provide thought partnership, ground truthing, and context validation of the methodologies, processes, and platforms selected.
- Record of implementation ability, including experience in market research focused on EM, content analysis of EM, and building platforms to monitor EM in the three focus countries or similar geographies.
- Quality of performance history, including experience with adherence to deadlines, quality of deliverables, and effective cost control.
- Proposed team’s qualification, including gender expertise and the ability to deliver against the project’s overall objectives.
- Flexibility, innovation, and creativity, with a clear and meaningful plan of action.
For more information, visit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
