A single televised epilogue by a movie star drove 25,000 people to enroll

Evidence

To provide vicarious motivators for pursuing the literacy program, the dramatic series depicted the substantial personal benefits of literacy and its contribution to national efficacy and pride. One of the epilogues, by an admired movie star, informed the viewers of this national self-education program and encouraged them to take advantage of it. The next day, 25,000 people showed up at the distribution center to enroll in the self-study program. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2844

Categorization

• CANDY: A vivid single-fact anecdote: one soap-opera epilogue filled a distribution center with 25,000 enrollees overnight.
• SEED: An essay angle on how entertainment-adjacent messaging can outperform direct government appeals for behavior change.