Twenty-first International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

One of the most unusual and under-appreciated (at least in academic circles) characters in Brazilian popular culture is the grinning, anthropomorphic white drop of Sabin vaccine known as Zé Gotinha – something to the effect of Droplet Joe. Since 1986, Zé Gotinha has been the mascot for the National Vaccination Campaign against Poliomyelitis, a great successful example of mass campaigning in Brazil. This visual study describes the character’s syntactic and semantic aspects as well as the relationships it establishes with other elements adopted in the Campaign’s promotion. The methodology applied involves the identification of the key elements of the character’s image and subsequent analysis of it, according to pertinent literature. The goal is to elucidate whether the mascot’s image is consistent with other graphic-visual and semiotic choices adopted by the Campaign and other Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) initiatives. This research is centered on the forms and contents adopted in the promotion and dissemination of mass health campaigns.