Public Service Announcements

What is a PSA? The American Ad Council defines PSAs as “advertising that serves the public interest.” The objective of a public service announcement is to educate and create awareness of significant social issues in an effort to change the public’s attitudes and behaviors and stimulate positive social change. PSAs are usually developed by non-profit organizations and may involve TV and radio spots, movie content, and print messages on billboards, posters, brochures and postcards.

Qualities of a Good PSA are relevant to their audience are interesting or entertaining leave the audience with a message that can be summarized in a single declarative sentence demand an action or response from the audience can be easily adapted for different media use the strengths of each medium to build a message

Examples of PSAs Car safety Texting Drugs Drinking Huffing Bullying Gangs Cheating

PSA approaches….Advantages and Disadvantages Humor – catches your attention, especially for kids and teens, but humor may trivialize serious issues. Shock treatment – Provides a realistic look at an issue, but may turn people off entirely. Also, broadcasters may be reluctant to broadcast PSAs they feel may be too controversial. Preaching – There’s a fine line between earnestness and appearing to be patronizing. Using a celebrity – Celebrities do get favorable attention, but sometimes people are so distracted by the celebrity they forget the message.

Examples of the Shock Effects Approach

Before and After

This three-dimensional billboard shows an actual crashed car

Shock Effects Analysis 1.What is the main message for each campaign? 2.What are the similarities and differences between these two campaigns? 3.Which of these is most effective in illustrating the dangers of drunk driving? Why? 4.Would either of these PSAs influence you personally? Why or why not? 5.Jacquie’s poster is an example of using extreme shock value to get a message across. As we discussed earlier, a downside of using shocking elements is that they can be so disconcerting that people are repelled from the ad and the message. Do you think this poster is an effective or ineffective use of shock value?

Examples of the Humor Approach

The small print for “Absolute End” reads: “Nearly 50% of automobile fatalities are linked to alcohol. 10% of North Americans are alcoholics. A teenager sees 100,000 alcohol ads before reaching the legal drinking age.”

Humor Analysis Who do you think is the target audience for these ads? What assumptions do they make about their target audience? What is the main message of each ad? Are they effective? Why or why not? Is humor an appropriate tool for addressing these issues?

Examples of Using a Serious Approach

This PSA, produced by MADD and FACE, reads: “Assault. Burns. Drowning. Car crashes. Rape. Suicides. Alcohol Poisoning. You can die from drinking too much. You can also drown, get burned, get in a fight, get raped, fall off a balcony or end up in a wheelchair. Stop drinking fast and hard. Don’t let good times turn bad.”

This campaign is distributed every May and June in Canada. The caption reads: “Your prom should be memorable – for all the right reasons. You know you don’t need to drink to have fun. Plan ahead and make smart choices. Don’t let drinking flush your prom night down the drain.”

Another ad from MADD and FACE, this poster reads: “The last thing you remember is dancing. How you got here is pretty much a blur. You went to a party, drank way too much and aren’t really sure where you’re going now. Who is this guy anyway? It started out fun, but now it doesn’t feel so great. Next time – stay at the party if you want, dance, get to know the guy – but lighten up on the alcohol. Take care of the girl in the mirror.”

Serious Approach PSA Analysis Do any of these ads cross the fine line between seriousness and preaching? If they do, explain how. What is the target audience for each? What techniques are used to appeal to the target audience? Which are most effective? Why? Which are least effective? Why? Would any of these messages influence your own decisions regarding alcohol?