Transcript Thirty-Five Years at a Glimpse: A Brief History of ICD's

Public Service Advertising in China:
Social Marketing in the Making
By
Kara Chan
Hong Kong Baptist University
&
Hong Cheng
Bradley University
AAA Asia-Pacific Conference
June 1, 2001
1
Public Service Advertising (PSA)
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Communicating a message on behalf of some good cause
Created for free by advertising professionals, with space
and time donated by the media
A major social marketing format
Social Marketing
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Adopting marketing mindset, processes and strategies to
non-commercial settings
Also a logical extension of persuasion theory and
diffusion theory
2
PSA in China
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1979:
Commercial advertising came back to life
1987:
First PSAs occurred
1996:
PSA became truly popular
1996-’99:
70,000 PSAs were published or aired
3
Themes of National PSA Campaigns in China
(1996-2000)
Year
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1996
1997
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1998
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1999
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2000
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Theme
Promoting the revival of traditional Chinese values
Eulogizing the Chinese nation's unremitting efforts
to make itself stronger and celebrating the return of
Hong Kong to its motherland
Encouraging laid-off workers from state-owned
enterprises to start afresh and glorifying the heroic
spirits demonstrated in anti-flood campaigns
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of
PRC and the return of Macao to its motherland
Promoting an optimistic outlook on life and advocating
environmental protection and natural resources
conservation
4
Chinese PSA’s Characteristics
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Alternative means for promoting dominant
ideology
Seasonality
Limited geographic reach
5
PSA’s Functions in China
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Offering correct courses for actions to current social problems
Advocating actions that serve the welfare of the majority or the
long-term benefits of the society
Raising the moral standard by establishing an optimistic outlook
on life
Educating the public on health and hygiene issues
Eulogizing the Party's achievements, facilitating political stability,
and promoting social development
Increasing advertisers, advertising agencies, and media
practitioners' sense of social responsibility and their willingness to
contribute to public services, and improving the advertising
industry's public image
In short, helping with the “socialist spiritual
civilization”
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A Semiotic Analysis of Chinese PSAs
Williamson's “Oppositional Decoding” Formula
Sign
Signifier
Signifier
Image
Signified
Individualism
Signified
Marlboro Man
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From Food Coupon to Quality Wheat Flour
8
From “Big Four” to “Small Eight”
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From “Foreign Nail” to “Home-made Rocket”
10
One Chopstick vs. a Bundle of Chopsticks
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Challenges for PSA in China
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Danger of turning PSA back into propaganda
Source-dominant
Hampered by outdated advertising law
Lack of funding
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