Transcript Public service advertising

Public service advertising
• Public Service advertisements (as the name
goes) are meant for public interest as opposed
to commercial advertisements for products or
services advertised “to sell”. PSAs are intended
to modify public attitudes by raising awareness
about specific issues. The main objective behind
Public Service Advertising is to spread social
consciousness among the masses and promote
important social issues which generally go
unnoticed. Such advertisements may range from
being subtle to direct, and practical to ironic.
• Today, Public Service Advertising has become
very popular and is considered to be one of the
most effective means to create social awareness
and bring about a change / shift in the mindsets
of people.
• The most common topics of PSAs are health
and safety. Health, conservation and safety
themes are prevalent in many PSAs. A typical
PSA is part of a public awareness campaign to
inform or educate the public about an issue such
as smoking or compulsive gambling.
• Some of the issues discussed through Public
Service Advertising campaigns over the years
include –
• Female Foeticide
• Blood Donation
• Importance of Going to School
• AIDS Awareness
• Use of Condoms
• Right To Vote
• Save Electricity, Save the Planet for Our Children
• Polio Eradication
• Eve Teasing
• Anti Smoking Campaign
• Respect for National Anthem
• Family Planning
• National Integration
• Public service advertising campaigns are
widespread around the world. Such
advertising is generally produced and
distributed on a cooperative basis by
governmental agencies or nonprofit
organizations acting in concert with private
advertising and mass media companies.
• Some PSA ads use celebrity
spokespersons to garner attention. Others
attempt to appeal to the masses through
portraying risks and issues relevant to
ordinary men, women and children. A
common misconception about public
service advertising is that it includes
political campaign ads, which are actually
privately funded.
• In most cases, the nonprofit organisation
provides the programming that is to be
advertised, while the participating
advertising agency and media companies
provide creative services, media planning,
and dissemination services on a pro
bono (done for public good/ unpaid) basis.
• Non-profit groups and government agencies
commonly team up with private mass media,
promotion and advertising firms to produce
spots for radio, television and print media. Most
commonly, the non-profit agency creates the
message and an advertising firm develops the
campaign, polishes it to meet industry standards
and plans its distribution, all free of charge.
Television and radio stations usually broadcast
these ads at no charge, and magazines and
newspapers customarily publish them for free as
well.
Effective PSAs
• When it comes to effective Public Service
Advertising, it is essential to keep the target
audience in mind while creating the social
message. A thorough understanding of the
target group further improves the impact of the
message being delivered.
• Public Service Advertisements should carry a
short message which is to the point. Such
messages can be dramatic and should ideally
stand out from the clutter of all other
advertisements.