What is a public service announcement?

1. The concept of public service advertising:

Advertising is any form of paid, non-personal statement made by an identifiable advertiser about his ideas, goods or services. and promotion.

Public welfare can be understood as the public interest. According to the definition of advertising, public service advertising is any form of paid, non-personal statement and promotion made by advertisers on concepts that are beneficial to the public interest.

It calls the public to pay attention to a certain social issue through the communication of a certain concept, regulate their own behavior in accordance with the principles of public interest, and support or advocate a certain social cause or social trend. The initiators of public service advertisements invest time and financial resources to convey concepts or opinions that are beneficial to the public interest through mass media to a broad audience.

In the United States, public service announcements aim to enhance the general public’s understanding of prominent social problems, influence their views and attitudes toward these problems, and change their behaviors and practices, thereby promoting the solution or alleviation of social problems. . Among them, one type is Public Advertising, which are various types of advertisements released by social organizations such as Greenpeace, Animal Protection Association and other social groups on social issues they are concerned about. The other type is Opinion Advertising, which is mostly used by enterprise groups to explain their attitudes towards various social phenomena. This is an extension of corporate image advertising, which shows the personality of the company in society.

In Japan, public service announcements are called public service advertisements. "Dentsu Advertising Dictionary" defines them as "an enterprise or group expresses its functions and responsibilities to society and how it expresses its involvement and participation." Advertisements that address social and environmental issues and clarify this intention to consumers. "It is similar to opinion advertising in the United States, and its purpose is to shape the company's public relations image among the public.

2. The role of public service advertising

As early as in the relevant writings of Herman and Chomsky, the concept of "creating identity" was mentioned In other words, they believe that the media is actually a propaganda tool. It teaches people various values ????and codes of conduct, guides people to accept new lifestyles, and integrates people into the social system created by the media. In the process of "creating recognition", public service advertisements are the most realistic, direct and timely way.

Through TV broadcasts, newspapers, magazines and daily life practice, we have discovered that various social problems are constantly emerging, such as drug abuse, environmental pollution, domestic violence, traffic accidents, the spread of AIDS, etc. There are various reasons for problems, and there are many ways to solve them, but how to curb the spread of social problems, reduce or even eradicate them? Only by mobilizing all citizens to carry out social change movements, that is, "organized activities implemented by one group (change initiators) aimed at persuading other groups (target recipients) to accept, adjust, or abandon certain ideas, attitudes, habits, and behaviors ". For example, my country's family planning, Project Hope, and AIDS prevention are nationwide social change movements.

For a long time, public service announcements have been used as one of the means to solve different social problems and urge the public to cooperate with social change movements with correct concepts and behaviors. It is a powerful tool for social marketing. The term "social marketing" first appeared in 1971. At that time, it referred to the use of marketing principles and techniques to promote a certain social movement, concept or behavior. Since then, the term's meaning has gradually evolved into the science of social change management, specifically referring to the design, implementation and control of change movements to achieve the purpose of increasing the acceptance of a certain social concept or practice among one or several target recipient groups. . In social marketing, public service advertisements in the United States and Japan have played a significant role in achieving the purpose of social marketing, which is to change harmful concepts and behaviors, or to accept new concepts and behaviors, improve national consciousness, and help solve social problems.

Take the United States as an example:

In 1944, the United States launched the longest public service advertising campaign to prevent forest fires in history, with the slogans "Smokey the Bear" and "Only The slogan "Only you can prevent forest fires" was recognized by 95% of adults and 77% of children.

Since 1972, the United Negro College Fund has been making public service announcements "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." (A mind is a terrible thing to waste.), which reminds Americans not to be racially discriminatory. Since 1972, the United Negro College Fund has exceeded $1.4 billion and has helped more than 300,000 minority students graduate from college.

Since the Vince and Larry crash tests were introduced to the American public in 1985, seat belt use has increased from 21% to 70%, saving approximately 75,000 lives.

In 1998, the United States experienced the lowest number of alcohol-related deaths in history (15,935 cases). This was also the year when the United States launched the "Friends don't let friends" campaign. drive drunk.) achievements since the public service advertising campaign. "Don't let your friends drive drunk" is widely recognized, with 70% of Americans trying to discourage others from drinking and driving.

It can be seen that public service advertisements have played a lasting and positive role in raising public awareness, inspiring people to take action, and promoting social progress. It is a powerful tool for social marketing.

3. Further analysis of public service advertising shows that it has the following characteristics:

(1) Non-profit. Public service advertisements aim at the harmonious development of man and society, man and nature, and promote the development of society with the purpose of social protection and improvement of group literacy. Pay attention to social benefits. Compared with commercial advertising which is entirely for profit, public service advertising is non-profit. The ultimate goal of any unit or individual engaged in public service advertising is the public interest, not profit.

One thing to note is that not aiming to make a profit does not mean that engaging in public service advertising is a loss, but that it should be balanced or have a surplus. Surpluses from units or individuals engaged in public service advertisements must not be distributed among owners and managers, but must be used to improve the quality and quantity of public service advertisements.

(2) Conceptuality. Public service announcements appeal to ideas. The dissemination of a certain idea prompts the public to enlighten, introspect, and pay attention to a certain social issue. It uses social behavior that is in line with public ethics as a criterion, regulates behavior and practices it to form a good social trend or support a certain kind of social problem. social undertakings. What it spreads is the concept of spiritual form, rather than the commodity of material form.

(3) Broad audience. Public service advertisements face the public. This shows that public service advertisements are different from commercial advertisements. They are not meant to build an image and reputation for a company's products, but to benefit the public and serve the vital interests of the public. The creator creates enlightenment from the perspective of the public, rather than targeting a particular group. Public service advertisements should target the characteristics and mentality of the public, reflect the public's wishes and voices, and reflect social issues of general public concern. Public service advertisements hope to attract as much public attention as possible, and the wider the audience, the better.

(4) Consciousness of altruism. The driving force for making public service advertisements is a high sense of social responsibility. Whoever makes public service advertisements pays for it, and the public can perceive the public's professionalism. The cost of public service advertisements includes design, production, publishing and other expenses. The cost of public service advertisements is borne by the advertisers themselves and voluntarily, and is not subject to government or organization. It is not officially designated or forced. Advertisers have full autonomy to decide whether to participate in public service advertisements, and no one may force them. Public service announcements express the spirit of altruism. It is related to the selfless dedication of helping others. It is a manifestation of human virtues such as compassion, love, and responsibility. It is a sign that social ethics and morals are moving towards harmony and personal wisdom is becoming mature. Society should encourage and support those individuals or groups who voluntarily fund public service announcements.