The Power of a PSA

"Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time." -Marian Wright Edelman

I'm taking JOMC 137: Fundamentals of Advertising and Public Relations right now, and other than the fact that it's at 9 am, I'm really enjoying it. We're in the public relations portion right now, and today we learned about non-profit public relations. I've always been inspired by non-profit work and the people who dedicate their lives to it, but Marian Wright Edelman founder of Children's Defense Fund was especially awe-inspiring today. You can get a brief overview of her work at the Children Defense Fund here. Perhaps the most effective way to affect one's desired publics with a message is through a public service announcement or PSA. Public service announcements can take a variety of approaches: ethos, pathos, logos, or shock PSAs. (ahh vocab-- takes me back to my high school English class days.)

Here are some examples of each that I find incredibly moving:

PATHOS:

My favorite and perhaps the most effective: a play on emotions. My high school English teacher used to call it 'advertising that relies heavily on babies or puppies,' but really it's so much more than that. The ability to emotionally connect with an audience is a powerful one, and if used properly can have lasting results. This one is from the Children's Defense Fund, as mentioned above. Clearly, this really had a lasting impact on me:

ETHOS:

Ethos demonstrates a reliance on the ethics of something. Ex. "Will you sit back and let these children starve?" PSA's that rely heavily on ethos make it seem unethical to NOT participate and help the desired project. Here's an example about the genocide in Darfur:

LOGOS:

Logos involves persuasion that relies heavily on logic and a presentation of facts. It's usually paired with ethos and pathos to make a more-rounded, dynamic argument. Here's an example of one that CBS news did about texting and driving:

SHOCK PSAs:

Shock PSA's use theatrics to really make a message hit home with it's audience. See what a difference it makes when texting while driving is presented this way:

Keep in mind that most aren't solely just one of the three. A good PSA is a combination of each so that it can reach a broader audience!