PSAs Offer Great Value When Designed for Public Good

Laura Pair

When created to help serve the public or a community, public service announcements (PSAs) can provide tremendous value to an organization trying to get their message out to the public over the radio and TV airwaves at a fraction of the cost of creating traditional advertising campaigns, but certain standards should be followed in order for TV and radio stations to air them for free.

“The message must be in the public good,” asserted Laura Pair, chief client officer, 4media group, on the key to creating a successful PSA that will be picked up by television and radio stations across the U.S.

“The PSA cannot be self-serving,” she stated during her session “Public Service Announcements: The Secret Weapon You’re Probably Not Using,” Oct. 9 at the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit at the Convene Conference Center in Arlington, Va.

Because PSAs are run for free on radio and TV stations, there are certain guidelines that should be followed as they are not paid advertisements promoting a corporation or a product or brand.

(L to R) 4media group executives Zach Seidenberg, Chris Poidomani, Laura Pair, Melissa Elsner, Peter McCluskey and CEO Ed Cyster.

photo: James Minichello

When radio and TV station executives are considering running a PSA, they are going to first ask themselves whether they can get paid for the spot.

PSAs have been around for quite a while

While PSAs have been used throughout the history of the U.S., Pair discussed the heyday of PSAs in broadcast as far back as the 40s, 50s, 60s and earlier, and throughout 70s and 80s and beyond.

Many will remember such classics as Woodsy Owl “Give a Hoot! Don’t Pollute” and Smokey Bear, “Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires” public service ads.

The Keep America Beautiful campaign of 1971 and the “Buckle Your Safety Belt” campaign featuring the Crash Test Dummies are still recalled today. Also famous during 80s is McGruff the Crime Dog’s “Take a Bite Out of Crime” PSA. Of course, these are just a few of many famous public service campaigns.

Back in the late 1940s, the Federal Communications Commission required television and radio stations to provide differing views of issues important to the public. PSAs were a way for stations to meet that requirement. In the late 1980s, those rules were relaxed, although today broadcasters still need to show they are providing a service to their community and therefore, PSAs are still a valuable way for stations to show their commitment and value to their neighborhoods.

“While there are not as many PSAs, TV and radio stations still use them and have a need for them,” Pair explained. And she added that they don’t just run from 2:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m., many PSAs run in prime time.

She continued regarding broadcast stations, “They are still required to set aside some of their programming for the community.”

She added, “They want to be relevant to the communities that they serve.”

Tips for a successful PSA

Some tips to consider if deciding to run a PSA campaign:

• They should avoid asking for donations or volunteers.
• They should not request viewers to “call now,” “sign up now” or “buy now.”
• They should steer clear of controversial political and social issues and shouldn’t promote a political candidate, as stations do not want to get in trouble with election laws.
• They shouldn’t promote a product or brand or use corporate logos or include QR codes asking for donations. But they can feature the logo and tagline of the subject and purpose of the PSA and direct people to a website that can include corporate sponsors, donation links, etc.

Pair emphasized that stations “don’t want to do anything that’s going to make somebody angry while they’re watching their programming.”

The bottom line is that if a radio or TV station or network does approve your organization’s PSA, the rewards in terms of reach to the public and earned media are great.

For instance, 4media group worked on a “Take Your Cat to the Vet” campaign for a client that delivered more than $3.5 million worth of traditional ad value. The company is currently working with DirectRelief.org on a campaign featuring actress Jane Lynch focusing on helping those affected by poverty, disaster and emergency situations. And another successful campaign 4media group created was for the American Society of Retina Specialists, among many others. 4media group serves small local non-profits to Fortune 500 brands.

Additional recommendations for a successful PSA:

• Work with stations on their own community causes and events and the non-profits they partner with.
• Consider partnering with a celebrity who doesn’t have conflicts across networks.
• Keep in mind that government organizations and non-profits are natural fits for public service campaigns, but corporations can also have successful campaigns if done in the proper manner and for the public good.
• Know that PSAs selected to run can bring about millions of earned media impressions.

As Pair explained, that while PSAs cannot focus on a corporation, which could pay for a regular ad, the PSA itself can direct the public to a website, which in turn can list sponsors and the names of corporate backers. At that point, the website can also ask for donations, volunteers, etc. for the cause. Of course, in a very low-key manner.

“The key is to work in collaboration with the client to create a PSA that will be successful,” she added.

Additional groups that can create PSAs

Besides 4media group and other vendors, additional groups that can help organizations and companies create PSAs include:

• Ad Council
• National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
• National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA)
• Local TV affiliates
• National networks
• Radio stations

Consider creating a campaign with a lasting message

Another tip from 4media group’s Pair is to consider creating a PSA that is “evergreen,” meaning it can be used time and time again over the years.

She asserted regarding PSAs, “If you can make them evergreen, you can use them for a really long time.”

When speaking about the classic PSAs of the past, she added, “A good PSA stays with everybody.”

“We don’t look at them the same way as we look at advertisements that are clearly trying to sell us something all the time,” she maintained.

“These campaigns really have some staying power, and we approach watching them a little bit differently,” she added.

This year’s Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit, held in association with ADWKDC, featured hundreds of attendees from the Greater Washington, D.C. area and from across the United States. The day-long event included dozens of speakers at sessions covering topics of importance to public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from businesses, non-profits, associations, and government agencies; high-tech exhibitors, along with professional communications organizations; and networking opportunities. Potomac Tech Wire and Capitol Communicator co-produce the Summit.

For more information on companies that produce PSAs, visit O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide.