Public Service Ads

Public Service Ads

What are they?

• A public service announcement (PSA) or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media.

The goal of a standard advertisement is to sell you something…

A PSA is different.

It doesn’t sell a product.

The goal of a public service ad is to

improve people’s lives (to improve “the public interest.”)

A PSA attempts to do this by raising awareness of an issue, affecting public attitudes, and potentially stimulating action.

Here are some examples of PSA’s.

What are they attempting to do?

Your Turn

You will be making a PSA campaign of print ads.

Your target audience is people your age.

Your challenge: find a issue that has a strong impact on your peers. You will be creating a message intended to improve the health and/or self-respect of your peers.