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• Analysis of public service announcements
• The creative process and planning a PSA

After completing this unit, educators and learners will be able to:

• Analyse a number of PSAs as a means of communicating information on a variety of issues
• Develop a plan for an original PSA for a chosen issue, including statement of purpose, message, target audience, and technical and creative strategies
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the communication strategies and the PSA
• Produce a PSA

PSAs are generally a message created by governments and development organizations, disseminated in the public interest to achieve a specific behaviour, and to raise awareness or change public attitudes towards a social issue. Examples of public campaigns are: teaching safety measures during natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods; or public health campaigns to limit the spread of COVlD-19 virus, smoking, malaria, HIV and AIDS infection, or to encourage use of masks, hand sanitation, social distancing, the take-up of mosquito nets, and safe sex. The themes are as varied as government and development organizations roles: literacy, good driving, or ecology campaigns, among many others. The pedagogical approaches could be to analyse and discuss the content, purpose and impact of local and national PSAs compared to commercial advertising.

• Based on the examples mentioned above, discuss the meaning and purpose of PSAs. Explain how PSAs are different from commercial advertising. Brainstorm a list of issues addressed in PSAs that you have seen. Identify the various uses for PSAs in your region.
• Visit one of the following public service sites: (These are included only as sample resources to illustrate the activity described here. Other resources, appropriate for various regions, could be used instead.)
• Examine a number of PSAs – print and video – and discuss the key features of each. Identify key information and the main message being conveyed and analyse how they are presented. Consider both the technical and creative strategies used.
• Analyse the use of emotional appeal in various PSAs. Identify any claims being made by these PSAs and whether or not they are supported by facts. Analyse how the technical elements of the PSA reinforce its meaning or message. Explain the effects created through the use of various camera shots and angles. Explain how sound can be used to convey meaning.
• Educators could ‘deconstruct’ a PSA from the samples in more detail, by creating a storyboard based on their viewing. They will need to view the PSA more than once, and the facilitator will have to pause the PSA on each frame so the educators can document on their storyboard what they are seeing and hearing. Sample storyboards can be accessed at:
• Develop an original plan for a PSA for an important social or cultural issue. Brainstorm a list of possible issues to use as the basis for the PSA. Discuss the purpose and audience. This discussion will, in turn, help shape the message being conveyed. Consider the key information and main message that you need to convey.
• Now consider who you want to reach and how. The information and message should be directed at a specific target audience.
• On paper, describe the concept and develop a list of strategies that can be used to create the PSA. These can include creative strategies (the content ideas for the PSA) and technical strategies (the production component).
• Complete an outline for the PSA, including a statement describing the concept, technical and creative strategies, and the audience.