Animating Awareness: The Power of PSAs
When you think of a public service announcement, depending on your age you might remember that famous ad with the image of a fried egg coupled with the phrase “This is your brain on drugs.” And there’s a reason for that: they work. The best PSAs can drive awareness, make you think about an issue in a new way, and even drive you to take action.
In some ways, PSAs are just another type of ad, but there are important ways in which they are different from traditional advertising. In this article, we are going to discuss the history of the PSA, why they matter, and what happens when you apply the magic of animation to a PSA campaign.
To Start, What Are PSAs?
Public service announcements are defined as messages spread in the public’s interest. This means that rather than a profit motive, a PSA tends to raise awareness of a problem that affects the public and ask that members of the public take specific action to help fix the problem. PSAs aim to raise awareness and change attitudes, opinions, or behaviors toward an issue. They can be instructional, inspirational, or even shocking. Unlike commercials, PSAs are not paid advertising. In fact, broadcasters donate some of their advertising inventory (the slots they reserve to show ads between programming) to messages for the public good.
Flipping through the history pages, we see that the first non-governmental public service ads appeared in the early 20th century and were run for free by newspapers to dramatize the outrages of child labor. They gained traction, and by 1938 Federal regulation of child labor was achieved in the Fair Labor Standards Act, which included minimum ages of employment and hours of work for children. Later, the U.S. government formalized the PSA with the creation of, the Federal Committee of Public Information was created to support government messaging in World War I. It is from this committee that “Uncle Sam Needs You” originates.
Other successful campaigns from the Federal Committee of Public Information include the War Savings Stamps drive, which advocated to “save the thoughtless dollars being wasted,” as well as the Red Cross campaign that featured a Madonna-like image titled “Greatest Mother in the World,” and the Selective Service campaign that supported draft registration. And if the phrases “loose lips sink ships,” “keep ‘em rolling,” or images of Rosie the Riveter mean anything to you, there are World War II PSAs we have to thank for it.
Once agencies saw how well PSAs worked, they became a part of general advertising practices. Over time, what we know as a modern PSA has been refined. However, only the best characteristics from the past have remained as PSAs evolve into what they are today.
The Importance of PSAs
As we’ve seen, PSAs educate the community about important topics and make more people aware of issues around them and what they can do to help. PSAs also empower the audience to make changes with reduced risks and increased safety. In addition to inspiring action, the best PSAs are mutually beneficial as well as authentic, targeted, and results-oriented. PSAs do not simply tell people why specific actions or behaviors are wrong but inspire them to make changes that will improve their lives and their world. PSAs are more than just memorable lines and catchy jingles. Effective PSAs use techniques like slogans or songs to convey action steps in a lasting, memorable way. Empathy is also frequently used in PSAs to make them more effective. You’ve probably seen a PSA or two that encourages compassion and support to those who are struggling. The message of the PSA then is not just to educate communities about a problem, but to identify who needs help, what they need, and why we should care.
How Animated PSAs Can Make Information More Accessible
Researchers quickly realized that integrating PSAs with visual media would present the information more familiarly and put it in front of many more eyes. As a result, many television programs began including PSAs after their shows about related topics. This is when we start to see animation and PSAs really join forces. By the 1980s, many cartoons began creating unique clips of their characters, integrating the announcement at the end of an episode. Notable examples include Smokey Bear, who was on Yogi Bear with the American Cancer Society making a statement about not smoking cigarettes, as well as GI Joe “knowing is half the battle” and more.
Animation studios continue to partner with PSAs into the present. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cartoon Network has put out many PSAs focused on good hand washing, cleanliness, and hygiene best practices. The key here is knowing your target audience and presenting the information in a way that will best connect to that audience.
Animation can elevate a PSA by conveying a wealth of information in a brief time, using imaginative scenarios, unique characters, or artistic storytelling to engage the audience. For example, at Duke & Duck, we created a PSA for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) that advocates for the modernization of dietary supplement regulations and supports consumer health. Despite its short runtime, this PSA effectively inspires viewers to examine their supplements and join the fight for modernization. Similarly, for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, we crafted a PSA that brought a teacher’s personal story to life, connecting with educators who are striving to help students facing bullying but are unsure how to assist.
Animated PSAs for Kids
If your audience includes children, animation can be a key strategy for grabbing their attention and keeping it while delivering educational content. When our team worked with the Virginia Department of Health to educate viewers on the COVID-19 vaccine, we incorporated imaginative scenarios and unique characters into their PSA to appeal to adults and make it approachable for children so they can learn about the importance of vaccinations.
We’ve also worked closely with the American Red Cross on various campaigns, such as Safety Activities, which is a series of videos focused on how powerful imagination can be. To help support this messaging, the videos provide step-by-step instructions for games and exercises that are educational and entertaining. For example, we have PSAs on “soap vs. germ,” “wash away the germ,” “6 feet apart,” and others that help children learn how to stay safe and, moreover, show them that safety can be fun.
Another project that gave us the opportunity to communicate with kids is the Pedro the Penguin series, a preparedness education program filled with songs. Some of these PSAs include “Pedro Prepares for an Earthquake,” “A Power Outage Story,” and “A Wildfire Story,” among others. Their catchy tunes stick with kids and can pop in their heads when needed, similar to “Stop, drop, and roll” or any PSA from your childhood whose language still resonates with you.
How Do We Know PSAs Make An Impact?
All of the history and strategies for PSAs are interesting, but at the end of the day, how do we know that PSAs make an impact? Aside from simply remembering so many of them, there is plenty of data to show their impact.
The number of people who smoke cigarettes has drastically decreased since the 1960s, thanks in large part to PSAs raising awareness of the health risks. Another iconic PSA campaign that left a lasting impact featured Smokey Bear. Originally a beloved figure, Smokey became central to environmental advocacy. His story began in 1950 when a black bear cub was rescued from a burning forest in New Mexico, named Smokey, and brought to live at the National Zoo in D.C. By 1964, Smokey had become so popular that the postal department gave him his own ZIP code to handle the influx of fan mail.
Today, about 96% of adults are thought to be able to recognize him.
McGruff the Crime Dog, known for his trench coat and crime prevention tips, reached a broad audience and made a significant impact. About a fourth of the national sample exposed to the McGruff campaign reported taking crime-prevention actions based on his PSAs. The campaign, which ran for 12 years, generated $60.3 million from an investment of just $600,000. Similarly, the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” PSA, introduced in 1973 by the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, remains a staple in fire prevention education. Despite its simplicity, this PSA effectively teaches how to respond in a fire and exemplifies how PSAs can endure and continue to educate over time.
Utilize Animation as as Educational Tool
PSAs have a remarkable ability to deliver lessons that stick with people for years, especially when paired with the engaging power of animation. Take Dudley the Dinosaur’s memorable advice from 1995: “If you lose a tooth, pop it in a glass of milk before heading to the dentist.” It’s a simple tip, but it’s stayed with audiences for over 25 years. That’s the magic of a great PSA—now imagine what an animated version could do to make your message unforgettable.
Want to know more? Check out Duke & Duck’s portfolio to see how animation can educate, engage, and inspire or contact us to talk about a project.
