PSA In A Persuasive Campaign Essay

Having a PSA is the most important part of a campaign against distracted driving. In order for people to want to solve a problem, they first must know what the problem is and what it causes. There is no way to better get a point across than an announcement explaining the problem and how to prevent it. Distracted driving must be stopped, many innocent men, women, and children are killed because people do not pay attention to what they are doing. PSAs give a campaign the chance to really reach its audience. There is no other medium that can get as much information across in as little time. Some might consider a speech, posters, or any other persuasive device. However, if someone truly wishes to make a difference and to save lives, they will use a PSA in thier campaign.

There are many reasons to use a PSA in a persuasive campaign. Reaching as many people as possible is the main goal of a persuasive campaign and PSAs are specifically designed to reach a broad audience. If the campaignis directed
towards young people, a PSA can work well because it keeps their attention. Reaching younger people is very important in a campaign against distracted driving because they make up the majority or distracted drivers. Other methods such as posters or billboards can only be seen for a few seconds while driving and cause people to focus their eyes away from the road. Enddd defines distraction as, “ those where you focus your eyes away from the road (enddd.org).” PSAs are a safe alternative to billboards and posters.

A PSA is also a versatile platform. It can be displayed on any kind of screen, TVs, Computers, Phones, Etc. PSAs are very effective at educating the public about a topic. A study by Oxford Journals about a PSA on epilepsy found,”Those who saw the PSA had even greater knowledge about epilepsy 1 month later, even though the PSA was no longer being televised (oxfordjournals.org).” When the public views a PSA they do not just hear the information. The PSA teaches the public about a problem so they can use their knowledge to prevent this problem.

PSAs are also a relatively inexpensive method. While they are simulator to paid advertisements, they are played on free airtime provided by broadcast stations. As defined by psaresearch “Closely related to paid advertising, but distinguished from it by the fact that they are broadcast by media outlets at no cost to the nonprofit organization (psaresearch.com).” This drastically decreases the cost compared to a commercial. Since the airtime is free the production value increases due to the increased amount of funds going towards the production of the PSA.

PSAs are an excellent option for persuasive campaigns but they are not without their downsides.
Many times there are certain formats that must be followed in order for a Broadcasting Company to accept your PSA. “Many radio and TV stations have guidelines for acceptance and production of PSAs.”(aspencsg.org) If the guidelines are not followed, your PSA could be rejected and you would have to make revisions or even remake the entire PSA. This could greatly increase the cost of your PSA. This process may also extend the time period needed to create your PSA.

PSAs are overall the best choice for getting a campaign's point across to the general public. There are many reasons why someone would choose to use a PSA. No other medium can get as much information across as effectively as a PSA. Many innocent women men and children are dying from distracted driving, it is an epidemic that must be stopped. If a campaign wishes to truly stop this epidemic, a PSA would be the best
choice.