{"id":634,"date":"2020-04-20T09:29:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T15:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/?p=634"},"modified":"2020-04-20T09:29:18","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T15:29:18","slug":"the-art-of-the-psa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/the-art-of-the-psa\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of the PSA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cCareful, don\u2019t set it off, don\u2019t set it off, don\u2019t set it \u2014 Son of a bitch.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

PSAs are tough. To be specific: Effective<\/em> PSAs are tough. Effective PSAs are tough because you\u2019re trying to communicate with an audience that doesn\u2019t understand what you\u2019re talking about, is already suspicious of your message, or both. (Column B there usually also has a pretty heavy dose of Column A as well.) When you\u2019re trying to convey a difficult message to an audience that isn\u2019t all in already:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. You have to give as much of an overview as is necessary to inform the least-informed among your audience\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u2026 in the space of, like, thirty seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. You have to grab people\u2019s attention and give them a reason to consume your message\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u2026 without making light of a serious issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. You have to convey the gravity of the situation\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u2026 without seeming melodramatic or alarmist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, y\u2019know, no pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But individuals, organizations, and agencies are trying, and a few have really hit it out of the park on all three (or six, whatever) points above. Here are three that show how to get the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In This Together” (Real Art Design Group)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, I want to send out love to the poor assistants who definitely got a fingertip snapped setting up all the mousetraps in this PSA for the Ohio Department of Health, and I want to give extra love to them for the time one of them inevitably popped early and set off the chain reaction right before the director yelled \u201cAction.\u201d (Wasn\u2019t there. Just guessing.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Social distancing works. We are all #InThisTogetherOhio<\/a>. https:\/\/t.co\/jU4ZAkm3Py<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/uKJtfi4cuP<\/a><\/p>— Ohio Dept of Health (@OHdeptofhealth) April 9, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>