Public Service Advertising

Most people are aware of the concept of advertising because it is being used so widely nowadays to pursue individuals to buy certain products or services. Advertising has always been an innovative way to convince individuals that they might need a specific product and that they should buy that specific one and not another one. Internet advertising and web advertising have become quite popular and something the sole ways in which adverting companies work. Yet, internet advertising and advertising in general can very well be used for non-commercial purposes. Advertising can also be used to inform, educate, and motivate individuals and the public about different issues pressing in the contemporary society such as medical conditions, political ideology, deforestation or energy issues. This type of advertising is referred to as public service advertising.

Public service advertising, although often underestimated, it can be a powerful education tool especially valuable when trying to educate large audiences. It is also known under the names non-commercial advertising, cause marketing of social marketing and it combines advertising and marketing communication techniques to inform large audiences on behalf of non-commercial, public interest groups or governments.

Although it is becoming more and more popular through web advertising, public service advertising is more commonly spread through the television and radio stations. In most countries of the world, public or national televisions and radio stations have allocated plots which are meant to be used with the particular purpose of public service advertising. Public service advertising tends to be more aggressive in political campaigns and in time of crisis, no matter its source. Historically, public service advertising reached its height in the two world wars when a special advertising council had been created in the United States and which is nowadays known as the Ad Council. Thus, advertising can serve more purposes than simply to sell something.