Public service announcements are messages shared with the public about pressing social, health and safety matters. In just a short amount of time, PSAs need to connect with their audience, convey vital information, and motivate people to act – whether that’s through spreading the word, making a change or pledging financial support. While this has traditionally been achieved through television, social media has broadened the avenues a PSA can take, increasing its potential reach.
But with millions of other posts on social media grabbing the attention of the public, and by having to tackle algorithms instead of receiving a designated television spot, this widening of possibilities has introduced its own set of drawbacks. Luckily, there are lots of tools that video and animation provide to help stand out on every platform and connect audiences with the heart of your message.
When sharing an announcement, engaging the public is the first step. While a PSA should consider its target audience and be aware of events and dates relevant to its message, connecting with any person at any time can be achieved through narrative storytelling. With a combination of video footage depicting the real lives or places impacted by the subject matter and animation that aids in symbolizing thoughts, future outcomes or statistics – a strong relationship to the topic can be built.
Reaching as many people as possible is one of the main ambitions of a PSA, and that requires flexibility. Whether you need different versions of a PSA for different platforms, or want to increase your chances of securing a television slot by offering variations in length, video and animation can be easily edited and rearranged. Clear stills of an animation can be extracted and condensed into a short clip while maintaining its meaning, and this reusability can reach even further with posters, blog images or email attachments.
Video and animation are also flexible in the type of audience they can connect with. A PSA aimed at children for example can provide a delicate way to handle sensitive or overwhelming subject matter, while live action can portray the gravity of a situation and make adults face a reality they need to face. Crafting a message that is urgent and clear is imperative for spurring change, and both video and animation are incredible at explaining things in a succinct yet comprehensive manner through its activation of multiple senses and breakdown of information into easy-to-understand bites.
If you would like to learn more about the effectiveness of using video and animation for PSA’s, feel free to contact us at hello@synima.com.
