The Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Lecture Series focused on public service advertising with a program titled “Advocacy: Creating powerful messages to communicate, advocate and support social change: A look at America’s Best PSAs.” The morning session was held last week (6/14) at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), followed that evening by the AICP Show premiere gala (with honorees covered in last week’s SHOOT).
Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist John Hockenberry moderated the Lecture Series, which focused on the advocacy efforts of four organizations: The Ad Council, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA), MTV, and the American Legacy Foundation (ALF). The session was set up in talk show format, with Hockenberry querying the participants about the origins, pitfalls and triumphs of PSA work. Participating in the lecture were: Peggy Conlon, president/CEO of The Ad Council; Nina DiSesa, chairman, McCann-Erickson, New York, and co-chairman for the Ad Council Creative Review Committee; Allen Rosenshine, chairman of BBDO Worldwide, and a founding member of the PDFA; Stephen J. Pasierb, PDFA president/CEO; Kevin Mackall, senior VP of MTV and MTV2 On-Air Promotions; Ian V. Rowe, VP/strategic partnership and public affairs for MTV; Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, ALF president/CEO; and Pete Favat, managing partner, Arnold Worldwide, Boston, which works in tandem with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, on the ALF account.
Each organization presented a case study of a body of work, and revealed results of its efforts, then sat down with Hockenberry to discuss particular causes and the results of outreach. Matt Miller, president/CEO of the AICP, opened the session by noting that the advertising and production communities regularly offer their services to great causes, which is not something that many industries can lay claim to.
THE AD COUNCIL
Conlon and DiSesa screened some of the Ad Council’s best-known PSAs–everything from the Native American who sheds a single tear over how pollution is destroying the earth, to spots in the successful “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign, and iconic ads for the United Negro College Fund. DiSesa, who has long been involved with the Ad Council, noted that creating successful PSAs “is the hardest advertising to do” in part because it’s asking people to think of issues they might rather not confront. Furthermore, the right tone must be struck, and an ad needs to touch people emotionally, yet not manipulate the viewer.
DiSesa related that the most effective PSAs, particularly in the social cause arena, need to be single-minded; in other words, don’t attempt to educate a consumer about an entire issue in a :30, but rather condense the message to focus on a specific aspect of the cause. An example is the recent anti-obesity campaign from the organization that offers helpful hints on how everyday activities can help you lose weight. Conlon noted that the Ad Council focuses on causes that improve people’s lives, and explained during the Q&A with Hockenberry, that a “personal call to action” is important in creating effective PSAs, and those calls to action can help to create an environment for advocacy and legislation–she pointed to the organization’s highly effective seatbelt campaign. Conlon also noted that Ad Council is able to measure a PSA’s effectiveness via traffic to the Web site and/or the toll-free number that runs with each effort.
DiSesa noted during the Q&A that the scripts “create environments for creativity,” and that in many of the examples she and Conlon screened, the directors’ input helped to create a better and more effective piece of work.
PDFA
Rosenshine of BBDO–he also serves as vice chairman/executive creative director of the PDFA–noted that the purpose of the Partnership was to “un-sell” illegal drugs. One of the first spots Rosenshine screened was the iconic egg on a frying pan meant to represent what drugs can do to a person’s brain. Rosenshine also showed several spots aimed at getting parents to talk to kids about drugs, as well as ads aimed directly at young people. For the latter, Rosenshine said, “[we have to] constantly remind ourselves that you can’t preach, and you can’t use death” since teens have no fear of it. What is most effective, he noted, was to show the consequences of drug use–particularly social and peer consequences. He also talked about the PDFA’s relationship with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which came about as it became increasingly difficult for the PDFA to get donated media. Under the ONDCP arrangement, the government pays for media (creative is still done pro bono), and there is also a matching program in place whereby networks donate money to the effort.
While Rosenshine related that good, creative work could be done when working with the government, there is one ad, which he screened, that has yet to air under the program. The spot is of Elvis Presley’s final concert before his death of drug overdose, and shows him obviously under the influence, slurring his words, and forgetting lyrics to one of his greatest hits, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
Pasierb, the president/CEO of the organization, related that as a result of PDFA ads, the use of cocaine is down 70 percent, and that overall illicit drug use has decreased 30 percent. He also noted the PDFA is readying work that addresses the increasing use and abuse of crystal meth and prescription drugs.
MTV
Mackall and Rowe of MTV presented a case study of the network’s “Choose or Lose” 2004 get out the vote effort–the goal was to increase voter turnout among people in the 18-29 demographic. The target was to have 20 million young people vote–on Election Day, 21 million people in the target demographic voted. MTV promoted voting through “a multifaceted effort,” noted Mackall, with long-form programming on a variety of issues of interest to young people, promos, news programming, reports from the campaign trail, as well as other events. The tagline of the effort was: “vote for something.” Mackall noted that MTV viewers responded to the campaign because of the trust built up in the network. Rowe related that issues MTV focused on “reflected what’s important to our audience.”
As a result of the success of “Choose or Lose,” MTV will continue with its cause-related programming. To that end, related Mackall, the network has devised a new “pro-social campaign” called “Think MTV.” The first promo for the new effort aired during the June 9 telecast of the MTV Movie Awards. Rowe said that the topics addressed in “Think MTV” are the same issues that “galvanized them [during the elections; they] are still relevant.” Those subjects include sexual health, getting into–and paying for–college, and the environment. Similar to the voting effort, “Think MTV” will entail long-form programming, so-called “teachable moments” on MTV programming, segments on MTV News, and promos. As an example, Mackall and Rowe point to a program about a failing high school in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn that is being revamped by its students; in addition to the program, the plans for turning the school around will be available to about 80,000 other high schools.
During the Q&A session with Hockenberry, Rowe pointed out that MTV “advocates for audience issues,” but does not take sides in any given debate, and is careful to present a well-rounded look at particular debates, such as privatizing social security.
ALF
ALF was born out of the master settlement agreement with the major tobacco companies and attorneys general in 46 states and five U.S. territories. ALF is funded by the settlement, and focuses on preventing youth smoking–through its “Truth campaign”–and smoking cessation among all people. Healton noted that a scheduled Aug. 15 ruling by a federal judge in a case brought against ALF by the Lorillard Tobacco Company will determine if funding for the organization continues.
The Lorillard lawsuit contends that the organization is in violation of the master settlement agreement because the “Truth” campaign–and ALF–are funded primarily by payments designated by the National Public Education Fund portion of the settlement agreement. Lorillard is arguing that the “Truth” campaign violates the agreement by not adhering to the clause prohibiting the use of National Public Education Fund money for personal attacks or vilification. Lorillard has argued it is irrelevant whether the “Truth” work tells the truth and has, in fact, conceded for purposes of the litigation that all the facts in the “Truth” campaign are true. Healton noted that even without funding, ALF will not disappear, but its efforts would be curtailed due to a reduced budget. It was also noted that since ALF uses paid media, its messages have appeared during time slots on networks that it would likely not have gotten if the organization depended on donated media.
As for the goals of the campaign, Favat of Arnold–which along with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, creates the “Truth” ads–noted that typically, teens turn to smoking as a form of rebellion. The “Truth” work replaces cigarettes with action against big tobacco as a form of rebellion. Screened work included the “Body Bags” spots, which featured teens piling 1,200 body bags–representing the number of people killed by tobacco each day–in front of the headquarters of a tobacco company. Another ad, “1200,” showed 1200 people pretending to drop dead in an effort to show the scope of what tobacco can take away. Favat noted that the production on the spots–which are shot on video–are meant to give the feel that the work is something kids could create themselves. In fact Healton noted that ALF has had reports of college students hosting “drop dead days” in the style of the ads. Favat said that since the campaign’s inception, the teen smoking rate has decreased 29 percent.
