Children’s Needs Most Important PSA Issue.

Public service directors view issues relating to children to be the most important issues addressed by public service advertisements (PSAs), reports a study released by The Advertising Council and Lieberman Research Group.

According to the study, public service directors consider a number of factors when selecting which PSAs to air. Overwhelmingly, both TV and radio public service directors ranked the importance and relevance of a PSA’s message to their station’s audience as the most important criteria in PSA selection. Messages relating to children’s issues continue to be considered the most important, with 80% of respondents ranking them highest. Seventy-three percent named drug and alcohol abuse as the most important issue, followed by parenting (67%) and crime & violence (65%). Education reform and the environment also ranked fairly high.

The study also found that public service directors typically determine the importance of social issues by word of mouth or through their own involvement in local events. More than 90% reported having at least some involvement in their community, and about half reported responsibility for the developing or producing of their station’s public affairs program.

Also addressed was the issue of whether stations tend to run national or local PSAs. According to the findings, television stations tend to run an equal number of national and local PSAs, while radio stations tend to favor local spots. Yet both media reported a preference for localized PSAs, which mention a local non-profit organization, the local market/state, or a local telephone number.

“Whether a PSA will run – not to mention the frequency and daypart – is up to the discretion of the public service director, which is why understanding their preferences is essential to the success of a PSA campaign” said Peggy Conlon, Ad Council President and CEO. “In this ever-changing media environment it is critical that we stay abreast of the public service directors’ needs in order to ensure that our messages reach their audiences.”

“Giving recognition to a radio or TV station for running a PSA is not only important to public service directors, but also helps to cement the relationship between an organization and the station,” said Mark Lefkowitz, Lieberman Research Group Chairman and CEO.

Conducted this past March through telephone interviews with 154 television and 250 radio station personnel nationwide, the study sought to determine the various factors that affect the placement of PSAs by public service directors. Top, middle, and bottom third media markets were evenly represented, along with 30 cable TV stations. A description of the study can be viewed in the research section of the Ad Council Web site at www.adcouncil.org, and a complete copy can be purchased for $30 through the site.

Visit the PSA Director Study CLICK below:

http://www.adcouncil.org/fr_research_psa_director.html