Central government advertising campaigns are designed to persuade rather than to inform citizens about policy - Essay Example

?Central government advertising campaigns are designed to persuade rather than to inform citizens about policy The Central Government in the UK has designed a lot of advertising campaigns in order to make the citizens of the country aware of it various policies. However it has been suggested that these campaigns are more persuasive than informative. In order to establish here are certain examples of the kind of advertising by the Central Government in the UK. 1. NHS Anti Smoking: Smoke, and your body takes a beating – The main purpose of this ad would be to inform the people that smoking is bad for their health. It shows us a man who is smoking a cigarette and it seems like he is being beaten very badly by an invisible person (UTalk Marketing 2009). The ad ends with the warning: ‘Smoke, and your body takes a beating.’ (UTalk Marketing 2009). But by showing just how drastic an effect smoking can have on one’s body, the campaign ensures that it has the attention of smokers and non-smokers and might be able to convince them to leave the habit, or not take it up in the first place. 2. Change4Life: Me-sized meals – This ad focuses on the rising problem of obesity and its various effects such as cancer, type two diabetes and so on. The problem of obesity begins at the infant stage, when mothers over-feed their young children in the name of ensuring they get enough nourishment, and therefore make them fat at a young age. The ad goes on to convince them to give their children meals that are proportionate to their size, and not serve them grown up portions (Department of Health 2009). By using a child to convey this message, this ad ensures that the parents get the message, loud and clear. 3. Swine Flu: Going down – Some people need to be reminded of simple things such as you should cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze so you do not spread the germs. (Search For Truth 2009). This ad shows how a simple act such as sneezing and not covering your mouth can infect everyone around you. The ad conveys this message very well by showing the chain reaction one man might set off by sneezing in a public space like an elevator. The best part is when a child offers the ill man a tissue, showing that it’s just that simple. 4. Speed limit: Kill your speed or live with it – Speeding has always been a major concern to every government. This ad is simple and effective. It shows you the consequences of speeding – which you have to live with for the rest of your life. A man sees the dead body of a young boy he has killed because of over speeding, everywhere, all the time (ThinkUK 2009). He ca not do anything to change what he did, he just has to live with it. The ad very cleverly uses the concept of survivor’s guilt and sends a strong message to the audience. 5. Drug Drive TV: Eyes – Everyone reminds people about drunken driving. This ad talks about Drug driving, and how the eyes of a person have an involuntary reaction to drugs, that can be spotted by the policemen (ThinkUKa 2009). It goes on to warn the teenagers that drug driving is a serious offence and has the same consequences as drunken driving. The ad is simple, and effective. And it shows the target that they cannot hide the fact that they are under the influence. Based on the ads described above, it is understandable why the central government’s advertising is more persuasive than informative. All of the causes that have are being advertised – smoking, obesity, swine flu, over speeding, drug driving – are problems that not many take seriously. People are of the opinion that there should be a lot more discipline in the way the government’s finances are used especially when it comes to advertising. In the opinion of Parliament: Select Committee on Communications (2009), ‘advertising should focus on areas when there is a clear public benefit such as safety or public health campaigns’. Thus, it is essential that the government not just get people’s attention and inform them of the consequences of their actions, but get their attention and force them to change their bad habits. The whole point of advertising in this regard is not just to inform, but to persuade people to change their habits and do better things, not just for their benefit, but for the benefits of others that are being affected as well. This kind of change in habits will not just benefit the individuals in question but will help make the country a better, safer place. This point has been very well illustrated by Firestone (1970), as he explains that the efficiency of the cost spent on an ad is based on both the conception and the execution of the ad, that is, its effectiveness. If an ad is more effective, lesser money will have to be spent on the exposure of the ad in terms of frequency of its appearance. If the ad is not as effective, it will have to be displayed more frequently to get the message across, thereby increasing the advertising cost. This is not of any use to either the population of the country or the government. And this makes a very valid point as to why the advertisements from the central government are more persuasive than informative (Firestone 1970). When ads are persuasive, it can reach the intended target group, and can entice their minds, thereby making the ads a successful one. Apart from this debate, there have also been accusations that advertising has long since been used as a public relations exercise by the government, to show the public that they are taking measures to make the country a better place (Cronin 2004). This debate especially crops up when it seems like the government is only spending money on advertising and not doing anything substantial to help solve the problems. For instance, when it comes to sensitive issues such as underage drinking, obesity among children, teenage pregnancy, etc., the people want to know what the government is doing about it. Advertisements telling kids to abstain is not enough. While these ads might help prevent such problems, they do not do anything for the existing problem. The government needs to understand this as well and take measures that will actually make a difference, and show that to the population. In that direction, the ads has to be more focused on what it wants the people to carry out. Although, overt preaching may elicit unfavorable response, if it is done in a subtle way, it can be accepted by the target base, thereby leading to favorable results. Advertising has one main purpose – to inform. But an effective ad is one that not just informs, but manages to persuade people to take action. In this case, the government has come up with a series of ads focusing on certain negative aspects of people’s living, with the intention to change those bad aspects for not only personal benefits but for the benefit of the country. Due to this objective, the focus and nature of the ads has to be persuasive. In addition, due to the limited financial resources, these ads cannot be visually rich, and instead needs to be content rich. Thus, it is clear that with the government want to send across strong and useful message but with limited spending money, the persuasive route rather than just plain informative seems to be a very sensible strategy. References Cronin, AM., 2004. Advertising Myths: The Strange Half-lives of Images and Commodities, Routledge Chapman & Hall Department of Health., 2009. Change4Life 'Me sized meals' TV commercial. [Online] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_grpZ0zTPak (Accessed on May 7, 2013) Firestone, OJ., 1970. The Public Persuader – Government Advertising. Taylor & Francis. Parliament: Select Committee on Communications., 2009. Government Communications. The Stationery Office Search For Truth., 2009. UK Swine Flu Ad - Catch It, Bin it, Kill It. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zT9fxhrjoQc (Accessed on May 7, 2013) ThinkUK., 2009. Live With It- TV ad. [Online] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0tteHhYh9rU (Accessed on May 7, 2013) ThinkUKa., 2009. Drug Drive TV ad 'Eyes'’. [Online] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dytCWrf92zc (Accessed on May 7, 2013) UTalk Marketing., 2009. NHS 'Anti Smoking' Viral. [Online] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=86TYN5U1Bko (Accessed on May 7, 2013) Read More