some of my favourite psas
Out of all of my hyperfixations, PSAs have definitely been the strangest.
PSAs, or Public Service Announcements - also called PIFs (Public Information Films) in the UK and APIs (Announcements in The Public Interest) in Hong Kong - are messages shared through media like television and print free of charge to raise public awareness for various issues, such as the effects of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, unsafe driving, etc, with the goal to change behaviours. PSAs were first produced in 1938 in the UK, and they ended up growing more popular throughout WWII with the creation of the American organisation Ad Council.
Chances are if you're here you're old enough to have seen at least one PSA, likely on television or on YouTube. Maybe you even saw the classic Piracy. It's a crime. / You Wouldn't Steal A Car at the start of your DVDs as a child. If so, how's your back doing?
I ended up developing the biggest hyperfixation on PSAs out of nowhere last year. I spent hours upon hours looking through them all, and I even ended up making a playlist of all of my favourites. If you're curious about the whole playlist, here it is. But, I wanted to make my first blog post a showcase of my favourite PSAs out of the bunch. The best of the best, if you will.
Since these are PSAs, they're going to cover some triggering, more adult topics. I'll list all of them here before we get into the proper meat of them all. If you'd like to go in blind, then feel free to skip this part of the blog entry, but do keep in mind that the content in these may be upsetting.
In order of the ones I share, these PSAs contain discussion of animal death, poisons, cigarettes, meth, severe injury, death, child abuse, being recorded without one's consent, jumpscares (tagged. don't worry i'm not a dick), gang violence, poverty, human trafficking and PTSD. Please stay safe. If any of these things will cause you harm, then finishing the blog post is not worth it.
Ghost Birds - Greenpeace
This is one of my favourite PSAs, just because of how heavy and confronting it is to watch. Being young at the time, I didn't know much about the Rena oil spill, but I remember being unable to stop myself from sobbing uncontrollably when I first watched this one. It's one of Greenpeace's more tasteful PSAs - considering their track record - and it's definitely left an impact on me.
Eye Candy - Consumer Safety Institute
This PSA is the perfect mix of silly and serious that just hits in some sorta way for me. The groovy music, the tantalisingly delicious shots of all of these incredibly inedible items, it all just comes together to create a perfectly engaging PSA. Yes, I would eat all of these even though I'm an adult who knows better.
Icons - California Department of Public Health and TobaccoFreeCA.com
Simple but effective. Even though I'm Aussie I swear I remember seeing this PSA on DVDs when I was a child, alongside other classics like You Wouldn't Steal A Car and What Are You Really Burning? One of the main facts about this PSA that draws me in is the fact that it's quite likely that each of the characters that appears in this film represent different cigarette/tobacco companies.
Cleaner Girl - Partnership for a Drug-Free America
This is one of my most unfortunate vocal stims. So good, so creepy, so fun. They ended up remaking this PSA with a more grungy jingle, but this one has to be my favourite version. The lighthearted, peppy vocals add such a frightening atmosphere that really brings the whole thing together. The grunge version makes it seem like they're trying too hard. The reality is that drugs can make you feel like that, and that's far more effective.
Thinksafe - NZ ACC
I love every single ad in this campaign. The bait-and-switch is really effective, and would definitely have drawn attention on free-to-air television. It breaks my heart to know that these ads ended up being too shocking, so they had to get pulled from television. I think that they should reboot this campaign now; it would definitely get attention. The Fruit-E Bars one is my favourite of the bunch.
Dumb Ways to Die - Metro
No PSA list is complete without Dumb Ways to Die. I remember when I was in primary school and this was released and everyone knew the words. Listen to it now, I'm willing to bet you know the lyrics to this day. I love how this one delivers its message; distracting you with silly deaths, simple animations and a catchy tune, then effortlessly slots in its message at the end. Perfection.
Only Jerks Mess With Fireworks - SIRE
This campaign fills me with such dread every time. Something about the hands on the blank red background is so terrifying. In my eyes, the sign language PSA is one of the most clever campaigns I've ever watched. So creative and so frightening. Effective all around.
Mandy - NSPCC/Childline
So simple yet so horrifying. There's just something about the lack of music and the doll alone in the room that fills your stomach with so much fear. PSAs that try and scare you into submission are ones that I don't like, but the ones that leave you with a lingering sense of worry are so effective that I can't help but appreciate the artistry behind it.
Stop Download Kill - Busan Metropolitan Police Agency (MASSIVE JUMPSCARE WARNING HERE)
I love this PSA campaign more for the story and placement than the PSA itself. These PSAs were originally uploaded to Korean non-consensual voyeurism sites by the police in Busan, disguised as a regular video found on the site, before jumpscaring the unsuspecting freak who clicked on the video and informing them that the site was being monitored by the police. Unfortunately it's surprisingly hard to find information on PSAs from non-western countries, so I don't know how effective they were. Scared the shit out of me, though.
Lessons From My Neighbourhood - Youth Ambassadors KC
I grew up on shows like Sesame Street and The Muppets, so when I saw this series during my PSA research I had to investigate it. Brilliant PSAs with an effective message and engaging visuals. It breaks my heart that kids around the world have to go through things like this, but I'm glad that there are campaigns like this to bring awareness to situations like this.
Package - Gabreiela Philippines
So effective and so chilling. The ambient audio, the dismal lighting, the way that nothing draws attention to the body of the woman as she passes by, it makes the whole thing so frightening and so real. Sends shivers down my spine every time I see it, but it's one that I've never really seen anybody talking about.
Sounds of Trauma - David Lynch Foundation
So artistically beautiful, but I'd expect nothing less of the David Lynch Foundation. Such a simple concept so beautifully executed from an immersive first-person perspective that allows you to really understand how it feels to be a veteran dealing with PTSD. Gorgeous and tasteful all around.
Right/Wrong - Greenpeace
The last PSA I want to highlight here is another Greenpeace one that's actually effective. The cheery music and the colourful, childlike design of the video makes it so engaging, and just helps to drive the point home when the PSA takes a darker turn. It's far more simple than some of the other PSAs I've mentioned, but that just makes it better overall.
