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LAGRANGE, IL 60525
Stretch your marketing budget with Public Service Advertising
By Gary S. Young
Sometimes getting national media exposure for your association and its members doesn't have to be as expensive as you might think. Sure, magazine ad space is expensive. And national broadcast TV or radio? Forget it. But don't give up hope until you've explored the possibilities of reaching a national audience through Public Service Advertisements (PSAs).
The Challenge
You've been charged with bringing your association into the public consciousness, but have limited resources available within your marketing budget. Not only that, but your association's membership is expecting a return on their investment of dues in the form of increased business coming into their practice or business.
The Solution
Consider the possibility of running a PSA that will not only present your association in the positive context of an important public cause or social issue, but will run for free in major national media. Nearly all forms of media – national and local – use PSAs to fill unsold airtime and ad space. They are non-commercial, non-partisan and non-denominational. And they are effective.
How To Do It
Start by contacting the appropriate individual at the media outlet you're considering. At a magazine, that would be the Advertising Director or Production Manager. At a broadcast station, it would be the Director of Community Affairs, Public Service Director, or General Manager. Start out with a letter introducing yourself, your cause and your association, and follow up with phone calls. Don't be afraid to leave your message in voice mail, and don't give up. People everywhere, just like you, are busy and it might take a while to actually connect.
Once you get an appointment, keep it short – 15 minutes should do it. Be prepared to settle for sending an email with an attachment containing your ad or spot. Point out how your PSA could benefit the media outlet by being associated with an important public cause, and be discreet about the benefits to your association and its members. Bring the ad layout or reel with you to show at the meeting. There's nothing like a creative concept, effectively executed, to get someone excited about advancing the cause (after all, isn't that what it's designed to do?). Be sure to follow up with a thank-you for considering your PSA, and in absence of a flat rejection, an occasional reminder can't hurt.
Once you've gained approval, make sure you provide the production materials needed to print the ad or run the spot, professionally prepared to their specifications. We've even found it effective to prepare the ad in advance and email a press-quality PDF file to appropriate publications along with a brief request to place it in unused space. Done to their specs, the ad is ready to run on a minute's notice. No muss, no fuss.
How Not To Do It
Like everything else, there are some things to avoid while working to get your PSA placed. Hard as it is, avoid asking the media outlet when your PSA will run. Since these ads will run at the last minute, the Ad Director has as little advance knowledge as you when it might run. Magazines, at least, go to press well before they hit the street, so you'll have plenty of time to get copies to show off the fruits of your labor!
The biggest mistake you could make – have you guessed it yet? – is not investing the time and money up front to seek professional help in developing your concept, the ad copy and layout, and the final production materials, whether for print, TV, radio, web or outdoor. If it's not a good ad, it won't run. Involve the appropriate people within your association in the process of crafting the message and ad, and get the approvals necessary.
The Results
PSAs are fabulous for gaining awareness and recognition of your association membership, and connecting you to important issues for the public good. And when you consider the exposure you've gained for your modest upfront investment (last year one of our clients received nearly $500,000 in free ad space with an up-front cost of under $20,000), it's hard to imagine a more effective use of your marketing dollars. All I ask is that you try to be humble when your peers and constituents heap all that praise upon you!
Dating to 1944, Smokey Bear is the oldest, and to date the longest-running, PSA campaign. A critical message of social responsibility is the hallmark of a good PSA.
