smg10e

[Reflect] Make connections: Designing your own public-service ad.

E-Page 57

Think of an issue that is worthy of a public-service ad—ideally, something that is of personal interest or concern to you. For ideas, consider controversial actions or policies on your own campus, such as a plan to ban the sale of bottled water or to build a multi-million-dollar athletic center at a time when the university is financially strapped. Or look at issues of national concern, such as bullying, texting while driving, or financial illiteracy.

Once you have decided on an issue, think about how you might promote your position on it in a print or TV/video ad. Your instructor may ask you to post your thoughts on a class discussion board or to discuss them with other students during class time. Use these questions to get started:

With your purpose and audience in mind, what central message would you like to get across?
Given your issue and message, what medium would have the most impact—a stark, simple print ad or a brief video that tells a story?
What particular elements (such as specific images, headlines, and text in a print ad or video clips or voice-overs in a TV/video ad) would do the most to catch viewers’ or readers’ interest and make a lasting impression?

[Reflect] Make connections: Designing your own public-service ad.

Question