Embrace Life: Raising the Bar for PSAs
For as long as I have been watching television, I have seen countless public service announcements telling me to wear a seat belt. One series that sticks out in my recollection is the "You could learn a lot from a dummy" ads. I think I recall these mostly because there were so many of them, and there was a modicum of character development involved--the dummies were Vince and Larry. These were not high art, but according to the Ad Council, they were effective.
There have been other seat belt campaigns. Here's a PSA from the 1970's, and here's one about the inventor of the seat belt. In the history of seat belt PSAs, there seem to be two principal categories: humor and shock. Often, these PSA campaigns have slogans, too: Click It or Ticket, Drive Alive, Buckle Up . . .
Until this week, it had never really occurred to me to appreciate the artistic side of public service announcements, and then I saw the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership "Embrace Life" PSA:
I believe this PSA was unveiled a little over a month ago, and it already has more than two million views on YouTube. The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership has a page discussing the making of this PSA and other elements of the campaign, which include the use of graffiti, which seems like a bold, novel step.
I think that the PSA and the "Embrace Life" slogan are both home runs. Well done!
