Public service advertising and propaganda

The American Advertising Council, which created the WWII "Loose lips sink ships" campaign, public service advertising is "advertising that serves the public interest."

Public service advertising in China has no significant difference from the abroad, but there is a difference in the tone and manner of delivery of the messages. In China the ads are full of revolutionary spirit and slogans derived from the propaganda messages that have been the most notable forms of government-backed advertising in the last half-century.

Nonetheless, many public service ads in China are not simply Partyspeak. There are plenty of ads that try to convey a non-totalitarian message that is about the public good.

There is a lot of variety: from revolutionary slogans painted on village walls to 60-second-long TV commercials, public service advertisments and propaganda are ubiquitous. The most common media are outdoor billboards and print adverts. Here is a quick tour through some public service ads from Beijing and Shanghai.



How to cross the road
This ad near bus station teach you the right way to cross the road. The are three steps:

- Look
- Don't hurry
- Cross

Similar ads also teach you how to wait in a line for a bus.




Cherish water
Beijing is a dry city, but not for want of bars. This ad tells you to cherish every drop of water and love the whole world.

Stop domestic violence
In 2002, a TV play called Don't Speak With Strangers raised public attention about domestic violence. According to a survey by the Chinese Women's Association, domestic violence happens in 30% of Chinese families. More than 90% of the people who commit acts of domestic violence are male.

The headline of the ad below is "Stop domestic violence". The message is endorsored by actress Wang Tong who was involved in another anti-domestic violence movie called Yesterday — her signature appears at the bottom of the ad.




Beijingers are friends to all the world
This ad has no any creative component, unless you count the the smiley icon. The ad has been appearing on billboards in Beijing for at least 3 years.

Donate blood
This ad was published in Shanghai's Xinmin Evening News, which is one of the most boring newspapers in the world, but is extremely well distributed in Shanghai. The ad is to encourage blood donation. You can see slightly more attractive blood donation ads from Beijing on Danwei here.

By Ben Marcom