Analysis of Public Service Announcements Aired on National Television, 2002-2006

In social marketing and communication campaigns one of the most common channels used to communicate with the public about health matters is public service announcements (PSAs). However, there is no comprehensive study to date that examines the overall PSA landscape presented to the public, including the volume of PSAs, which topics are emphasized, and when they are aired. The present study begins to fill that gap by conducting a content analysis of PSAs aired on national network and cable television in the United States using a comprehensive industry advertising database. The relative weight of health-oriented PSAs, PSAs on other topics, and commercial advertising are compared in terms of the shear number of ads and PSAs over time and the estimated dollar value of the ads and PSAs, adjusted for inflation. On average, PSAs received 27 times fewer dollars ($1.5 billion versus $41.9 billion) and 49% fewer units (190989.2 units versus 9321027.4 units) were funded than with all other advertising combined. The specific health topics in the PSAs are compared to the Centers for Disease Control's Healthy People 2010 goals and the leading causes of death in the United States. Analyses also examine whether PSAs are more likely to be aired in the middle of the night or at other times when fewer viewers are watching. By understanding the PSA landscape, social marketers will be better able to plan their campaigns. Policy makers, too, will have a better sense of which priority areas in public health are underrepresented nationally by PSAs.