Do you yell at the TV News? I do. My outbursts rattle the Mr clear off the couch at times.
"What's wrong with you people?" my usual rant, "Why don't you get it?"
Or maybe you do your shouting online. I saw a meme on Facebook that went, "It took 'Click It or Ticket' to get people to wear seat belts. I wonder if 'Mask It or Casket' might work." Good one!
Statistics show that 89% of North Americans buckle up when driving. That's the power of a Public Service Announcement like the "Click it" campaign. PSAs, dispensed broadly among the populace, are proven to shape public behaviour.
These media spots have track records covering a whole host of social issues: "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk," "Take a Bite Out of Crime," "This is Your Brain on Drugs," "Stop the Texts; Stop the Wrecks."
2020/21 has been a PSA bonanza. Ads, social media sites, news stories, etc., too numerous to count have harped on about pandemic safety, and yet…well, you know.
Most folks I know "got the memo." We're vaccinated, we wear face masks in public places, we keep our distance from strangers, we wash our hands, and carry sanitizer in our pockets. We made sacrifices for the greater good. Still, others are just not getting it. Will they ever? Look at "Click-it or Ticket." It was a successful campaign, but there are still 14% of people who don't fasten their seat belts.
I googled "most famous PSA campaigns" because a few popped into my head that have stayed with me since I was a kid:
"Don't be a Litterbug," came with a drawing of a criminally negligent insect, a real hoodlum, that made me shudder at the thought of being so low that I would even consider throwing a candy wrapper on the sidewalk.
When Smokey the Bear, with that booming bass voice, told us to be careful with matches, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" we listened up!
Those campaigns left a lasting impression on this 1950s kid. Is it possible to get such wide-spread compliance today amid the clutter of communication?
An example: on August 2nd, a Global News story blasted: "$50K in fines issued to scofflaws since BC-wide campfire ban." The ban went into effect on June 30. And still the authorities are handing out tickets? Come on folks! Is it really so important that you toast your s'mores and tell your ghost stories around a bonfire at the risk of sparking a blaze that could devastate an entire forest and possibly a whole community?
Where is Smokey Bear when you need him? We need to resuscitate Smokey from the ashes of nostalgic ad campaigns. I like the idea of the big bruin becoming a social media influencer. I googled Smokey Bear, as one does, and guess what? He's still working! At 77 years-old, Smokey has Twitter and Instagram accounts. He's the only bear on Linked-In. Pretty modern for a bear who started his career in 1944. These days, his approach is so scolding. It's all about positive reinforcement. A 2013 video shows him giving a big bear hug to a camper who has doused a campfire in proper manner. "He just hugged me," the guy says. And his girlfriend on her cell phone, "Already posted it."
In my research on PSAs, I found a Washington Post article that makes the point that, today, sites like Trip Advisor are more respected than government agencies. Peer to peer reviews are more highly regarded than news outlets. I happen to see eye to eye with most of my peers who urgently post items about climate change and pandemic protocol. But that's the problem — my friends all agree. The people whose behaviour I wish I could change are literally not getting the same message.
Do you think someone could come up with a brilliant PSA message or mascot for 2021 that would do the trick for the remaining 89-100% of the population who aren't already compliant? I'd love to see it.
It's not doing my blood pressure any good hollering at the TV!
