This link takes you to YouTube video of a Public Service Announcement on domestic violence that aired during the Super Bowl this past weekend. The ad was created from an actual transcript from a 911 call to police.
Our goal in this class is to apply the lens of media criticism to what we are seeing. Since advertising is media designed to persuade you to buy something or do something, your challenge this week is to analyze this ad in terms of its history and its effectiveness.
This is the first time the Super Bowl has provided free air time for a PSA on domestic violence. It is part of the National Football League’s commitment to the issue because of the negative media coverage the league received as a result of the video of Ray Rice knocking his wife unconscious in the elevator. (If you have not seen that video, click here.)
Please address the following issues:
– What audience is the new PSA aimed at and does the ad want them to do? If you think it targets abusers, how will it change their behavior? If it is aimed at victims, how do you think it will change their behavior? If it is intended for the general public, how do you think it will change their behavior?
– Is the ad a serious attempt to deal with a issue or a public relations move by the NFL whose primary goal is to improve its public image?
– Is the approach used in the ad effective in helping people understand domestic violence? What techniques did the producers of the ad use to enhance its effectiveness?