A sometimes overlooked tool in your marketing tool kit, producing a Public Service Announcement (PSA) can be a cost-effective and powerful way to communicate your message. As a public service, most radio and TV stations will routinely air PSAs. PSAs will advance your mission or cause and create awareness around your campaign. Braun Film loves PSAs. And while we would marry them if we could, we will have to settle for a “long-term partnership.”
As suckers for a great cause, PSAs are near and dear to our hearts because they help promote great causes, inform about and inspire positive lifestyle changes and disseminate social marketing messages that “make a difference.” Braun Film & Video Inc will help craft your message and wrap it up in a creative package that will get the attention you seek. While we love PSAs simply for who they are, we will also get your PSA spot aired, monitored and tracked– providing you with comprehensive results from outlets across the country. After all, every great relationship requires attention and hard work.
Like any production, costs and approaches for DC PSA video production can range greatly depending on any number of variables. Before embarking on any Public Service Announcement campaign, it is critical for us to understand the full context of the message, the audience, the existing ‘brand’, and any collateral materials that will be distributed in conjunction with the PSA. We do not employ any kind of magic ‘template’ for a Public Service Announcement, as every message is unique, and needs to be custom tailored to best reach our audience. Production techniques may range wildly based on who the audience is as our style of writing, video production tactics, use of motion graphics / animation, and video editing style should ultimately be dictated by what we know about our target audience and any secondary audiences. It’s really no different than how we attack the production of TV commercials, the only difference being that the ad time is donated, rather than paid for. We work closely with our clients to understand all of the nuances of their campaign / message. What is their end call to action? What can we assume people already think or know about our subject matter? What are some of the common hot buttons around our issue? What are some of the common objections to our issue/cause? What is the projected life span of the PSA video? Is there a social media component to the campaign whereby traditional video marketing techniques can be applied? All of these answers, along with a host of additional questions and answers will best prepare us to create a campaign that most effectively leverages our messaging platform, and speaks directly to our audience. It is through this initial process of discovery that we would embark to develop our first set of ideas for client review. Whether it’s a PSA for TV only, or whether it’s a PSA radio production (or both), our goal is to make the most impact we can with our target audience and create as much buzz as we can around your particular issue -- and to do this on both a broadcast platform as well as online video platforms. Whether you’re a non-profit organization, association, or government agency, Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) can be one of the most important tactics in your PR toolkit for getting your message out to the general public.
Our ‘typical’ process would unfold as follows:
Discovery / Q&A
Concept Development (we will propose several generally sketched out ideas for client approval)
Final Approach (based on feedback from Concept Development stage, we would fully flesh out a particular concept)
Pre-production (planning, storyboards (when appropriate), schedule development and hiring of key individuals)
Execution (production, post-production and final formatting)
Delivery to Distributor (we work closely with the distributor to ensure delivery of high quality formats and appropriate collateral such as final script, screen grabs for packaging, etc.)
Typical Lengths and General Guidelines
Typically, your PSA would be versioned as both a :30 and a :60 second spot. This increases the likelihood of airings since stations can have some flexibility in filling in either time slot. Often :10’s and / or :15’s are created as well. We almost always recommend a :60/:30/:15 package.
Unlike paid commercial advertising, the airing of a PSA is entirely at the discretion of local station PSA Directors. These people are literally inundated with PSA product and pitches from various groups trying to get their messages disseminated. Depending on the timeliness of the issue, the personal sensibilities of the PSA Directors, the relevance of the message to the stations’ specific demographic and a host of other intangibles, there is never any guarantee that a PSA will see the airwaves.
Having said that, one thing we do very well is strategize our PSA marketing campaign to best utilize the information we have on hand in an effort to maximize station airings.
These are just some of the things we consider to better gauge how to best go about producing an effective PSA for you. Here’s the bottom line though…your spot becomes a direct reflection of your organization. If you put out there a pedestrian PSA with low production value, then that is the impression viewers will have of the organization, its cause and message. Conversely, a carefully constructed PSA with some professional polish will send out the exact opposite message. It’s a fact that audiences will form an initial impression of your organization based on the quality of your spot (and other supporting marketing materials for that matter).
Professional PSA Production Company in DC
Our working style is to learn as much as we can about our client’s business, their primary (and secondary) target audiences and the ultimate goals of their campaign. We pride ourselves on the fact that our work can vary greatly in its style, attitude and ‘voice’. Our ultimate goal is to create a Public Service Announcement that works seamlessly with any complimentary marketing or media material that our client has distributed. From utilizing logos or design elements from your branding / ID package; to using the same color palate or fonts, it is critical to us that your spot maintains a consistent feel with any other marketing / educational / advertising elements that are currently being seen by the public, your partners and other vested viewers. Consistency in branding helps enhance audience retention and creates a coherent, unified message.
Our production process is extremely collaborative. We can’t pretend to know your cause or audience better than you do, however, working together and applying your knowledge of your mission along with our expertise in how to best package your information, we can design a very effective campaign to best meet your goals.
Extensive History of Passion and Strength
PSA production, and social-cause related video production for that matter, has been a great passion and strength of Braun Film for many years. We have an extensive history producing successful PSA campaigns for non-profit organizations covering topics including healthcare, volunteerism, public safety, the environment, pet care, poverty, international aid, education, mental health, veterans issues, general awareness and more. We’ve successfully produced PSA’s for radio and TV in multiple languages. Our PSA productions have been shot all over the country involving crews and actors from NY, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago and more. We’ve worked with high-profile celebrities as both on-camera and off-camera spokespeople including sports figures, music stars, movie actors, television actors, and multiple political figures including Presidents of the United States. Additionally, we’ve featured ‘real people’, local actors, subject matter experts, scientists, etc.
Washington DC PSA Client Portfolio
Braun Film has worked on national PSA campaigns as the production arm for many national and international PR Firms, Ad Agencies and marketing firms. Additionally, we’ve had many PSA clients who were directs. From government agencies, small and large associations, Non-Profits and others, we’ve presented topics for our clients utilizing a range of styles from dramatic to humorous, from straight-forward to scary. However, the goal is always the same – to leverage our messaging platform in a way that will encourage PSA Directors to give us their airtime, and for the general public to wake up to our cause.
We are very proud of the fact that our PSA’s that have consistently ranked in the highest percentage of aired PSA’s for their respective years according to Nielsen tracked PSA reports. Some of our clients have included The US Department of Education, Alcoholics Anonymous, The Internal Revenue Service, The American Planning Association, The International Rett Syndrome Foundation, Sister to Sister, The American Association of Animal Hospitals, The US Department of Health and Human Services, The Corporation for National and Community Service, National Kidney Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and more.
