Public Service Advertising in India

This chapter addresses an important form of advertising known as public service advertising which is widely used by developing nations for social awareness. In previous chapters, you have learned about different types of advertising. In marketing, advertising comes under promotion strategy which aims to promote brands and create a favourable attitude by highlighting the features and advantages that are intended to fulfil the needs of the target consumer. But the use of advertising is not only limited to commercial purposes. The persuasive nature of advertising is widely used in India as a tool for social awareness which you are familiar with the name public service advertising. By addressing social issues, advertising campaigns contribute to the growth of the country. As mentioned by David Ogilvy (1984), father of advertising- Advertising, in its non-commercial guise, is a powerful educational tool capable of reaching and motivating large audiences. Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest—it is too a powerful tool to use solely for commercial purposes. Public service ads serve as an effective tool to educate the community about important topics be it social, health or environmental issues. For years public service advertising is used in India to address public issues and for promoting behavioural change. In this chapter, you are going to learn about the needs and importance of public service advertising from an Indian perspective.