PUBLIC SERVICE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ADVERTISING ON RADIO: DO AUDIENCE LISTEN?

 

A public service advertising is any radio, television, or billboard advertisement that doesn't specifically promote any one product. Public service advertisements are meant to educate the audience about important issues that will benefit both the audience and their society. These kind of commercials are mostly used to inform the public about important social concerns, these includesillegal act such as  drug usage, drunk driving, cancer screenings, lack of moral habbitor forest fire prevention or to change how the public perceives those issues. Collins. (2009) outlined how pre-roll advertisements in movie theaters and radio announcers' attempts to persuade listeners and viewers to support the war effort gave rise to public service advertising when the United States entered World War II. The significance of supporting the US and its troops was emphasized by sayings such "Loose lips sink ships.".These can be seen in the majority of conventional advertising platform these, includeRadio, Television, Billboards, Posters, print media, and even more recent platforms like online advertising. Even though they may serve the public interest, creating public service advertisements is not always a cheap endeavor. To film, edit, and construct something, you need time, money, specialized tools, and skilled labor. Furthermore, there is no assurance that the public service will ever be released after you have completed it. Media organizations are no longer compelled to broadcast or print public service.

Albert (2019) claims thatpublic service announcements (PSAs) are messages that are in the public interest and are freely distributed by the media in an effort to affect public perceptions and behavior. Public information films (PIFs) are what they're known as in the UK and Hong Kong, respectively; announcements in the public interest (API) Before and during the Second World War, both in the UK and the US, the first public service messages (in the form of moving pictures) were produced. In the UK, amateur actor Richard Massingham founded Public Relationship Pictures Ltd in 1938 as a specialized company for creating brief public education films. He usually portrayed a fumbling character in the movies who was a little more foolish.

George (2017) also explained Public service advertisements as a collective interest of a community and are concerned to spread the awareness for a purpose that is broadcast without any charge by the government for the promotion of some state programs or other social agendas. These types of public advertisements can be distributed primarily through any media channel, these media channels include print, billboards, electronic (television or mail), and electronic (television or mail).

Advertising is a crucial component of public service and social responsibility since it has the capacity to affect people's actions and opinions. Marketers have an obligation to make sure that their messages are moral, accurate, and do not support negative traits or stereotypes. The social impact of their effective advertising must also be taken into account in addition to public service advertising. Social marketing that support hazardous habits like binge drinking or smoking can be detrimental to society. Thus instead of pushing negative behaviors, social advertisers should emphasize the promotion of good lifestyles and admirable principles.

Also, social media advertisers have a duty to watch out for any discriminatory or damaging preconceptions that can be perpetuated by their adverts. Advertisements that support racial or gender stereotypes can be disrespectful and destructive. Marketers should make an effort to avoid reinforcing negative preconceptions and instead design advertising that celebrate diversity and inclusivity.

Public service and social responsibility advertising (PSAs) are a common way for organizations to raise awareness about important issues. However, there is some debate about whether or not PSAs are effective. Some scholars argue that PSAs are not effective because they are often ignored by audiences. Others argue that PSAs can be effective, but only if they are well-designed and targeted to the right audience.In a study published in 2002, scholars Atkin and Rice found that PSAs were not effective in changing people's attitudes or behaviors. They found that PSAs were more likely to be effective if they were targeted to specific audiences and if they were designed to be attention-grabbing. He also found that found that PSAs could be effective in changing people's attitudes and behaviors, but only if they were well-designed and targeted to the right audience. They found that PSAs were more likely to be effective if they were tailored to the specific needs of the target audience and if they were delivered in a way that was relevant and engaging.Although previous research has shed light on the effectiveness of these commercial communications, there is still much to be learned about whether audiences really pay attention to them. Although there are many public service and social responsibility messages on radio platforms, research is still needed to determine if these messages can really influence listeners' behavior. For instance, despite the critical role that radio advertising play in the dissemination of public service information, Johnson and Brown's (2019) research revealed that there is little empirical data on how the audience really receives and processes these messages.Additionally, Lee and Smith's study (2021) stressed the necessity to investigate the elements that affect listeners' attention to and reactivity to public service and social responsibility advertising on radio. According to their results, listeners' engagement with these commercials is substantially influenced by the audience demographics, the relevancy of the material, and the message structure. The research also found a knowledge gap on the precise processes by which these elements function and their effects on communication tactics.This study fills a gap   in the literature of public service and social responsibility advertising, investigating audiences’ attention to public service advertising on Nigeria’s radio, specifically Wazobia FM and Liberty Radio with a view to know the depth of audiences’ concern for safety, audiences’ level of awareness about exaggeration in commercial adverts, audiences’ level of distrust in commercial adverts, and  non-profit position of public service adverts.

The research question guiding the study is as follows

The objectives of this study are to:

In particular, this research examines the efficacy of public service and social responsibility radio advertising in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. With a focus on the listeners of Wazobia FM, a well-known radio station in Abuja, the study will analyze audience involvement and attention to these advertising.

This study's value rests in its applicability to the theoretical literature on public service and social responsibility radio advertising, which enriches preexisting ideas and frameworks in audience and advertising studies. The research advances knowledge of how public service messages may successfully reach and connect with the target audience by examining the amount of audience attention and the elements driving engagement with these advertising. With regard to radio advertising, this information helps improve theoretical models that address message reception, attention, and persuasion.

The study results also serve society in a practical way by influencing improved communication techniques. These data may be used by advertisers, non-profits, and legislators to improve the layout and delivery of their messaging, ensuring that they draw in and hold the attention of the target audience. Important social concerns including health, safety, environmental preservation, and social justice may become more widely known and understood as a result.

The research also has the potential to maximize the use of resources for radio advertisements that promote social responsibility and public service. Advertisers may more effectively use their money by determining the variables that affect audience attention and concentrating on tactics that result in more engagement and impact. The benefits of resource optimization include improved results and more economical utilization of scarce resources.