Contents
What is social advertising?
Social advertising is a non-commercial advertising activity aimed at drawing public attention to important social issues. It plays a key role in changing social norms and shaping moral values, principles, and beliefs among people. An example of this type of advertising is a campaign by the Chinese company Ogilvy, which demonstrated how modern technology, particularly smartphones, can hinder face-to-face communication between individuals, distancing them from each other.
Objectives of social advertising
Social advertising serves several key functions that are important for society:
- Attracting attention: It highlights pressing social issues such as ecology, drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, corruption, and domestic violence.
- Encouraging reflection: Although an advertising banner may not immediately change one's worldview, it can prompt important reflections.
- Call to action: Social advertising can urge various actions, such as donating for the treatment of sick children or switching to healthy eating.
- Stimulating demand: Despite its non-commercial focus, such campaigns can increase demand for certain products, such as child car seats and energy-saving light bulbs.
The main goal of social advertising is to influence society, change behavior and internal beliefs for the better. Major brands sometimes launch their own social advertising projects, which helps improve their reputation and create a positive image. For example, Volkswagen initiated a project with the slogan "Don't text while driving," which became known for its concise posters featuring changing messages in T9 prompts.
Legal regulation
In Russia, social advertising is regulated by the Federal Law "On Advertising." It is intended for an indefinite group of individuals and aims to ensure state interests, as well as implement charitable and other initiatives beneficial to society. Both individuals and legal entities, government and municipal bodies, as well as commercial organizations can act as clients of social advertising.
When public or state structures request to place social advertising, the owners of advertising spaces must provide at least 5% of the total volume of advertised content. Social initiatives are actively promoted online through social networks and websites, and such advertisements must contain certain elements: the label "social advertising," the client's name, and a link to a website with information about the client.
Types of social advertising
Social advertising can be classified based on various criteria:
By method of impact:
- Call-to-action: advertising that encourages active actions.
- Questioning: an appeal with a question that prompts reflection.
- Thesis-based: advertising that states a fact without evaluative judgments.
- Informative: advertising that provides important information for education.
- Combined: combines several methods of impact, such as statistics and a call to action.
By type of advertiser:
- Government: clients are government structures that create advertising to fulfill departmental tasks.
- Public: NGOs and other organizations that strive for positive social change.
- Commercial: businesses that order advertising to demonstrate their social responsibility.
By format:
- Audio: for example, audio advertisements on the radio.
- Visual-graphic: advertisements in the form of images on banners and posters.
- Video advertising: social advertising in the format of video clips.
For example, the company "Tinkoff" released a video dedicated to the fight against the use of plastic bags, narrated by the famous announcer Nikolai Drozdov.