Case comparisons of public service advertising between China and West

摘要

This paper takes two kinds of public service advertising (PSA), helping others and recruiting soldiers, to do case comparisons between China and West. For PSA of helping others, China appeals to the sense of shame, whereas West appeals to the sense of guilt. For PSA of recruiting soldiers, China appeals to the value of collectivism, whereas West appeals to the value of individualism. Both pairs of cases reflect cultural differences. This paper further explores the origin of these cultural senses and values. By this means, researchers try to analyze the cultural biases in the appeals of Chinese PSA. The results suggest Chinese PSA advertiser should know its target audiences and advertising objectives, and understand the psychology of target audiences through scientific methods, to improve the PSA effectiveness.