The Practice of Government Public Relations, 2nd Edition

4Public Information Campaigns

Jenifer Kopfman and Amanda Ruth-McSwain

Introduction

“Click it or ticket.” “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

“Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

For decades, governments have informed, persuaded, and motivated the public to buckle their seat belts, practice safe sex, prevent forest fires, get vaccinated, and designate a sober driver. These ubiquitous messages have resulted in some of the most familiar and successful communication efforts in recent history, with taglines that many of us remember well. Now it may be your turn to produce a memorable public information campaign, but you may not know how to get started. This chapter will provide a guide to developing and evaluating your public information ...