Public service advertising in China: Social marketing in the making

In this paper, we discussed the relationship between public service advertising and social marketing, reviewed the past and the present situations of PSA in China, and examined some representative samples from a recent national PSA campaign in the country. As a logical extension of the fast-growing commercial advertising in China, PSA has been used as an alternative for traditional propaganda in the country during the last 15 years or so. With its soft-selling appeals and other marketing strategies, PSA is believed to be more effective than the simplistic and patriarchal propaganda and could play a positive role in national consensus building and in addressing a variety of issues with broad public concerns. Still in its infancy, however, PSA in China is facing various challenges, particularly the lack of funding, legal protection, and quality.