Palin's Pause Before You Play Teen Pregnancy PSA
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Palin’s Pause Before You Play
Teen Pregnancy PSA
Our society has become one of
technological possibilities, and
with our advancements in
technology, it seems there is no
limit to how a product can be
advertised. With smart phones,
high-speed Internet, digital
cable and high-definition
television, it seems that
advertisements are nearly
impossible to escape. While
those ads may be bothersome, at
times they have the capability
1. to be beneficial. They have the
ability to move an audience in
just a few seconds with their
quick, hard-hitting messages that are made with the aide of visual effects.
Therefore, when promoting a good cause, an advertisement has the potential
to change the world for the better.
There are nearly 750,000 You Play and is founded by the
teen mothers living in the United Candie’s Foundation. It has
States today, and for the first time featured various celebrities, such
since the 1990’s, the teen birth as Usher, Fergie, Jenny
rate has increased. Furthermore, McCarthy, and Rihanna, to name
the United States has one of the a few. However, the celebrity who
highest teen pregnancy rates in had the biggest impact on viewers
the developed world. Due to was possibly Bristol Palin.
alarming facts such as these, Bristol Palin, the daughter
many Americans have made the of former presidential candidate
decision to begin working towards Sarah Palin gave birth to a son in
preventing teen pregnancy. 2008 at the young age of 18. Due
In 2010, Candie’s came out to her already celebrity status,
with a campaign to promote she instantly became the
awareness for teen pregnancy. spokeswoman for the prevention
The campaign is called Pause of teen pregnancy.
Before
1
getting and effective because it is
2.
relatable to teens. It possesses all
of the appeals necessary to clearly
convey a specific message to its
intended audience. First and
foremost, the PSA is credible,
which is of vital importance when
it comes to successfully relaying a
message. The ad is credible for
obvious reasons. The foundation
is using a girl that
She made numerous public is not only a
service announcements following household name,
the birth of her child, but it was the daughter of a
the Candie’s Foundation public presidential
service announcement that got candidate, but 3.
the most attention, and for good who is also a teen
reason. mom herself. It
Bristol Palin’s PSA got the is the fact that
attention of the media Palin is a teen
everywhere, being the topic of mom that gives
discussion on ABC’s Good her the most
Morning America, Entertainment credibility. The
Tonight, and Spike Online’s Girls fact that she has
segment. It was initially released had to undergo
in 2010, just over a year after she the experience of bearing and
had given birth. Therefore, the birthing a child makes the
media took advantage of the time audience believe what she says is
period when people were still true. She appeals to her audience
talking about Palin’s infamous and is believable because she has
pregnancy to launch her ads. first hand experience, and who
When the PSA was initially would know better than someone
released, it was featured on who has actually had to go
virtually all television stations. through a teen pregnancy?
Although the advertisement was Palin’s credibility, however, is not
essentially displayed everywhere, the only factor that makes the
it is likely to say that the intended public service announcement
audience was young teens. work.
Therefore, the ad was made in Palin’s Pause Before You
order to appeal specifically to that Play ad not only possess
audience. credibility, but it also uses logical
The language used in arguments that cause the
Bristol Palin’s Candie’s audience to clearly understand
Foundation public service Palin’s point of view. She begins
announcement, Pause Before You her advertisement by posing
Play, is extremely attention questions to her audience, and
2
those questions address real asking questions and states that
problems of teen pregnancy. She her life without the opportunities
asks things such as, “What if I she had would not be a pleasant
didn’t have my family’s support? one, she appears on the screen
What if I couldn’t finish my looking
education?”, as well as others. tired, with
These kinds of questions are her hair
fundamental when considering disheveled
the possibility of bearing a child at and
a young age; they are questions all wearing
teens should contemplate when clothes
pregnancy becomes a possibility that are far 4.
in their lives. Finally, at the end from
of her list of questions, Palin glamorous.
states, simply, if she did not have This adds to
the opportunities that she did, the idea that as she was stripped
being a teen mom “wouldn’t be of her support during the ad,
pretty”. support that many teen moms
Palin plays on the fact that never experience, her life became
having children prematurely much more difficult. It is a logical
takes away opportunities for most appeal that gives the audience a
women that they can never clear sense of reality. It gives the
regain. An early pregnancy can audience a quick glance at what it
potentially take away from would be like for her, or any teen
successful futures, and cause lives mom for that matter, who had to
to be far less than perfect. For give up things as important as an
this reason, her litany of education.
questions draws attention to the The advertisement also
conditions that are essential in does a good job using emotional
the ease of child bearing and appeals, and really pulls at the
rearing. It is her simply stated heartstrings of its audience. It
response, then, that reinforces does so mostly wherein Palin
the importance of each of those describes the results of being
conditions. without opportunity. As an
The public service exhausted and worn out looking
announcement is logically Bristol Palin tells us life “wouldn’t
appealing in terms of what Palin be pretty”, the audience can see
says, but also in terms of the simply by the look on her face
visual effects that are used within that there is an authenticity in
the ad. As she questions what it her message, and it is only human
would be like had she not come nature to sympathize with her.
from a famous family, the screen We are shown a distressed
fills with pictures of her mother’s young teen parent, but that is not
campaign and different news all. The visuals continue to go a
media coverage of her pregnancy. step further to convey their
However, when she finishes message. During the entire ad,
3
the lighting is dim and almost commercial would not wish to
gray. The lack of light is a clear possess the life of the girl featured
demonstration of a negative in those final seconds.
message. Beyond these visuals, Pause Before You Play is an
the commercial features music excellent example of an effective
similar to that of a baby’s mobile advertisement. It clearly and
as background music throughout precisely addresses the problem
the ad. at hand, and
However, as does so in a
the ad way that the
progresses, target
the music audience,
gets slower, young teens,
and finally, can easily
when Bristol understand.
makes her The use of a
final, hard distinguished
hitting, 5. young teen
statement, mother, the
the music logical claim of
comes to a complete stop. This, being left with nothing, and grey
again, appeals to our emotions lighting and baby music all play a
and senses. As we no longer hear vital role in conveying a very
the joyous music of a baby’s significant message. Upon
mobile, we quickly realize that viewing the PSA, teens will quite
with the termination of the music possibly pause before they play,
came the termination of hope. and although Bristol Palin made
Within the last few seconds of the mistakes herself, her PSA will
ad, we are forced to feel the likely save the future of
struggle of a mother stripped of thousands who view it.
opportunity and support.
With the combination of
Palin’s hard-hitting
words, the lighting, and
the music, the harsh 6.
reality of the message
sinks in with the
audience. While the
audience may realize
Bristol Palin, herself,
is not forced to endure
the same struggle as a
young mother who has
very little, it still holds
that any teen girl
watching the
4
Works Cited
http://library.cqpress.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/cqresearcher/docum
ent.php?id=cqresrre2010032600&type=hitlist&num=5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS20rsEoqk4&NR=1
http://www.spike.com/video-clips/k4dxkz/bristol-palin-thinks-teen-
pregnancy-is-ok-if-youre-rich-and-famous
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/bristol-palin-teens-pause-play-
10307605
http://www.zimbio.com/watch/0wXrYmrYbry/Bristol+Palin+Campaigns+A
gainst+Teen+Pregnancy/Bristol+Palin
Pictures
1. http://flatclassroom10-1.flatclassroomproject.org/file/view/iphone-
internet.jpg/117778241/iphone-internet.jpg
2. http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/gallery/sarah-and-bristol-palin-
photo/
3. http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID20836/images/
ex_bristol_palin_ap.jpg
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS20rsEoqk4&NR=1
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS20rsEoqk4&NR=1
6. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BCnaL7bCwzg/TOroHHEmwjI/
AAAAAAAAABU/KOefrSbLaVQ/s1600/bristol_campaign.jpg
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