A friend and client of mine recently linked me to a Nightline story about shock-and-awe PSAs. The story is about how PSAs are getting grittier to get your attention. I have to admit — the one about teen texting and driving stuck with me. It graphically depicts teenagers in a car accident. Blood and glass flying everywhere. I cannot shake it. Watch it. You won’t be able to shake it either.
The Georgia Meth Project is taking a similar approach. Have you seen the billboards around town or the ads on TV? They have a big goal — to stop thousands of people in Georgia from ever trying meth. Can they accomplish it without a big dose of reality?
As we raise the bar on what and how we communicate, I often wonder if more subtle forms of communication are getting lost in the clutter. Can we still roar with a whisper? Can we motivate change without telling it like it really it is?
The other day I was driving (OK, so now you know where I get most of my ideas), and I drove under a digital sign that said “Smog alert — Use alternate transit!” I drove by this sign all summer and thought nothing of it. But later I thought what if it said, “You are polluting — get on a bus!” Or better yet, “If you want your child to be able to breathe — carpool!” That’s right. Go ahead point your digital finger at me. Maybe I will make a change.
I had an opportunity to visit a homeless relief center called City of Refuge in Atlanta and meet the director, Bruce Deel. He uprooted his family to move them to the zip code synonymous for crime in Atlanta. The highest number of murders, rapes, drug deals happen in 30314 every day. He has been robbed more than 40 times. He did not sugar-coat the story. He did not just tell the nice parts. He told it like it is. And he has motivated change where there was no change in Atlanta. They provide shelter, job training, rehab programs and are building an enormous medical center on a site where there was desolation before. I suspect a lot of this progress was through Bruce’s ability to persuade, be genuine and tell it like it is.
How do we motivate change through words? When we don’t motivate change, is it because we are beating around the bush? How direct is too direct?
In a world where there is value placed on 140 characters to communicate, is the best route to go straight for the jugular? In the blink of an eye, I am already over my character limit.
