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CNN Live Sunday
T.V. Ads Call for Americans to Unite
Aired October 21, 2001 - 15:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN. CNN ANCHOR: In the days following September 11, the air waves have been filled with advertisements, calling on Americans to unite. As CNN's Brook Burkhardt reports, such advertising has long been a potent weapon for American public issues and interests.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am an American.
BROOK BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four simple words, "I am an American." Powerful words that have resonated with an American public that once thought of itself as African-American, Hispanic-American, Irish-American, or any number of other hyphens. Now the hyphen, it seems, is gone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am an American.
BURKHARDT: This PSA, a public service announcement, was rushed onto the air following September 11 by an organization called the Ad Council. And if you're not familiar with them, you probably know quite well some of their other creations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People start pollution. People can stop it.
PEGGY CONLON, PRESIDENT, AD COUNCIL: The objective of the Ad Council is to identify important social issues and use the power of advertising to create positive social change.
BURKHARDT (on camera): That is its mission now, as it was back in 1942 when the Ad Council was founded. Only back then, it had a different name, a name that seems like it might be appropriate once again.
CONLON: The concept at the time, it was called the War Advertising Council in the beginning, was to work with the Office of War Information and to get important messages out to the American people using advertising.
Just as Rosie the Riveter back during World War II is responsible for getting two million women into the workforce, I think I am an American is going to have a legacy going forward, that really does celebrate what it means to be an American.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk with your kids.
BURKHARDT: The creative and production work for the ads is done for free by top advertising agencies. The I am an American ad was done by GSD&M of Austin, Texas. The Media Times also donated.
JOEY REIMAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY: What the Ad Council does and what these public service advertisements do, is show advertising at its best.
BURKHARDT: Joey Reiman is a former ad man and author and teaches marketing at the Goysetta Business School with Emory University.
REIMAN: It creates inspiration again. It inspires us, breathes life into what we can be versus motivating us to buy stuff. In a sense, this kind of work creates a better person, not a buying person. And that's a different motivation.
BURKHARDT: And that different motivation might explain the two sides of the advertising coin. Frequently, it's simply a mirror that reflects back to us our culture and values, not always a pretty sight.
But the other side most frequently seen in PSAs is its ability to actually set the agenda, define who we think we are or who we want to be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The toughest job you will ever love.
BURKHARDT: In many ways, it's what America does best, sell, market, but usually just to ourselves. Now it's become painfully obvious that another market has been overlooked. To try and counter some of the anti-American fervor in parts of the world, the State Department is in early discussions with the Ad Council about creating messages for a non-American audience. It could be America's most potent weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am an American.
BURKHARDT: Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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