Four ways to raise awareness of sensitive social issues

This article offers principles that can help advertisers communicate difficult topics - where deeply entrenched beliefs are hard to overcome and shock tactics and a preachy tone prove counterproductive - and shift the narrative direction towards real change.

Marketing Public Services

This article is part of a series of articles on marketing public services. Read more.

Many of today's most pressing social issues are hard to talk about and – if you're not already a supporter – often hard to hear. Some issues – such as abortion, disability, gender, HIV, mental health, aging, male sexual abuse, or homosexuality in sports – either divide deeply held beliefs or can feel difficult to talk about openly.

There are myriad powerful emotional drivers behind these beliefs: fear, embarrassment, a feeling of helplessness. Negative emotions like these can be twice...

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