Ordinary People

The Broadcasting Commission has over the years shared public education messages on the importance of ratings to protect children from harmful content. The research showed that persons have come to know, appreciate and understand the ratings in Jamaica but are unclear as to what Rated PG means. The message "Parental Guidance" attempts to demonstrate that PG is not just another TV rating, but requires active participation on the part of parents, caregivers, and adults. It is an everyday ongoing responsibility, that when taken seriously engenders the right values among the youth. The main objective of this public education message was to remind parents and caregivers about the role that they play in protecting children from harmful content. The digital evolution calls for even greater parental responsibility as young people are now accessing content across multiple devices, in a largely unregulated environment. Jamaica has a 100% mobile penetration rate, with the majority of young people having access to the internet in all its uncensored, and unfiltered glory. Here's the challenge. Our client, The Broadcasting Commission only has regulatory remit over Free-To-Air TV, Radio and Subscriber Television, not the Internet.

The agency was tasked to come up with a public education message that addressed the access to the internet by young people and the role that parents will have to play without our client overstepping its regulatory framework and in a non-didactic fashion. In response, we came up with a piece that spoke to Parental Guidance in a broad sense, implying that PG extends to where ever young people are accessing content. The piece ends with the phrase - Parental Controls are available for all devices. We had to strike a balance that was subtle, yet effective.