Use of public announcements in the context of persuasive communication: A study on public announcements of the General Directorate of security

The presence of diverse perspectives in society naturally leads to differences in opinion. When these viewpoints conflict, individuals often seek to persuade others to accept their own ideas. Persuasion is not limited to interpersonal interactions; governments also use persuasive communication to inform, educate, and influence the public. In this context, public service announcements (PSAs) are a key component of the state's communication strategies. These are short, impactful media messages designed to raise public awareness. With the development of technology, PSAs aim not only to inform but also to emotionally and cognitively influence viewers. For this reason, the effectiveness of the content depends on its language, visual-auditory elements, and audience relevance. One important area where PSAs are frequently used is traffic safety. The General Directorate of Security's Traffic Department prepares PSAs to reduce the loss of life and property from traffic accidents and promote compliance with traffic rules. In this study, PSAs created by the department were analysed using William Labov's narrative analysis method. This approach revealed their structural features and persuasive strategies. The results show that PSAs often use dramatic narrative structures and emotional content like death and family trauma, along with data-based rational explanations. This combination indicates that PSAs aim to raise traffic awareness by appealing to both emotions and reason