A Different Way to Advertise: Spreading an Important Message

Many think of advertisements as just videos, commercials, and print advertisements, however music is becoming a popular place to see product placements and other forms of endorsements, but none have been as impactful as rapper Logic's new song 1-800-273-8255. The song itself highlights the issue of suicide with the title being the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. 

In the song, Logic raps from the perspective of a caller to the hotline, explaining his feelings and problems. Logic explains how everyone thinks they know what he's going through and understand his pain, but he feels alone and completely lost. The song then progresses through as the "caller" speaks to the other line and is eventually helped. The song finishes with "I wanna feel alive" and "I don't want to die anymore"

This song helped bring awareness to an actual problem and brought help and a potential solution. According to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, there was an immediate and lasting impact with calls increasing by 27% on the day of its release in April, while google saw a 100% increase in the number of searches. Google has also reported that the hotline is now being searched 25% more than before the songs release. In August, Logic preformed the song in August on the MTV Music Awards, bringing even more awareness, with the Hotline receiving over 5,000 calls that day, with call volumes remaining at a higher rate than before the release. 

The release of the song is not a traditional form of advertising. The song was not sponsored by anyone, and was purely written out of passion for an issue and to raise awareness. The song almost serves as more of a PSA instead of an advertisement, but the effect of the song has left a largely positive and helpful impact.

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