Case studies existing product research

Social Action and Community Media

Existing Product Research

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Case Study 1: NSPCC’s ongoing campaign to stop child abuse

Creative Media Production 2012

Purpose: To bring about national change (hoping to stop child abuse all over the country,) to change attitudes (towards the issue and get people to realise how serious it is,) to raise awareness (about the issue,) to campaign, to build relationships with subjects (some people are very unaware of what goes on behind closed doors in some families.)

Aim: The aim of this campaign is to make people realise what is going on behind closed doors to some children in the UK, and to help them wherever possible. It is to make people aware of the issue and also to appeal to them and make them want to give help to people who need it.

3Creative Media Production 2012

Case Study 1: NSPCC’s ongoing campaign to stop child abuse)

Techniques: The techniques used in this particular campaign poster are put in place to achieve its overall aim.

The main image that has been used as the key art picture is part of a baby’s bib with blood stained on it. This is emotive and makes the audience realise what is really going on to some children. It makes you realise that children are helpless and defenseless, they cannot stand up for themselves or fight back so they need your help. The bib says ‘Hug me’ on it which makes the audience remember that all a child wants is love and they are getting hurt, shown by the blood across the bib. This sinister image makes the audience feel unsettled and uneasy in general about the issue, this may make them feel that they need to help change the issue.

In the writing at the bottom of the poster is the quote, ‘Together, we can stop child abuse.’ By including the audience into the NSPCC company, this makes the audience feel like they are already involved and encourages people to pick up the phone and help in some way. This makes the reader feel that with their help, this problem could be solved, and their help is necessary.

The fact that there is so little writing and most of the poster is taken up by the image makes you look at that more and therefore think mainly about that.

The font is simple, clean and clear which makes the text easy to read for the audience. It is also in the colour green. The colour green is a happy, warm colour rather than a cool colour. The colour green is also known to signify nature and freshness. This could symbolise a fresh start and natural start to life that other children have, without this pain struggle. These could be achieved with the help of the audience if the poster is effective and they choose to help.


Case Study 1: NSPCC’s ongoing campaign to stop child abuse

Impact:

With campaigning and support, over the last 10 years the NSPCC have helped:

•Set up the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to help keep children safe online. •Increase the penalties for sexually abusing children.•Establish local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) to help local agencies like the police and children’s services, work together better.•Create the new offence of “causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult”, first used to successfully convict someone in 2006•Make courts more friendly for children giving evidence in abuse trials. •Government to pledge £13 million more to help support victims of sexual and domestic violence.•Government to pledge £30 million over five years to the NSPCC to expand our help lines, the NSPCC Helpline and ChildLine, so that we are able to answer more calls for help.

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Case Study 2: Community Safety, Think More Drink Less campaign


Purpose: To bring about local change (to stop alcohol related crimes and injuries in Wakefield,) to change attitudes (towards drinking and how to act when out drinking,) to raise awareness (to alert people about the issue and providing a statistic to make the information reliable and seem more true to people,) to challenge dominant representations and agendas (some people may think that alcohol is not a large contributor to the total of violent crimes, this would tell them otherwise,) to create or strengthen community ties (the poster clearly promotes ‘community safety’ and if people pay attention and local violent crimes then communities ties will be strengthened,) to provide information (the statistic,) to campaign, to build relationships with subjects (not many people know about how alcohol affects people’s behaviour on a scale like this.)

Aim: The aim of this campaign is essentially to make people realise what alcohol can make sometimes make people do, sometimes where they wouldn’t do it usually. It is to make sure that people know what alcohol can cause and maybe encourage them to drink less to try and prevent these crimes. Maybe the amount of violent crimes would be reduced if people didn’t drink extensively to a point where violent action is considered acceptable.



Techniques:

The main image used here is of a person with a pint glass as a head, and it is smashed on the floor. The smashed glass shows the damage that is described by the ‘violent crimes’ statement on the poster. There is something about and image, that when it is re-enforced in a statement it makes it more real and shocking. This will apply to the audience and force them to realise how real the situation is and what is really going on.

The comment ‘Half of all violent crimes are alcohol related. Cheers.’ is written in a bold, upper case font that is also in white. This makes it immediately eye-catching and the thing that you are drawn towards most on the poster. This is the part of the poster that the producers really wanted the audience to be drawn to because it holds a shocking statistic. This is why it is made so noticeable.

The way the comment is written is in small, short sentences which are used to get to the point efficiently and effectively. One sentence is just one word, and a word that relates to the subject which makes it more understandable and expressive of the issue. The small sentences put across the tone of the piece to the reader. The tone conveyed is short and snappy which would tell us that people are annoyed at the issue and they want it to be sorted soon.

The text written in white on the black background creates a shocking colour contrast which mirrors the issue and the statistic that has been brought into this, telling us that it is shocking. However, the black and white contrast could be representative of how the matter of alcohol related violent crimes can be changed from a dark problem to a good thing and can be improved.



Impact:

This campaign came into action in Wakefield in early 2012. This statistics figure shows that by the end of September 2012, the number of violent crime offences was at an all time low. It is not proven that the ‘Think More, Drink Less’ campaign was the cause for this decrease in violent crime but we can assume that it helped in some way because of such a decrease.

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Case Study 3: Vote Conservative 2010 General Election Campaign


Purpose: To bring about national change (there would be a change in the way the country was run if the Conservatives were in power,) to create and strengthen community ties (maybe if the Conservatives were to come into power, then there would be change that would improve certain communities, also the poster is suggesting that there would be change to the country that would be for the better,) to campaign (in the election,) to change voting behaviour (this poster is trying to encourage people to change who they vote for.)

Aim: The aim of this poster is to make people think that if they vote for the Conservative party in the 2010 general election then the country will change for the better. The main aim to get people to vote Conservative in the next election.



Techniques:

There is a morphed image of the British flag, the Union Jack, behind the ‘Vote for change’ text in the main part of the poster. This would catch the British people’s eye because they would be convinced that voting for the Conservatives would make Britain, the place they live, a better place. Anybody would want the place that they live to be changed for the better.

The background image that is behind the image of the flag and the text, is a picture of the sky with clouds It looks like there is a light shining out of the sky, this could symbolise a ray of hope and that the Conservatives will be a good thing for Britain at this time. In 2010, Britain was in the worst stages of the recession an change was needed; In this case, anything or anyone that offered change for the better would have been appealing.

The colours used in the poster are all very positive colours, and appropriate to the Conservative party. There is red, white and blue which are patriotic colours for the UK anyway, this will draw people in who love their country. There is also a lot of green and blue used here. Green is the main colour associated with the Conservatives anyway. The colour green symbolises a clean, fresh start for Britain if the Conservatives were to be voted in. Blue is the colour of hope and calmness. This infers that if the Conservatives were to be voted in to power, the hectic Britain would calm down and from there things would start to get better for us as a country.

The text on the main part of the image is written in a clear font, in capitals and in white. A clear white font stands out on any background, and this was done so that it was eye-catching and people would be drawn in and want to read the read of the poster and really examine it.

The simple text at the bottom of the page ‘Vote Conservative’ is a command and makes you feel obligated to vote even if it was not your original idea. Commands are always effective on a poster that is aiming for a change because it causes a sense of un-easiness in the reader/audience and makes them feel that they really should do what is being asked of them.



Impact:

The result of the 2010 general election was that the Conservatives had more seats than any other party; However, they were 19 seats shorts of winning. The fact that the Conservatives won the most seats shows that their campaign worked and this would have been aided by their campaign posters. This was a positive outcome for them.

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Case Study 4: BBC Radio Asian Network Summer of Music promotion


Purpose: To bring about local/national/global change (to increase the listener figures for the network,) to raise awareness (of the network, that some people may not know exists,) to create media production for non-traditional groups, to create or strengthen community ties (this could be a way to bring the Asian community in the UK together and strengthen their relationships, it could also create community ties between the Asian community and others,) to infiltrate mainstream media (by promoting, this will make more people aware of the network and could cause this it to because more common and associate itself with mainstream media.)

Aim: The aim of this advert for BBC Radio’s Asian Newtork’s Summer of Music is just to advertise and promote the radio channel and a special feature that they are introducing to it. Another aim is to make people aware of the network if they were not already. This could make people want to listen, they may be interested in listening if it is something they have never heard before or never knew existed. There will be people who will be attracted to the event/feature rather than just the network so this could encourage them to listen.



Techniques:

The bright pink, yellow, orange and green colours used in this promotion is appealing to the primary target audience of this product which is of course, the Asian community. It is appealing to them because in their culture there are a lot of festivals that involve and celebrate colour. Also, the saris that Asian women wear are often bright colours which shows that the culture is supportive of this. The pattern that is displayed on the poster also resembles the henna tattoos that are usually associated with the Asian community, this will be familiar to them andtherefore attract them. The colours also appeal to other people also because bright colours are a great way of attracting attention.

The fact that the Asian Network is a part of the large corporation that is the BBC and that this is obviously stated makes it more appealing to people. Everybody knows of the BBC and most people listen, watch or read something to do with the BBC every day. People know and trust the company name so they will be drawn towards it because of that. The recognisable logo is placed at the top and is displayed clearly.

The font that is used for the writing is very clear and simple but also interesting. All is written in upper case letters which makes the writing more eye catching and appealing.

The poster is advertising and event that is only for a limited amount of time. This attracts people subconciously. If something is advertised for just a short period of time like this, the Summer of Music, then people want to get involved however they can, so that they have been a part of it.



Impact:

In February 2010, it was reported in The Times newspaper that Mark Thompson, the General Director for the BBC was planning on the closure of the Asian Network on the BBC because of falling listener figures. The listenership figures were going as low as 453,000.

After the Summer of Music in 2013, the listenership figures had increased by 101,000 since before this campaign and advertisement for the Summer of Music.

This tells us that the Summer of Music promotion achieved it’s aim of increasing it’s listenership numbers and making the network more well known around the country.

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Case Study 5: Buswise campaign (East Riding)


Purpose: To bring about local change (to stop bullying on buses in the East Riding area,) to raise awareness (some people may be unaware of what is going on with respect to bullying on transport,) to challenge dominant representations and agendas (some people are totally oblivious to what is taking place, they think there is no problem, this challenges that,) to create or strengthen community ties (if bullying stops the community will become more pleasant, it could improve community relationships,) to campaign (against bullying,) to infiltrate mainstream media (this is not a company promoting something, it is a council project,) to build relationships with subjects (people will be able to understand people’s bullying experiences and understand what is really going on.)

Aim: The aim of this poster is to raise awareness about bullying and help people to understand what is going. It is also created to provide a helpline for people who are being bullied and to try and cut bullying wherever possible.



Techniques:

The main image used here is of a bull running through the middle aisle of a bus. This is shocking as a picture because nobody would ever imagine to see a bull on a bus. The image is representative of the issue. A bull on a bus is like a bully on a bus for victims of bullying; something they never want to see and something that they are scared of. There are also blurry parts of this photograph to show that the world is being rocked and it shows the panic and the terror, the way to world doesn’t seem to make sense when something is going wrong, like if you are being bullied.

The font is in green. This indicates that with the Buswise organisation will give bully victims a fresh start. Green is a generally happy colour, it is associated more with happiness, prosper and hope for a better future than sadness.

The organisation have used a memorable and defining logo for the Buswise poster. This will stick in people’s head when they say it and will remind them every time they see it what the poster is about.

The font is all in upper case writing and it all written in a clear font. This is good because it means it is easier to read for people. This can be seen if the poster was at the front of the bus and you were looking at it from the very back.



Impact:

The Buswise campaign was launched in September 2008. Since then, it has expanded and become more popular within the East Riding.

Since September 2008, Buswise now holds educational sessions in primary and secondary schools about the issue that is being covered. They also offer driver training sessions in partnership with EYMS.

The Buswise organisation is now in re-launch to raise more awareness of who they are and what they do with the aim of helping more people. There are now large posters ‘wrapped’ around the back of buses where they used to be small posters placed inside like this one.

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Case Study 6: Think! Road Safety Think Bike campaign


Purpose: To bring about local/national/global change (to get people to think about bikers more on the road, and consider them more carefully in certain situations,) to change attitudes (towards bikers,) to raise awareness (of bikers on the road, and the consider them when driving,) to campaign

Aim: The aim of this poster is pretty straight forward and clear. It is to make people think more about bikers on the road when they are driving. Most people think that bikers are an inconvenience on the road, but they have a right just like car drivers, so they need to be considered and respected.



Techniques:

There is not much on this poster to think about, it is just clear and to the point to make you realise that, that is the only issue that you need to think about.

The bright yellow background colour catches the attention of the audience because it is so vivid.

The black lettering on the yellow background is quite a shocking and intense contrast. This catches attention in a different way.

The only text on this page is in a clear, black, upper case font and has an exclamation mark at the end. The use of punctuation leads you to believe that the subject of this campaign poster is in this text and it is important, it must be taken notice of. The fact that this is the only text on the page makes you take notice of exactly what is being said and shown to you by the poster. This is a clever technique used by the producers to get exactly what they want from the readers/audience.

The logo is placed clearly at the bottom of the poster. It is a recognisable logo and it displays the company’s cause clearly as well.



Impact:

Motorcycling incidents where motorcyclists have been killed or seriously injured have fallen since 2008 when 493 motorcyclists were killed and 5,556 were seriously injured on Britain's roads.

The Think Bike campaign has been an ongoing campaign since the 1980s when motorbike accidents were on the rise. As you can see by the graph, towards the end of 2003 the accidents were on the decrease.



Impact:

The Think Bike Facebook page currently has 53,714 likes. This means that at least 53,714 people are aware of the campaign and therefore aware of the issue. The way that Facebook works is that if one of your Facebook friends likes a page such as this one, you can see it, as well as all of their other friends. This means that the increase in awareness of this issue is constantly on the increase.

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Case Study 7: Accessible Arts and Media 30th anniversary celebration


Purpose: To raise awareness (about the group that help people with disabilities,) to create access to media production for non-traditional groups (people with learning difficulties can all come together and make music with the software and technology needed,) to provide information (there is a website attached so people can go and find out more about the organisation,) to infiltrate mainstream media (this is not a mainstream media company that many people know about, it is being brought to attention in a local way for local people.)

Aim: The aim of this poster is just to make people aware of the organisation and supply them with information so that they can go and find out more information about them if they want to. Another aim to show that it is the company’s 30th anniversary and celebrate that.



Techniques:

There are a lot of bright colours used in this poster. These are positive and they attract attention. The colours that are used are all fun and happy. These colours are used to convey the happiness that is brought to the people with learning difficulties that this organisation make happy with the work that they do.

There is a fun font used rather just just a clear and simple one that fits more to provide information on a different kind of campaign poster. The font is shaped around the other words and shapes in the design. This gives off the vibe of fun from the organisation.

The organisation’s website is placed strategically under the main, central text. This is so that people can go onto the website and learn more about them, as a group. Their aim here is to get more people interested and involved in what they do, so that they can receive support and also donations towards technology and equipment for them to help with their work. If more people know about the work they do, and the happiess that they bring to people’s lives then they will surely want to help out.

The organisation name contains alliteration which catches people’s attention when they read it. It makes it sound interesting and fun. The fact that the name is displayed so clearly and in a fun way makes it seem more attractive to people and encourages them to want to find out more.



Impact:

"On Wed 11th July 2012, York's prestigious Guildhall was filled with the sounds of song and laughter as we celebrated our 30th Anniversary in style with a concert and memorial for our former patron, Alan Hacker OBE, who recently passed away.The night was a fantastic success for both the organisation and our members, with many of our past members returning to join in the fun. We would like to thank all of our members, staff, volunteers and audience members for their support at the concert and throughout the last 30 years - without all of you we would not be the organisation that we are today.”

http://www.a-arts-media.org/html_docs/about.shtml

This quote above shows that people took notice of the advertisement of the 30th anniversary for the organisation and made people aware. People who have no previous connection with the group came to celebrate with them in the Guildhall, York. This is a positive impact in the way that people who have no connection to the group want to celebrate with them, know more about them and want to help.

http://www.a-arts-media.org/html_docs/about.shtml

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Case Study 8: Vote Mental Health for All: Be part of the change campaign


Purpose: To bring about local/national/global change (to vote would change the way people see mental health issues and help to treat them,) to raise awareness (of mental health issues,) to create or strengthen community ties (if people who care about this are voting, it will improve communities everyone works together to help the issue,) to campaign, to change voting behaviour, to infiltrate mainstream media (if a lot of people vote for change then they will cause the campaign to grow in size and allow more people to know about it, therefore infiltrating mainstream media systems and campaigns,) to build relationships with subjects.

Aim: The aim of this campaign poster is to get people to vote to help people with mental health issues. Another aim of it is to raise awareness of the company/organisation by clearly showing how people can get in touch with them by using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.



Techniques:

The photograph that is put in at the top of this page is representative of the view of change that could happen if people were to vote for mental health and support the organisation and the cause. You can see into the distance in the image in the background. This shows the long way that the organisation have to go before they completely know how to make a better life for people with mental health issue, however it shows the vision that they have and what they are aiming for. This would appeal to the audience because they know what they are voting for and what they are putting their support and help into.

There are two bright colours used for the fonts and other parts of this poster; purple and green. The purple colour is noticeable on the white background that it has been placed on. The green colour is more of a green-blue. The colour green signifies fresh starts and happiness, where as blue indicated hope and calmness. These two colours mixed together to make this colour shows all of the things that this organisation want to achieve for people with mental health issues; It shows their aims.

The different fonts that are used on this page are all large, simple and very easy and clear to read. They are in different colours but are still very much easy to read on the white background. The text puts the message of the poster across very well, and makes it clear what the message actually is.

The different shapes used in the composition of the design format here show creativity and the happy, optimistic attitude of the group. It also makes the poster more interesting to look at than if there were just rectangles used.



Techniques:

‘Be part of the change’ is addressing you specifically, it speaks to the reader and makes the writing more personal and relative to you. This implies that with your help the organisation can make the change, and you would be part of it. This is a clever technique used by the company because they are speaking personally to the audience.

The poster includes the addresses and how to find their pages on social networking sites; Facebook and Twitter. This is a way to raise awareness about something. If just one of your friends likes something of Facebook or retweets something on Twitter, you can see it as well as all their other friends. Social networking sites are a great way to spread news about something.

‘Mental health 4 all’ makes a point of saying ‘all’ inferring that everybody is equal. People like to know that everybody is being treated equally and fairly with some matters e.g. discrimination and prejudice. This is a also a way to attract many people to the organisation. When people see ‘all’ they think that they are part of it so they are interested in it.



Impact:

The campaign began in March 2013 and is not quite at the final stages yet, so there is no impact that can relate to this yet.

This was what I found on http://www.cmha.bc.ca/get-informed/news/mind-matters-e-news/march-2013#CMHA1It talks about what the organisation aim to achieve.

•Ensure that everyone can expect the same level of care from the healthcare system no matter if you are seeking treatment for depression, cancer, schizophrenia or diabetes.

•Make it easier for everyone to receive high quality treatment and support for addiction.

•Ensure that all British Columbians receiving the Persons With Disability Benefit, as a sole source of income, can afford the rising cost of living.

•Make sure that all British Columbians including those living with mental illness and addiction have access to safe and secure housing.

They have 67 likes on their Facebook page and have 891 followers on Twitter. This is spreading the word and raising awareness for the oragnisation.

http://www.cmha.bc.ca/get-informed/news/mind-matters-e-news/march-2013%23CMHA1

http://www.cmha.bc.ca/get-informed/news/mind-matters-e-news/march-2013%23CMHA1

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Case Study 9: Save the Children


Purpose: To bring about local/national/global change (this would be to bring about global change, by helping children, wherever they live,) to raise awareness (about this issue that some people may not know much about,) to change attitudes (to make people realise how important this really is, they may not have really thought about it before,) to build relationships with subjects (if somebody donates to help Save the Children then they will be building their own relationship with the organisation and the subject matter.)

Aim: The aim of this poster is to get people to donate the Save the Children so that they can put that money into place and send it to the children who need it the most, wherever they might be in the world.



Techniques:

The key image in this poster is very shocking and moving. The child has something on their wrist that indicates that they are hurt or ill and in a hospital. Some people cannot bear to see children in pain or in unfortunate situations where they are helpless. People will be drawn in to look at the poster because of the photograph, they will be drawn to the photo of the poor child because their initial thoughts will be that they want to help them.

The writing is written in a very small font size, this is so that the audience will stop and read. They will then get hooked on the written words because they tell the reader why the children need their help and also how they can help. It gives you a brief overview of the work that the company do so that you know what cause you will be helping if you choose to.

The logo is displayed clearly at the bottom with the name of the organisation which pretty much explains what the organisation is about and what they do.

The text in the top left hand corner is written in a clear font but the different words are in different text sizes and boldness. The words that are more bold than others are ‘You’, ‘children’s lives’, and ‘pay packet’. These words jump out at you because they are more bold than the others. You can piece together what the paragraph is about just from the words that are in bold.



Techniques:

The text itself is eye-catching because it is placed in a dark corner of the poster, so the white font stands out. The words that are extra bold also make the text jump out at you and invite you to read.

The text tells you that ‘you can change children’s lives’. This is enough to make anyone want to help out, if they can change someone’s lives. The text is personal and is talking straight to the reader, this is personal and makes the audience feel as though the poster is talking to them and asking them.

The purple colour that is used is a warm colour and so is attractive to the audience, rather than a cold colour. A warm and happy colour is an indication that things can get better, so this tells you that things can get better for this child and for the other children that Save the Children help.



Impact:

This is from an impact report on Save the Children.

2011 Global Impact Monitoring Report outlines and discusses our programmes’ achievements in each thematic area, including details of our global advocacy work. In 2011 we directly reached 8.9 million children.We responded to 45 emergencies - including the conflict in Libya, the drought in East Africa and the floods in Pakistan - helping a total of 3.3million children and their families. The report also describes how we are investing in using evidence to improve what we do - both when things go well and when we meet difficulties.

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/Global_Impact_Report_2011.pdf








Case studies existing product research

Documents

people aware

help lines

people didnt drink

campaign techniques

child abuse techniques

nspccs ongoing campaign

creative media production

particular campaign