Task 1

Social Action and Community Media

Existing Product Research

Savannah Hardwick

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Case Study: RSPCA, Animal cruelty prevention advert

Purpose:The main purpose of this advert is to raise awareness of animal cruelty and to campaign against it. It is also there to provide information to the public, and to get the public to change their attitudes towards this. It is also there to challenge dominant representation and agendas as well as to bring about changes on a global scale.

Aims:The aim of this advert is to raise awareness to the fact that animals cant defend themselves against abuse. It is a tool for the RSPCA to raise money for their charity.

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Techniques:

The font used looks similar to that of a child's writing, by it being messy and slanted. I think that having childlike font for the writing shows connotations of innocence, which is essentially part of the tone of the overall advert. The word ‘protect’ is also written in slightly bolder and larger writing which is giving the audience a clear message.

The colours used on the advert are very simple, having a white background looks simplistic and the vibrancy of the red boxing gloves make that part of the image stand out and draw the audiences eye in.

The dog in the image is seen to be hanging its head in fear of the boxing gloves which is another way of showing the message of the advert. This further adds to the shocking tone of the advert.

The smaller text at the bottom of the page then reveals the reason for the advert, and explains that the RSPCA are wanting to work at animal cruelty prevention and are looking for donations.

The logo in the top right hand corner is in a bold colour that stands off the page and also draws in the audiences eye.

Case Study: (campaign/organisation name)

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Impact:The impact of these advertisement campaigns has been very beneficial for the RSPCA. One of their greater successes via adverts similar to this one are that new framework laws were created. The animal welfare act created in 2006, due to RSPCA campaigning, means that animals can be protected from suffering and danger.

Other positive impacts that the RSPCA have helped create are helping a law being passed that prohibits importing wild-caught birds in 2005.

Case Study: (campaign/organisation name)

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Case Study: Brandon Knowlden, Obesity is Suicide campaign

Purpose:The purposes of this advertisement are mainly to raise awareness to the effects of overeating. This advertisement wants to change peoples attitudes and to provide information on what the negative effects of being obese are. This advert is clearly campaigning and wanting to bring about a national change on the way we view obesity.

Aims:The aim of this campaign is to make people more aware of the negative effects of over eating and what it can lead to, in the case of this advert, it has led to death.

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Techniques:There is a distinct lack of text on this page, but the text that has been used is in the bottom left hand corner. The font is bold and the text is written in capital letters, which are a way of showing the severity of the issue being shown.

The advert is essentially just an image, the advertisers are hoping that the image itself will be enough to grab the audience’s attention, and when it does, it gains an emotional response from the audience.

The colours on the page are very dark and muted. there are no bright colours used what so ever, this reflects the tone of the advert itself. The sausages used in the image are shiny, and they stand out off of the page, they are also very detailed looking, and you can clearly see what they are symbolising.

The background is blurred which makes the image of the sausage stand out even more off the page. The image itself is very shocking and clearly gets across the point of the advert. I also think that because of the hard hitting image, people are more likely to stop and see what the advert is about, reading down to see the phrase ‘obesity is suicide’.

The smaller text at the bottom of the page then reveals the reason for the advert, and shows that a doctor is offering solutions to obesity through surgery., although the doctor himself never gave permission for his name or practice to be used by the ad creator.

Case Study: Brandon Knowlden, Obesity is Suicide campaign

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Impact:When the adverts where initially released, people thought that they were a campaign for obesity. When further research was done into the campaign it was discovered that the creator of them, Brandon Knowlden created them for his own benefit and then used a Doctor William S. Peters, M.D, name on the adverts. The advert itself was was never campaigned to the public as it was essentially an advert telling people to get plastic surgery to ‘cure’ their obesity. It was also nothing to do with the doctor himself, and he had no idea the adverts were being made. The campaign was therefore never used.

Due to these adverts never being publicly published, there was no official impact of this campaign. You can see this by how obesity is an ever growing issue.

Case Study: Brandon Knowlden, Obesity is Suicide campaign

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Case Study: PETA, ‘’Here’s the rest of your fur coat’’

Purpose:This advertisement by the nationally known animal welfare group PETA’s primary purpose is to campaign against the use of fur in fashion. This particular advert wants to raise awareness to the fact that innocent animals are being skinned for a consumers fashion needs. The use of well known celebrities in this particular add will help PETA bring about national change, because more people are likely to stop and look at the advert featuring these girls. They want to change peoples attitudes towards fur as well as challenging dominant representations and agendas, by challenging what people think about when they are buying a fur coat.

Aims:The aim of this advertisement is to challenge the way people think about fur, and to campaign against wearing it because of how we get it.

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Techniques:The bright, bold and eye catching colours on the page instantly draw the audiences eye towards the advert. The use of the neon red on the image reflects the lights that would be used on stage, which is where the two female models (singing group The Veronicas) would usually be seen. Although they also reflect the red blood and body of the skinned animals being held up. The black clothes that the models are wearing contrast against the smoky background, the white floor and the neon lights used, making them stand out off the page.

The image itself at first glance looks similar to a band poster, especially by the bright neon lights and the set up models. But when you look closer you see that the singers are holding up skinned animals. This image has then turned form something simple, to something shocking and intriguing to the audience.

The main writing on the page is the slogan of the advert ‘Here’s the rest of your fur coat’. This is written in slightly faded pink, so that you can see the image underneath still, and is all in capitals. The use of capital letters instead of lower case lettering shows how important the message is. The copy itself is very direct, talking specifically to the audience, which will evoke an emotional response from them. I also think that because the only writing is this one statement, PETA must feel that their campaigns are well known enough to only need a small sentence to get the impact that it requires. The only other writing is stating who the models are and what the company creating this advertisement are.

The tone of this advert is seemingly upbeat at first glance, especially with the use of reds, blues and pinks, but when looking further into the image you see the sincerity of it. I think that because its such a bright looking advert people are more likely to stop and look at it, which will help PETA because more people are viewing their message.

Case Study: PETA, ‘’Here’s the rest of your fur coat’’

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Impact:PETA has had a massive effect on animal welfare on a global scale. The Queens Guards Ceremonial Caps are made out of bears skin, and very shortly this will be being changed due to campaigning by PETA and its volunteers. They also use famous people, such as Ricky Gervais, The Veronicas, Khloe Kardashian, Olivia Wilde and many others to help further their campaigns. By having celebrities involved in there group, they have been able to reach a wider range of audiences. Their research and work has resulted in designers such as Viviane Westwood from banning fur in their collections.

Case Study: PETA, ‘Here’s the rest of your fur coat’

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Case Study: Accessible Arts and Media

Purpose:This is the home page of the website for Accessible Arts and media. A group created in York with the aim to help disabled and young people the quality opportunities. They wish to build relationships with subjects as well as helping them to infiltrate mainstream media. Aims:The aim of this charity is to provide non traditional groups with the ability to access media.Impact:Accessible Arts and Media have created an award winning project, Hands and Voices/ it is a signing and singing group created in 1997 and was one of the first choirs of its kind in the UK.Techniques:The website uses bright and bold colours that are aesthetically pleasing and will draw the audience in. the copy is written in a variety of large and small sentences, that are upbeat and give lots of information as well as being easy to read. The overall tone of the website if very upbeat and promising, it is clearly very proud of the work they do and It come across in the layout, colours used and the happy images shown on the welcome page.

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Case Study: Passive smoking prevention campaign

Purpose:This advertisement for a stop smoking campaign is focusing on preventing passive smoking, specifically so that people are aware of how it effects children. This campaign wants to bring about a national change, it wants to stop parents smoking in front of children as the passive smoke can effect their child. It wants to change people attitudes, raise awareness and provide information into passive smoking, this campaign wants people to stop thinking that it is acceptable to do this. Aims:The aim of this campaign poster is to make smokers aware that smoking in front of a child can be detrimental to their health, and that it has to stop.

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Techniques:The dark and muted colours used in this campaign poster are very representative of the tone of the poster. The only piece of colour on the page is of the mucky orange colour of the cigarette buds. This draws the audiences eyes to this part of the advert which is roughly in the centre of the page. There is also a strong contrast between the black and white in the image.

The writing on the page is in bold lettering at the top of the page, the bright white of the text is a contrast against the dark grey of the background and the smoke behind the text. The copy is a rhetorical question that the campaigners are asking it audience. There is a text hierarchy due to the text at the very bottom of the page being in very small letting. The phase ‘prevent passive smoking’ is is the last thing the audience will see, as it is as the very bottom of the page, and it is typical of an audience to read downwards. The phrase ‘how many cigarettes does your child smoke?’ is set out in a downward pointing arrow, leading to the bottle filled with cigarettes as well as the smaller text at the bottom of the page.

The image used is a baby bottle filled up with cigarette buds, and smoke coming out of the mouth piece. This image is shocking to the audience because it is not a sight that you would expect to see. The image is placed in the centre of the page, which is where the readers eyes will automatically be drawn to. The smoke coming out of the top of the bottle is faded behind the text.

Case Study: Passive smoking prevention campaign

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Impact:Stop smoking campaigns have had a big impact on helping smokers decide to quit. Adverting has been a big tool involved in this. In 2012, ‘Stoptober’ began, running for 28 days, it was a way to show smokers that if they can stop for 28 days then in instantly becomes easier for them to stop for good, this was one of many campaigns that tried to show smokers how easy it could be for them.

Although an impact has been made, you cannot state for a fact that it was because of one stop smoking poster, or whether it was a combination of the wide variety of stop smoking posters.

Case Study: Passive smoking prevention campaign

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Case Study: Conservative political party voting party

Purpose:This campaign poster from the Conservative parties main purpose is to change voting behaviour. We know this because the main point of the poster is essentially persuading people Labour is the wrong choice, therefore they are campaigning for themselves whilst also providing information to the public, whether this information is true or not. They are also raising awareness of the fact that ‘you’d pay £1,250 more tax a year under labour’, this phrase is informative as well as being able to change people attitudes towards the labour party. This campaign poster is also wanting to bring about local and national change, by getting the public to vote for the conservative party. Aims:The aim of this campaign poster is to persuade the public to vote for conservatives over labour, they have chosen to give negative information about them in order to do so.

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Techniques:This campaign poster has chosen to use black and red, both colours which can be seen as aggressive and dominant, red is also the colour of the Labour part. They have chosen to use white for the colour of the text because it stands apart form the black and red.

The main body of text on the page is stating negative information about an opposing political party, by doing this, they are showing the public that they don’t intend to do the same thing as Labour and that they also think it’s a ‘bombshell’. By using the word bombshell on the top of the poster they are instantly drawing in the audience. The reader will see that word, see ‘labour’ and also see the visual from the bomb in the middle of the page.

The use of a black bomb in the centre of the page is great because it links the image with the tone of the poster and it also links the statement at the top of the poster with it a well. I like the way that the bomb is the only image on the page, and even then it isn't a stand out image, it pushed into the background, making the text the item at the foreground of the poster.

The audience will only know that this is a conservative party poster by looking at the small writing in the bottom right hand corner, which just simply says ‘conservative’ in bold, black capital letters. All the writing on the page is in bold, clear and easy to read capitals. This makes it easier for the audience as well as not complication a simple and effective campaign poster.

Case Study: conservative political campaign poster

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Impact:This political poster was from the 1992 general election, the conservative party won for the fourth year in a row.

They won with 77.67% of the votes.

Conservative leader at the time Neil Kinnock believed that the support form the press and the campaigning were the reason they won the election. He said ‘’the conservative supporting press has enabled the conservative party to win again’’ (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/exclusive-how-did-labour-lose-in-92-the-most-authoritative-study-of-the-last-general-election-is-published-tomorrow-here-its-authors-present-their-conclusions-and-explode-the-myths-about-the-greatest-upset-since-1945-1439286.html)

Case Study: Conservative Political part campaign poster

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Case Study: Conservative political party voting party

Purpose:This don’t drink and drive campaign poster has one main purpose, to change peoples attitudes about drink driving. The Think! Campaign want to raise awareness to the fact that drink driving is incredibly dangerous not just for you but for others around you. This posters does these things, as well as providing information in the form of the slogans at the bottom of the page. Essentially this campaign wants to bring about national change, it is campaigning for more people to think and be responsible when drinking. It is also working to build a relationship with the subject, further understanding it.

Aims:The aim of this campaign poster is to change peoples attitudes of thinking that drink driving is ok, it is showing you how its not in a slightly comical way.

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Techniques:

The image used on this poster is that of a pint glass filled with beer and inside that glass is a fish and a crashed car. This image is fun and colourful, the bright yellows and oranges instantly draw the audience into the poster. The image is also in the centre of the page, surrounded by white.

The font used is easy to read and in lower case letting. The campaigners have chosen to put the writing in grey, which is a less dominant colour than black, I think they have chosen to do this in order to make the poster look more approachable then if it were all bold in your face colours. The main message is towards the bottom of the page and is written in bright red. This colour signifies how important the message is ‘leave the car at home’ is a direct command made towards the audience, ‘don’t drink drive’ is then reiterated in grey afterwards.

The tone of the poster seems quite relaxed and almost happy, especially with the choice of bright colours, but the message of the campaign is something more sinister.

By putting the logos of the Think! And Roads safer campaign at the bottom of the page, makes it the very last thing that the reader will see, which further imprints the message of the campaign into the audiences mind.

Case Study:

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Impact:The results of the think! Drink driving campaign have shown that peoples beliefs of drink driving have changed drastically from 2007- before the campaign began, to 2013. Research done has shown that people attitudes towards drink driving have changed, especially in men ages 30 and over.

Although people feel that advertising and campaigning has played a big part in the small drop in drink drivers, but in fact it shows that police presence and family are just two of the precautions that have proven more effective than road safety advertising.

Case Study:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8087/think-annual-report-2011.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/think-drink-driving