Example Exam Question - Rhys Wallett
In Save The Children's 2014 advert, the charity organisation prove to use a wide array of advertising techniques to allow the shock and horror of the advert to persuade the audience to donate to the charity.
Firstly, the advert demonstrates usage of the 'hard sell' technique. This is effectively conveyed by using quick snapshots, on average a second each, with no music to follow the ad. The effect of this is it constantly keeps the audience alert and gives them no escape from the tragedy conveyed in the advertisement, allowing the audience to be forced emotions of sadness which is associated with hard sell adverts. Furthermore, the melancholy in the advert's main character is outwardly portrayed in a blunt manner once again with the direct address close-ups. An example is one of the mentioned shots which shows a tear rolling down on the little girl who is using direct mode of adreess. This will create a truly tragic image, and as such the advert is playing with the audience's sympathy to convince them to donate.
In addition, the advert has used audio codes effectively to once again create an image of melancholy typically associated with charity advertisements. This is demonstrated by the saddened voiceover's in the advert, such as when at the end the nurse sings a hollow verse of the song "Happy Birthday". This use of voiceover, alongside the visual codes of the shot which are in a makeshift hospital with a bleak colour palette translate into sadness and isolation, and so the audience will be empathetic with the girl. Plus, the advert have also used the technique of foreshadowing through the news snippets. In certain shots at the beginning of the advert, there is a news channel in the background giving key information. the audience will hence interpret this as a foreshadow for later tragedy, and so this ensures the audience are kept tense at the beginning, rather than relax in the peaceful British middle class lifestyle portrayed at the start as this will then result in the audience being less inclined to alarm when the war torn consequence begins.
Furthermore, Save the children have used the plot effectively to break common barriers British people have towards donating to international causes. Such barriers which are commonly heard from British civilians include that the crisis does not effect them personally, and they should instead donate to causes in the UK as this benefits them. As a result, Save the Children's decision to place the advert in England is extremely effective as this breaks the barrier and inconsiderate viewpoint of not helping obverses struggles, making an audience who would originally be less inclined to give interest to be forced to give immediate attention. The advert uses visual codes to suggest life in Britain to achieve this, an example is the girl's uniforms. In the close up shot, the miss en scene demonstrates how the young girl is wearing a red cardigan and a polo shirt, stereotypical clothes a primary school student would wear. Furthermore, the comfortable, middle class living also portrayed in the advert, proven with the homey miscellaneous used in the background of the house also is using stereotypes of England as it is the living conditions the majority of English residents live in. Especially at the end, where graphics of text are used in the sentence "Just because it isn't happening doesn't mean it isn't happening" as this ending sentence establishes the most dialogue and answer the audience's queries as to why a terrorist attack is taking place in England. The effect of all of this is it will pull on the English audience on a more personal manner than if say the advert was set in Syria, as the audience would assumedly feel more inclined towards their own country than others.
Moreover, Save the Children demonstrate their ideal target
