Even though she is older than the girl in the VW Passat advert she is still vulnerable although in a different way. She is about 11 years old and has been, for an unknown reason, made homeless. She is forced to walk the streets at night.
If it had been a boy in either of the adverts then there would not have been such a sense of vulnerability. Boys, in general, are more adventurous and don't show their feelings as much. In the VW Passat advert a boy wouldn’t have been as alarmed. In the Children’s Society advert a boy would be trying to act as if he didn’t care.
The main adult in the VW Passat advert is the father. He is very well turned out with a long dark coat and smart trousers underneath it. He is clean shaven and has stylish hair. He walks brusquely whilst holding his daughters hand. The sights and sounds of the city seem to have no effect on him; he doesn’t even flinch at the loud noises. However, when his daughter is alarmed by the noises he picks her up and comforts her. He is obviously a professional man but also very caring towards his daughter. He tries to protect her as much as he can but he can’t protect her from everything.
Towards the end of the advert the little girls mum pulls up in the VW Passat. The mum, as the father, looks very well turned out. Her hair is immaculate and she has expensive looking earrings in. You can’t see much of her clothes but her shirt looks smart and designer made. From this you get the impression that the little girl is either extremely well behaved or that her parents have a nanny. When the girl gets into the car her mum is not over affectionate but she looks round to check that her daughter is all right and gives her a loving smile.
In the Children’s Society advert the little girl has no parents and no one to look after her. This is the main contrast between the two adverts. She is all alone in the city whereas the girl in the VW Passat advert has her mum and dad to protect her. They are both vulnerable but the girl in the VW Passat advert is in no danger but the girl in the Children’s Society advert has no where to go and is on the streets with violent and dangerous criminals.
In the VW Passat advert there are a lot of other adults as it is set in the busy city. The first of them which we see in a close up is the preacher. He is wearing a grey hat and his face is unshaven. He is not preaching in a placid way but he is shouting aggressively in a confrontational manner. The little girl shies away from him but the other city-goers hardly seem to notice him. He fails to get his message across.
The next one we see a close up of is the balding american-italian man who is having trouble with his car. He is getting very frustrated and angry and he thumps the car. This is where the music starts. He fails to men his car.
We then see some suspects being arrested by the police. The police are handcuffing them and they slam them down on the car. The little girl acts scared of the noise. The suspects have failed to get away from the police.
The last one we see in detail is the traffic warden. He is in control of the traffic and lets the VW Passat past.
In the Children’s Society advert the adults are all undesirable. The first one we see in a close up is the bouncer of a club. He looks at the girl in a sneering way but does not say anything. He is dressed in a black tuxedo and a white shirt. The girl does not look or react directly to him but her pace quickens. The next adult the girl encounters is the kerb-crawler. We do no see him directly but just his silhouette in the car. We do not hear what he says to the girl but she act totally shocked and disgusted by whatever it is. She recoils from the car and walks on. The girl in this advert is subjected to much more unsavoury people than the one in the VW Passat advert yet somehow she does not seem to be affected in such a big way as she is hiding her feelings.
In the VW Passat advert there is just general ‘city noises’ to begin with. A slow, gentle song begins when the man hits his car’s bonnet. The words are about people having things. It says ‘God bless the child that’s got his own…’ This is saying that the little girl is well provided for. They didn’t choose a loud or harsh song for this advert because it wouldn’t go with the ‘image’ of the angelic little girl.
In the Children’s Society advert there is a song playing in the background. It is a Christmas song and is talking about ‘a merry, merry Christmas and a happy New Year’. This is designed to be ironic, as the girl in the advert is not going to have a merry Christmas or a happy New Year. There are no other noises on the soundtrack. I think this is because the girl has nothing in her life and is trying to go unnoticed.
At the bottom of the screen there are captions all the way through. They are mainly statistics about homeless people and how the Children’s Society can help them. The last caption is ‘Happy Christmas’. This is to make the viewers feel guilty about their happiness at Christmas time.
In the VW Passat advert we see the city through three viewpoints. The little girls eyes, the parents eyes and the eyes of someone above. The little girl sees the threatening side of the city and all of the loud and unusual things happening. This makes the audience feel protective towards her. The parents see how to protect their daughter. The main way they see to protect her is for her to travel in the VW Passat. The view of someone above is at the end of the advert when the VW Passat is let through the traffic lights. This gives the image that the VW Passat is approved of by God.
The close ups in the advert are mainly of other people. They are of the people that the little girl sees and notices.
In the Children’s Society the close ups are mainly of the girls reactions. However, we always look at the girl and never with her. This is because she has no one with her but there are lots of people around her. The camera follows her at the end and then sees her walking away. This is because she is on her own in the city unlike the girl in the VW Passat advert.
In the VW Passat advert the main aim is to get people to buy the car. The car is portrayed as a safe and reliable place to be. The advert shows that the car is peaceful in the middle of the city as the hustle and bustle of the city stops as soon as the girl gets into the car. I think that the advert is quite successful as many people may aspire to be like the family in the advert and the car is a way of getting part of their lifestyle.
In the Children’s Society advert the main aim is to persuade the viewers to donate money. The advert is designed to create sympathy for the young girl and the many other young children in her position. I think it is very successful as it manages to make you feel guilty for having a home and a family. You can’t help but feel sorry for the girl who obviously has to put up with terrible conditions.
