The main purpose of Christian Aid is to persuade people to help decrease the amount of poverty in the world; Christian Aid also raises awareness on this issue. This charity is asking people to give some money to help people to have a life before death. We know this by looking at the advert, as it has photographs of African and
Asian people suffering in their homes/villages. Also there are pictures of the villagers working in unhealthy and inhumane conditions. To show what the villagers of Africa and Sri Lanka have lived through, the advert uses anecdotes and quotes.
The leaflet is a tangible size and format; It is small and easy to distribute within the public and opens out to hold extra information. As it is small, the leaflet is very easy to misplace. It is presented as a large can of drink. This makes it stand out, as the can is larger than life-size. The can-shape intrigues the audience; they would most probably want to find out what the advert is about - there is no logo on the front page. The absence of the logo (hidden on the inside page) also urges the reader to investigate, as they would be suspicious to know what the leaflet contains. In this case the logo could put people off, as the charity’s name is religious. Although that is the name, the charity is trying to reach out to a wider audience and involve people of all cultures and beliefs.
The images in this leaflet are of the victims. They show the audience what the charity is trying to prevent. Conditions of the area are shown in a variety of photographs. In these particular photos the land is dry and infertile. This could make the reader feel sympathetic and maybe a little bit guilty. These distressing images enable the charity to receive more money and show people the effect that the charity has on people.
A lot of people do not have the time or patience to read the entire leaflet. This is why the headings must be eye-catching and informative. If the reader is scanning through the headings then they will only read it if something interests them. The headings in this advert are bold and are in a larger font compared to the rest of the text. Emotive language is also used to catch the reader’s attention.
The language used is very easy to read; it is written in Standard English and is easy to understand. The words used are not too complex nor in slang but still have a powerful impact on the audience. Different fonts, colours and sizes are used to highlight text in different parts of the leaflet. The annotations to the pictures are the smallest along with all the contact details, and the headings are large and bold.
“We believe in life before death!” This is the slogan for this particular project that Christian Aid is supporting. This is a very emotional manifesto and makes the reader feel sympathetic towards those people in Africa and Asia; the people who are not living a proper life and could die any day soon.
The advert uses very few colours. The colours, which are used, could have been used to represent different aspects of the famine that Christian Aid is helping. The yellow and brown represent the drought and dryness of the land. Green stands for vegetation of which the sufferers have little and the red stands for danger or maybe even death. These are not very obvious to the audience when reading the advert but the text, which is written in these colours, does stand out. The main text is all written in black and is all in the same font style. The quotes are written in red and stand out. These are also used as sub-headings in the leaflet and inform the reader what the following information is about.
The text in this leaflet is all written in short and direct paragraphs. Each of the paragraphs is easy to follow. In some of them a few important words are written in a bold font. This is so people who are not reading the entire leaflet – browsers - can understand what the text is about.
Overall the presentation of this advert is very clear and appealing. The unusual shape is eye-catching and interesting. The layout is clear and the text is informative; it is well constructed. The advert is effective, as it will hold people’s attention. The language and words used are persuasive and I think that from this advert, Christian Aid will receive many donations.
The main purpose of the rspca is to prevent animal cruelty and promote kindness to pets. They want to persuade people to care for animals and to treat them with love. The rspca want to change people’s views on animals from ‘negative to positive’; they inform the audience what the charity wants to achieve and how the public can help.
This leaflet, like the Christian Aid leaflet, is an adequate size to keep and carry around. In such a way it is easy to distribute.
In contrast to the Christian Aid advert, the rspca logo is displayed on the front cover, rather than being hidden. Having the logo clearly visible would discourage some people, who do not like animals, to read the advert. This would mean that the overall size of the audience would be smaller. The advert would not hold the reader’s attention for very long.
In this leaflet the text is written in Standard English. It uses lots of emotive language and makes the reader become aware, as it is direct and informative. The headings are all rhetorical questions so they make you think and feel sympathetic towards the cats. They are also written in a large, clear, bold font so they stand out and catch the attention of the reader. The sub-headings are not as clear as they are written as though a cat is speaking to you. They are also in a bold, clear font but are smaller than the main headings. All the texts in different areas of the leaflet are written in different colours, although most of them are in the same style of font.
An advert must be detailed and informative, which this advert is. It is also very descriptive which helps the audience to trust the charity with their money. The leaflet tells you what the aim of the charity is and why it is doing what it is. It then goes on to give information referring to animal cruelty and what the audience can do to help. The charity tells you what they found and true-life experiences of some animals; this makes the reader feel sympathetic towards the animal and its feelings.
In this advert all of the pictures are of cats. The image on the front is of a cat looking out of a cottage window. It is an image that people see quite often and it questions the mind. I think that the most effective aspect of the rspca advert is the images of the cats that it has on the leaflet. When people see this advert they will immediately see the cute kittens, which are on the front and inside pages of the leaflet. These cats will appeal to the audience’s caring (possibly maternal) instincts and make them feel sympathetic towards the way that the cats are being treated. Unlike the Christian Aid advert none of the images in this leaflet are extremely shocking. They are of mundane, regular rooms in English houses.
Overall this advert is also quite persuasive as the cute cats trigger sympathy. The order form also encourages the audience to act, as not much work has to be done. The shocking facts help people come to terms with how these cats are being treated and guilt/sympathy urges them to donate money to the rspca.
Increasingly, charities are using shocking images in their adverts in order to trigger emotions and feelings within the audience. Some people may not have realised that there was this much exploitation in the world. Therefore after they have seen these shocking images they will feel sympathy for the people/animals involved. These images help charities to raise more money and due to this they are able to do more about the problem. A charity called Barnardo’s recently advertised posters of a child with a cockroach and a syringe in her mouth. This was then banned from being advertised as the image was too shocking and disturbing for the majority of the public.
I think that charities should cut down on the shocking images that are used. Although they do make money they also distress people and creates fear within society. If people see these images they could live in fear that soon they may be one of the people in the image. Charities could be allowed to use shocking images but within reason.
To be successful an advert must use lots of persuasive techniques. This is because the charity has to persuade people to give money to their project. The Christian Aid advert opens with a rhetorical question; “Dying for a drink?” it then engages the audience by saying, “imagine…” When a charity is creating a leaflet it is very important to include emotive language, imperatives and assertion, especially if the charity is asking for donations. This is because they create strong feelings within the audience and also persuades and encourages the reader to act. “Life before death” is emotive language. It helps the reader see that some people are dying without having lived a happy life. “Since then the village has flourished” is assertion as it persuades the audience that everything matters - no matter how small. “Please give…” is an imperative as it is instructing the reader and encouraging them to act. As an ending, Christian Aid has used their slogan and used it as a command. This is a strong and effective ending. Another technique that is used is inclusion of facts and statistics. This convinces the audience that you are telling the truth and also backs up your argument. “A child dies every 15 seconds from diseases.” It also helps the reader see what is really going on and whom their money will help. This leaflet does not use alliteration but if it did then it would help create a mood, which would grab the reader’s attention. “The battle against poverty is won!” This is imagery and it adds a new level of description to the scene. It creates a powerful image in the readers’ mind. This statement is a metaphor, as a battle is not literally being fought.
The rspca does not use as many persuasive techniques as the Christian Aid leaflet. Similar to the Christian Aid advert, the rspca begins with a rhetorical question on the opening page. “Is this cat happily watching the world go by?” This makes the audience think about what the advert is portraying as it makes them wonder what the cat is doing.
Unlike the Christian Aid leaflet the rspca does not have a very strong ending. Instead they use a polite plea. “Please help”. This is not very forceful and does not direct or instruct the reader to give help/money immediately. Although, after the ending there is an order form which is simple and easy to complete; this helps the reader as they do not have to research or call to donate money. It is very direct. The person who designed this leaflet may have assumed that people who read this leaflet would want to donate straight away. The text in this leaflet involves the reader and creates a strong sense of responsibility on the audience; directing the words to the audience does this. “We solely rely on donations from people like you.” The advert also uses techniques such as: emotive language; “We found the skeletal remains of four kittens”, facts and statistics; “in July last year…” and lists of three; “Cats, dogs and kittens.”
The rspca advert has a sponsor form/donation form whereas the Christian Aid advert doesn’t. This makes it easy for the reader to give some money, as there are no numbers to call or booklets to send off for. The audience will see that the rspca is an organised charity and this will encourage them to donate some money.
Both of these adverts are very effective. They are attractive and informative. However, I believe that the Christian Aid leaflet is more appealing than the rspca advert. This is because the reader can relate more to the consequences of not having basic amenities and access to clean water and food. This advert would receive a lot of support and donations from the audience as the reader could imagine what it is like to live in those conditions. They would feel sympathetic towards the victims of this charity’s project. The shocking images also persuade the reader to support this charity as they reveal to the reader what the world is really like and encourages them to help.
