The purpose of my YouTube advert is to persuade viewers to help people who are suffering as a result of poverty. The advert is designed to install in viewers that there are people around the world who are desperate for our help.
In the initial ten seconds of the advert I have used simple words and phrases to highlight to the viewers what the advert is going to address. Also, the words such as ‘we can change… world poverty’ appearing on the screen will immediately channel the viewers’ minds into the desired thought processes.
For the first half of my advert I chose to use dark colors and only feature photographs in black and white. I used this as a technique to emphasize the sadness and suffering of the people in poverty. The pictures show children to starving to death, children working on rubbish heaps and people living on the streets.
. To contrast this idea, in the second half of the advert I chose to use fully colored photographs to demonstrate the hope and happiness that viewers’ help can provide. The photographs in this section show people with food and access to water, children learning in school with computers, children with goats (to provide them with food, milk and an income) and families looking healthier and well-fed. This part also features symbolic pictures, such as a group of people joining hands around a picture of the world. Furthermore, at the beginning of the second part I have used simple words, once again, to focus the viewers’ thoughts. For example, I used the phrase ‘we can bring their smile back’ before then displaying the photographs of people with much improved lives.
The second half is designed to make viewers smile and consider how much better they feel as a result of the second half, rather than the first half, of the advert. This will then lead them to think why they feel better, and should encourage them to donate.
My target audience are viewers in the West who are financially able to make donations for the people who need help around the world. Many of these viewers probably have the money to donate but have, so far, chosen to spend it on frivolous things. I am hoping my advert will make them think about donating that money instead.
I selected Michael Jackson’s ‘Heal the World’ as the advert theme song. The lyrics match perfectly with the nature of my advert, especially the introduction where a young child speaks to appeal the need to help the world to become a better place. Also, the line ‘there are people dying, if you care enough for the living’ is particularly poignant to my message within the advert.
The logical fallacies that I used for this advert are ‘affirming to consequent’ and ‘appeal to pity’. The first part of my advert, which shows photographs of people dying as a result of poverty, I am using ‘appeal to pity’. In the second part of the advert, it shows what the results could be after the viewers have helped; this part is using ‘affirming to consequent’.
My youtube advert about poverty around the world is designed to be hard-hitting, thoughtful and persuasive. Furthermore, I have tried to use all of the senses to appeal to the widest audiences. I feel that the video will fulfil its purpose of encouraging people to consider people from around the world who are suffering from poverty, and to donate to causes which address these issues.
