Introduction
Advertising entails communicating ideas to a target group or population with the aim of convincing or informing. Therefore, advertising has been used by individuals or corporations to inform the public about their products and services (Mulvihill 179). Conversely, the advertising corporations or individuals have a role to play in terms of ensuring that they convince the target populations to buy their ideas about certain products, services, and ideologies. Thus, in the corporate world, advertisements are used to generate more income by the advertising institutions and business enterprises through persuasive ways (Brown 14). On the other hand, adverts are used to counter the impact of competitive brands and trademarks in the market. Here, the advertising process entails the use of direct individual representatives, threats, facts, and emotions to convince potential customers and make them desire a certain commodity (Mulvihill 180).
However, advertising can be used for the right course, which does not entail making huge profits at the expense of unsuspecting customers whose minds have been manipulated into buying goods and services that they do not need. The non-profit advertising techniques are employed by non-governmental organizations, government agencies, community health workers, non-profit organizations, and other community-based groups that have the public interest at heart (Bhatia 15). These adverts single out and present problems that society faces through simple but informative representations. Therefore, non-profit advertising addresses specific issues such as alcoholism, illiteracy, public health problems, human rights violation, gender violence, terrorism, and other pertinent issues of public interest (Bhatia 23). In this essay, we shall look at five advertisements that target the consumers rather than benefit the advertising body. In addition, the essay explores and focuses on the ideological implications of the content represented in these advertisements to show how these advertisements represent the public interest.
Analysis of different advertisements
Advertisement one
This advert is used to encourage the public that it is not difficult or wrong for any individual to enroll in college education to advance ones’ academic abilities. That is, both the juniors and seniors have equal opportunities in colleges. Moreover, the advert posits that most people may tend to deny themselves a chance to pursue a college education or further studies, which is not a good idea considering that the current job market is characterized by competition and academic professionalism. Therefore, it follows that any individual who is preparing to join the job market must have at least the minimum academic requirements in a particular profession. Conversely, the advertisement acts as a wake-up call to those individuals who might be thinking that it is too late for them to pursue further studies to realize that their age should not limit their abilities (Zimmerman 37).
Furthermore, the advertisement shows an old lady putting on a smiling face. The significance of this picture is to show that with education, life can be more enjoyable and worth living. Therefore, the advert will be beneficial to those individuals who intend to defer their college studies because of their perceived old age. Here, the advert acts as a source of encouragement to these individuals in the sense that it offers them the opportunity to look at the benefits of a good education from a different angle. In addition, the advert presents the older generation with a chance to look at the other requirements for pursuing a college education besides their age. Furthermore, the advert will also encourage academic competition among the juniors and seniors in search of additional knowledge and practical skills. As a result, there will be an increment in the number of seniors enrolling in colleges of higher education (Adverlicious par. 1).
Advertisement two
The advertisement seeks to educate young people about the detrimental effects of drug abuse. In addition, the ad informs the parents on how to start parental guidance for their children on matters involving drug abuse without being embarrassed. Here, the advertisement introduces other activities such as online jobs, which can be beneficial to the youth and stop them from abusing drugs because the jobs can make children as busy as their parents. Therefore, the ad intends to present parents with possible ways of minimizing any chances of their children being involved in drug abuse. Furthermore, the ad intends to make the public, in general, believe that pleasure is not only found in drugs but in all other activities that are less harmful to the body (Sweeney and MacLellan 54).
Conversely, the advertisement reminds parents of the suitable ways in which they can communicate messages on drug abuse to their children. Therefore, the advert shows that the parents have a significant role to play in terms of mentoring their children and ensuring that they develop behaviors that build their lives instead of destroying them. Moreover, the advert shows that for individuals and the public to enjoy healthy lives and societies, there is the paramount need to shun drug abuse (Adverlicious par. 3).
Advertisement three
The advertisement talks about the use of energy-saving methods to conserve the environment. Therefore, the advert is significant to the public because of its role in reaching out to people who have the potential and abilities to conserve the environment. In addition, the message contained in the advert is directed at the young generations to inform them of their obligation in developing and putting into use various methods of environmental conservation. In addition, the role played by the young generation is illustrated in a picture of two children standing with a message on global warming facing them (Lammenett 42).
Therefore, the advert seeks to make it every individual’s duty to ensure that each person contributes to the conservation of the environment from a tender age. In addition, the advert shows that environmental conservation is a choice that each person should undertake to provide the current needs besides sustaining the environment for future generations (Lehmann 71). Furthermore, many people will find the advert challenging because if a young child can take responsibility for energy conservation, it will be unethical for an adult to take part in destroying the environment. As a result, the public, in general, has to discharge in terms of conserving the environment and teaching the upcoming generations the essence of preserving their environments. Therefore, this ad is meant to ensure that the impact of global warming is minimized to a greater extent and that the essence of environmental conservation is understood by the public (Adverlicious par. 7).
Advertisement Four
This advert is used by a community-based public health organization to inform the public about the underlying risk factors in the development of different cancers. The advert uses four different pictures that represent the four risk factors underlying the development of cancer. The first picture of the advert shows a screwdriver forcing a sharp-edged screw into the hand of a human being. In addition, the picture contains a caption at the bottom, which talks about the risk involved in consuming alcohol (Rostas 1). The representation shows the increased risk of developing cancer for alcoholics. In fact, studies show that alcohol is a major factor in the development of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer (Rostas 1). As a result, the anti-cancer group designed this picture intending to inform the public that when one drinks alcohol, it pierces through this individual’s skin due to its carcinogenic properties and causes different types of cancer. In this way, the group intends to lower the rates of alcoholism within the target population by exposing the underlying risks.
Conversely, the second picture of the advert shows a huge hand lens, which magnifies several crosses. In addition, the picture contains a caption at the bottom that talks about the deleterious effects of obesity (Rostas 1). The picture is representative of the number of deaths associated with obesity and its related complications such as cancer. Through this picture, the anti-cancer group intends to bring to the attention of the public that being overweight and obese is very expensive in terms of the increased risk of developing cancer or even death. Thus, through this informative illustration, the group will manage to encourage a change of lifestyle and eating habits among the obese populations (Rostas 2).
Furthermore, the third picture of the advert contains a burning cigarette lighter with the letters R.I.P engraved on its sides. In addition, the picture contains a caption at the bottom, which shows the role of smoking in the development of cancer (Rostas 3). Therefore, the picture is representative of the possible death that awaits cigarette smokers because of the carcinogenic materials in the cigarette smoke. These carcinogenic materials in cigarettes are possible risk factors in the development of cancer. Thus, the ad aims to inform the public about the deleterious effects of cigarette smoke. In so doing, the advert intends to instill a positive change in the lives of smokers and protect the lives of their relatives and the public in general.
Finally, the fourth picture contains a remote controller and a caption that shows the possible risk involved in watching too much television without engaging in physical exercising (Rostas 4). Therefore, the picture is a clear warning to those individuals who are leading sedentary lifestyles of the possible risk involved in being inactive and watching too much television. Here, the advert intends to inform the target population that leading inactive lifestyles can lead to the development of cancer. This is because lack of physical exercise has been shown to cause obesity, which is a possible risk factor for cancer. Overall, the advert is a simplified representation of four major risk factors in the development of cancer that sends a strong warning to the public about the negative impact of their lifestyles.
Advertisement Five
This advert intends to inform the public in general of the possible evils of violence and the benefits of reporting cases of violence to the authorities. Therefore, the advert encourages the victims of violence to come forth and testify against their victimizers in a court of law (Samarakoon 1). In so doing, the anti-violence organization that designed this ad would like to sensitize the target population on their human rights and privileges in society.
Furthermore, the ad uses different pictures of severely injured victims of domestic violence with their respective captions showing the reasons why they did not report their cases to the authorities. One caption reads, “I don’t even think about that night anymore. They were drunk; they did not know what they were doing. I was just at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Later, I heard that they were sorry. I am fine. I live a normal life now: going to work, out with friends, you know……I am fine” (Samarakoon 1). The message attached in the first picture of this ad serves the purpose of informing the victims of violence who share the same views as the pictured victim to talk to the right people who understand the legal procedures involved in cases of violence instead of keeping quiet or hiding (Samarakoon 2). Therefore, this ad can aid the public in general to understand the underlying procedures involved in cases of violence because this service is available at no cost. And in so doing, the anti-violence crusaders will achieve their goals in terms of reducing or eliminating violence within the targeted populations.
Conversely, the advert can also inspire witnesses of cases of violence who may not know what to do on witnessing such atrocities. Here, the advert allows these witnesses to help the victims of violence in terms of reporting their cases to the authorities and ensuring that justice is served. Overall, the advert takes the public interest into perspective by providing a favorable environment whereby the victims of violence can file their complaints. Therefore, the advert benefits those victims who may feel uncomfortable talking about their cases in public (Samarakoon 3).
Conclusions
The essay presents an in-depth discussion on the benefits of non-profit advertising and its role in promoting the public interest. From the discussions above, it is notable that non-profit advertising presents far-reaching ideological implications, which play a role in promoting and representing the public interest. Unlike other forms of advertising, non-profit advertising is pivotal in promoting continuous education in both the young generations and the seniors. As illustrated in the first advert, the role of advertising in education is to encourage more individuals to enroll in further studies regardless of their age.
Furthermore, non-profit advertising is important in terms of informing the public especially the young generation about the evils of drug abuse. Here, advertising plays a major role in presenting parents and guardians with the opportunity to look at the issue of drug abuse from a different angle. In so doing, the parents and guardians come to realize that they have a significant role to play in providing parental guidance and acting as role models to their children.
Conversely, the role of non-profit advertising in environmental conservation cannot be ignored. Here, advertising plays a key role in informing the public about the possible impact that various human activities may have on the environment and future generations. In this way, advertising helps in the campaigns of sensitizing the public to take play a major role in conserving the environment for the current and future generations.
In addition, non-profit advertising has been beneficial in promoting community-based public health interventions. Here, the role of advertising involves communicating, informing, and persuading the public on the need to change their risky lifestyles and eating habits that may predispose them to dangerous and killer diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Therefore, advertising is important in the efforts aimed at reducing mortality rates and promoting public health.
Lastly, non-profit advertising is imperative in society because of the role it plays in exposing the prevalence and the evils of violence. Here, the positive role of advertising is to inform the public about the existence of useful services, which are in place to help the victims of violence. Usually, the available services are underutilized or ignored altogether. Therefore, advertising is one way of ensuring that the target populations understand the benefits involved in using different services availed to them.
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