1. Evaluation
Is your advertising campaign fit for purpose and why?
I believe my advertising campaign is fit for purpose. SASH
wanted something that stayed away from the stereotypical
analysis of a homeless teenager as it portrays the wrong image.
Having this in mind I tried to focus on the vulnerable side of
teenagers, reminding them that they are still children. I
achieved this by using children’s drawings as images. The
images used are sourced due to the lack of time and props I
had to work with. I have linked all my posters by using the
same image. This lets people know that they are a series and
are part of the same campaign for the same charity. I have
made sure to include the logo in every ad to ensure people
know the charity. The contact details have also been included
in each advert to let the public know how to donate or learn
more. The main purpose is to spread the word about the
charity as it is not very well known in the area. Including the
logo and contact information fulfils this requirement.
Does it communicate your message clearly and why?
The image strikes the heart and help to make the public realise the truth behind the issue.
Homelessness is real and it happens to everyone. It communicates the message because everyone
can associate with it. Everyone has drawn a happy family or a house while they were younger.
Granted it is because it was one of the more easier things to draw but it is also because we are
brought up to believe we will have a home and a family to live with and keep us safe. The images I
used reminds people of this and the shock of the amount of people who actually don’t get to have
this, right under their noses too, help them to understand the problem ultimately making them want
to help.
Is it appropriate for your target audience and why?
SASH’s target audience is 16-24, the age of the youths they help. My adverts are appropriate for this
age range because they can relate to the message that everyone wants this and everyone deserves
this. If they are in the situation that they currently don’t have a home then they will know that SASH
provides people with at least somewhere safe to sleep for the minimum of one night.
It is also appropriate because it makes them realise that they need help. Most teenagers and young
adults think it’s them against the world but my posters show them that there in fact people out
there who want to help. The images make them remember that they in fact do want a family or at
least somewhere to stay and they realise they can’t achieve this by themselves.
2. Compare and contrast your original intentions with the outcomes you
arrived at.
My original intentions were to create a advert that makes the youths
SASH help look innocent and steer away from the stereotype. I thought I
would do this by using a street light as a holy light or a halo for the
teenagers. I then realised this would be difficult to do without taking my
own pictures and I didn’t the time to take my own. Editing the light onto
the person would be hard as it is
difficult to figure out where the light would bounce of them,
making it looking more natural. I did decide to not include
the person at all as my first idea was aimed more at the
volunteers which are not in the age range SASH gave us to
target. Next I tried to produce the other idea I had, to use a
family photo from a special event like a wedding, to help
people realise that homeless people don’t actually achieve
the normal goals in life like getting married, moving into their first house or having a family. The plea
was going to be stamped over the image to signify the ad being stamped into the public’s head.
However this didn’t work wither as it was aimed more at the volunteers and the way I edited the
images together it didn’t look right. The black and white images made the stamped words blend into
the background when the text needs to stand out. I shadow might of fixed this but there was no
point in trying since I had targeted the wrong age group.
16-24 year olds like to see colour, bright colours are particularly effective in catching their attention.
My final idea of using kid’s drawings is appropriate for both the target audience and the aim of the
ad.
How effective are the techniques you have used and why?
I used the advertising technique of making the public feel sympathy for the youth SASH help. This
makes it more likely for them to donate or spread the word because they believe SASH is a good
cause worth mentioning, especially since they help youths. I have also used the ‘trip down memory
lane’ technique, this makes the youth remember how they want life to be.
The Photoshop techniques I used were the standard ones like crop, magic wand to remove white
backgrounds and the text tool. The other tools were colour overlay and mainly drop shadow. I had to
use these tools to achieve the look I wanted. The ‘magnets’ and pictures on the fridge have the drop
shadow effect on them as they need to look like they are actually on the fridge and this requires a
shadow.
For the chalkboard ad I had to apply a filter to make the drawing look like it was drawn with calk and
not pencil. This was hard to achieve but I ended up using the Smudge Stick filter and removed as
much white as I possibly could. Removing the white gaps between the strokes helped to make it look
more like a chalk drawing but it was hard to remove all the white without removing some of the
colour too. Also there was a lot of white, particularly in the grass. However, the effort was worth it
to have the same image in all three ads, which linked them together.
3. Is the content effective and why?
The content of my adverts are effective. The child’s drawing helps everyone to connect with the
advert and relate with the people it is about. Once people can relate to something they are more
likely to be effected by it. If they feel affected then they will donate and help the charity which is the
aim of the adverts.
Relating to the advert also helps the homeless teens that it targets see that there is help and people
understand how they feel. It lets them know that they are equal to everyone else. It could happen to
anyone and it isn’t their fault. That’s a common problem, they don’t seek help because they think
people won’t help them because it is their fault but it’s not and hopefully the poster helps to tackle
this problem.
What impact do you think your advertising campaign will have on the public and why?
It will raise awareness about homelessness, particularly youth homelessness. Most homeless
teenagers are sofa surfers, they stay with friends and relatives for the odd days, so they are never
seen by the public. If they aren’t seen then they don’t exist. The public are very oblivious about
things. The main way charities catch the public’s attention is shock them into reality, which is what I
have done, but they use distressing images to achieve this. I have used a happy image which will
appeal to the public. It raises their mood and then the message hits them which makes them sad.
The drastic change in mood impacts the public massively. They feel sorrier for the cause which
makes them want to donate and help.
The advert will also affect the amount of homeless teenagers. They will see the advert, know that
SASH is here to help and go to them when they have nowhere else to go. SASH have re-housed most
of the people they take in to help which is lowering the rate of homelessness, which over the years
will impact the public massively. It could ultimately lower the rate of homelessness altogether.
What are the technical and aesthetic qualities of your work?
The pictures I used in my adverts are very happy and colourful which appeals to most of the public. If
the advert is dark and gloomy then people are most likely to ignore it. No one wants their mood to
be altered downwards. On the fridge advert most of the layers have drop shadows applied to make
them look 3D. If this effect wasn’t applied then the advert wouldn’t look right. It would look like it
has been produced digitally and not a photograph of an actually fridge in a family kitchen. I also like
the way I have displayed the number of the charity on the top of the fridge. It is a good way to get
the information on the advert in a non formal way. Since the ad is aimed at 16-24 year olds informal
communication is the more favourable during this age.
The font I used on my first ad (the drawing advert) fits perfectly with the image and message I
wanted to portray. It looks like a child’s writing and then the second half looks a little neater, like a
teenagers writing. A teenager that is angry and upset. Emotions someone would hold if they were
homeless.
Together, I believe all three adverts work well together as a whole.