Amnesty International Ad (Assignment 1)

The ad made by Amnesty International is taking place in a public area. It seems to be in a train station or an airport. We can see a supposed father with his three children walking their way out, and a little far from them, an old couple walking too. Right in the middle, next to the family, can be seen an image of a violated man. It is a poster, but at the same time seems very real. Moreover, there is a slogan saying: "it's not happening here, but it is happening now".

The first thing that can be said about the advertising strategy of this ad is that a contrast can be felt between the violence of the poster and the three children. In fact, people tend to protect children from violence and suffer, protect them from being scared or chocked, and the fact to expose them to this kind of poster can attract the attention, because it touches the sensitivity and innocence of the children. It makes people think more and feel the impact of such violence. It creates an emotional ambiance, with the feeling of compassion and protection for those people suffering. The target audience seems to be everybody, from grand-parents, old people to young people, parents, and children. It gives this universal dimension to the ad and its goal: to make people aware of what is happening, and helping as they can. It is a universal cause.

Amnesty International is not a rich association in the sense that they can not spend a lot of money in ads. The money they have is entirely from other association, companies, organizations, individuals, willing to help their cause. For those reasons, the budget for their ads is very limited. However, even with a restricted budget, their ad has a strong impact, and conveys the message they want people to reach. Their "sacrifices" for those ads (by taking a part of their general budget for the ads) would able them to have more people involved and helping them financially.

The objective of this ad, as expressed before, is to make people aware of what is happening in the world, make them be conscious of the violence in the world, and the violation of human rights. Its objective is also to make people willing to help, by donation, or just by supporting their cause.

This ad is and will have a great impact on people. It can be controversial for some people, but this is the price to pay in some circumstances to achieve a desire goal.