Shelter

• A charity advert created by Amplify for a non-profit basis.
• Focuses on the distress of people caused due to poor housing conditions and homelessness.
• The aims of this advert were to raise awareness, and persuade people facing a housing crisis to seek help.
• Campaign objectives:

  • To challenge outdated stereotypes of homelessness.
  • To raise awareness o issues of homelessness and poor quality housing and conditions.
  • To encourage individuals to seek early help and advice.
  • To encourage donations to the charity.
• Advert uses codes and conventions that differ from consumer branding advertisements to appeal and communicate meaning to the intended audience.
• Uses technical and persuasive conventions to communicate specific messages about the charity to encourage individuals to seek help, donate and raise awareness to the issues of homelessness.
• Shot type - A big close up of individual creates direct address and proximity to the audience, enabling the audience to read facial expression, creating empathy and melancholy.
• Composition and layout - Brand name is in the lower third - last thing the audience will see.
• Composition and layout - Website is placed in lower third to encourage audience to visit the website after they've consumed the content.
• Composition and layout - rhetorical questions are placed over the faces of the actors, covering up their faces. This represents the magnitude of the issue onto their lives.
• A search bar is clearly visible appealing to a digital native audience.
• Typeface/font - Sans Serif is the font used - appears impactful and bold, connoting the impact of homelessness on individuals.
• The lack of makeup on models makes the advert appear raw and authentic creating sympathy and empathy in the audience.
• The use of red and black not only symbolises danger but also creates a visual impact which makes audience pay attention to the advert.
• The written text amplifies the message of homelessness caused by a variety of situations and circumstances.
• Intertextuality - advert could be read as a triptych (each advert uses media language in a similar way to compound the message onto audience.
• Persuasive Language - language used creates personalisation and places the reader into the position of the individual in crisis.
• Rhetorical Question - advert urges audience to consider the circumstances of individual to create sympathy from the audience.
• Fear - use of 3 individuals from different social groups suggests homelessness is non-discriminatory and can happen to anyone.
• Stereotypes of the homeless:

  • White men
  • Criminals
  • Lazy and choose not to work
  • People are homeless due to addiction.