The document provides context and analysis of a WaterAid charity advertisement. It discusses the product context of WaterAid as an organization and the cultural context of charity advertising. It then analyzes the advertisement's use of media language and representation through applying relevant communication theories. Key points made include that the ad aims to show how communities benefit from clean water, it follows conventions of charity ads through emotive images and language, and represents parts of the world in potentially stereotypical ways. The document models analyzing ads through considering language, representation, and applying theoretical frameworks.

1. A Level Media
Studies
Component 1
Section A
Advertising & Marketing
Media Language & Representation
Case Study: Wateraid

2. Component One Section A:
Advertising & Marketing
Water Aid Audio-visual Advert
LI: To understand & be able to apply the product & social context of the
advert.
To analyse media language & apply Semiotics.
Component One Section A:
Advertising & Marketing
(Media Language &
Representation)
1. WaterAid audio-
visual advert
2. Tide print advert
3. Kiss of the Vampire
film poster

3. Genre conventions of
advertising?
 Write down 3 genre conventions of advertising on a
post it note and stick it to the board.

4. Genre conventions of charity
advertising?
Look at the following charity adverts
Make notes on the visual and technical codes they use to create meaning.
How are they similar/different to conventional adverts?
Use the table in your handout to record examples.
Do they have their own (sub-)genre conventions?

14. Charity & Cause Advertising Youtube Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szT7grQnHRU&list=PLUPxDOG-YGRCs_79sjpqEDD6DyX2Jh1a1

15. Genre conventions of charity
advertising?
What visual and technical codes did they use to create
meaning?
How are they similar/different to conventional adverts?
Do they have their own (sub-)genre conventions?

16. Starter: what are the conventions of charity
adverts?
Shocking, hard-hitting images (often using
children)
Emotive soundtrack
Use of a voice-over to reinforce the adverts’
message
Emotive language
Personalised narrative featured within the advert
Dark colours, bleak colour pallette
Personal address ‘you can make a difference’
Repetitive messages
Includes donation details
Memorable logo
Hard-hitting facts
Create continuity across a series of adverts

17. Wateraid: Product Context
 Water Aid charity established in 1981 as a response to United Nations
campaign for clean water, sanitation and hygiene education
 Works with organisations in 37 African, Asian & Central American
countries
 Prince Charles has been patron since 1991
 Created by Atomic London in 2016
 Shows 16 year old Zambian student Claudia and aims to depict how
communities benefit from clean water.

18. Wateraid: Cultural Context
 Following 1984’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?
single for Band Aid, 1985’s Live Aid was the first
global charity event aiming to raise funds for relief
of the ongoing famine in Ethiopia.
 The Comic Relief telethon was launched by
Richard Curtis and Lenny Henry in 1985 with the
same initial famine relief aim, and went on to raise
over £1bn for charitable causes across Africa and
in the UK.

19. Wateraid: Cultural Context
 The contemporary audience for this advert could
be assumed to be familiar with the codes and
conventions of both audio-visual adverts and
those for charitable organisations in particular.

20. Wateraid: Cultural Context
“Compassion Fatigue” and the “Empathy Deficit”
 In 2016,the “Charities Aid Foundation UK Giving report showed that
over a 10-year period, people are giving considerably less when
inflation is considered”.
 Charities were warned to “stop “hounding” donors by the Charity
Commission chief in a public statement’”.
 “Aggressive tactics have eroded goodwill in charities.”
 “Research shows the single biggest barrier to giving is a sense of
uncertainty that people’s money will translate into action.“
 “Another major barrier for giving is ‘cause overload’.”
 “The psychology of why people give […] is simple – having a personal
connection with the cause. If you have a pet, you’re more likely to want
to give to charities about animals.
http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2016/03/03/compassion-fatigue-era-giving-goodwill-over-so-
what-next-charity-marketing

21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uiy3dkTwPcQ
Wateraid: Textual Analysis
Watch the advert and make notes on how media language (visual codes,
verbal codes, camera, editing, etc) is used to construct meaning.

57. WaterAid Vs A2 Theory:
Language
How can you apply the following
theories? (see theory summary sheet
in content library for help)
 Roland Barthes' semiotics
 Steve Neale's Genre theory
 Tzvetan Todorov's Narratology
 Roland Barthes' Narrative Codes
 Claude Levi Strauss's
Structuralism & binary
oppositions
 Jean Baudrillard's Postmodernism
& hyperreality

58. Representation

59. Advertising & Representation:
Stereotypes
What are the common stereotypes of black, Asian
and ethnic minorities used in the media and
especially charity advertising?

60. Ethnic Minority Stereotypes
Manuel Alvorado (1987) identified 4
themes in how ethnic minorities are
represented in the media:
1. Dangerous
2. Exotic (inc. sexualised)
3. Humorous/ridicule
4. Pitied
 https://wearenotentertainment.wordpress.com/cate
gory/alvarados-theory-1987-representation-of-
ethnicity/

61. Wateraid
Representation
What parts of the ‘world’ (i.e. groups of
people, places, ideas, etc) are portrayed?
Are these representations stereotypical?
Do they go against stereotype in any
way?
How is media language used to construct
these representations?
What aspects of reality have been
selected and omitted?
What values and beliefs (ideologies) are
present within the representation?
What factors do you think have impacted
upon this representation?

62. WaterAid Vs A2 Theory:
Representation
How can you apply the following
theories? (see theory summary sheet
in content library for help)
 Stuart Hall: Representation &
Stereotyping
 David Gauntlett: Representation &
Identity
 Liesbet Van Zoonen:
Representation and Gender
stereotypes
 Bell hooks: Representation and
Intersectionality
 Judith Butler: Representation and
Gender Performativity
 Paul Gilroy: Representation and
Post colonialism

63. Compare and contrast the use of
media lanaguage and construction of
representations in
the Wateraid "Rain for Good"
(Claudia sings) and from with
this Oxfam ad from 1963.
•In what ways are they similar?
•In what ways are the different?
•What are the reasons for this?
•How has the context impacted upon them?
•Apply theory where appropriate
• Write your response (400-500 words) and be
prepared to share findings with class