The document discusses advertising and marketing techniques used in charity advertisements. It defines key terms like legal and ethical advertising. It examines how charities should adhere to codes from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) when creating advertisements. Specifically, it notes the ASA ensures ads stick to rules and regulates UK media. The document then analyzes techniques used in charity ads. It discusses how ads aim to generate compassion for sufferers by manipulating emotions. It notes certain groups like children and mothers are more effective "ideal victims" that elicit donor sympathy. The document contrasts negative appeals that show suffering with positive appeals focusing on dignity. It also examines how different donation requests and levels of donor commitment impact responses. Overall, the document provides an in

1. Paper 1: Section B: Media Language and Representation – ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
What do these terms mean? And how are they related to advertising?
Definition
Legal Legal advertising is advertising by lawyers (attorneys at law) and law firms.
Legal marketing is a broader term referring to advertising and other
practices, such as client relations, cross-selling, public relations and
maintaining contact with Alumni
Ethical Ethics in advertising means a set of well-defined principles which govern
the ways of communication taking place between the seller and the buyer.
Ethics is the most important feature of the advertising industry.
Recap – who are the ASA? What do they do?
Read through the ASA codes specially aimed at charities. Highlight and summarise the key findings that charity
advertisements must adhere to
Charity advertisements: An understanding of advertising content
Read and highlight the information below. Summarise what you have learnt in the table.
The Ideal Victims
● Charity campaigns constitute a very unique type of advertising, since they attempt to generate action on the
behalf of the sufferers.
● In order to serve this cause, these texts attempt to manipulate the audience’s internal emotions and intend to
generate responsibility and feelings of compassion or sympathy using images of suffering others.
● According to Kinsey(1987) advertisers have a longstanding awareness of the fact that images of particular
sufferers can be especially effective in getting audience’s attention.
● Takinginto considerationthe factthat the proximitycreatedbythe media constitutesboth social andphysical
approximation,anddonatingis a form of pro-social behaviour(anyactionintendedto helpothers - the desire
to help others with no expectation of reward), spectators may feel more inclined to donate when particular
sufferers are presented.
● Christie (1996: 384) defines the ‘ideal victim’ as a ‘person or a category of individual who when hit by crime,
most readily is given the complete and legitimate status of being a victim’.
● Höijer (2004: 517) notes that in general, children, mothers and the elderly are more suitable as ideal victims
than men, since solely in the case that victims are identified as genuine and real, and thus are connected with
innocence, they comprise candidates for compassion.
● Pictures can generate compassion for two reasons: these victims are perceived as more vulnerable by
respondents and thus deserve their help, or respondents may feel more compassionate about these sufferers
through their own experience of being more open or vulnerable.
Negative versus Positive Appeals
At ASA youcan findout howadvertisingregulationworks,whotheirkeypeople are andinformationabouttheir
performance. The AdvertisingStandardsAuthority(ASA)isthe UK’sindependentadvertisingregulator.The ASA makes
sure ads across UK mediastickto the advertisingrules(theAdvertisingCodes).

2. Paper 1: Section B: Media Language and Representation – ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
● A considerable number of consumer research studies agree that negative information and images are more
attention-grabbing and convincing than positive communication efforts
● The effectiveness of negative appeals is mainly attributed to the fact that they are more likely to breach
spectator’s expectations, by moving beyond messages that are framed in a positive way, thus generating
greater scrutiny
● These appeals render the viewer a witness of the horror of suffering
● When people are confronted with threats of undesirable future social alterations, they tend to adjust their
behaviour in an attempt to deter the threat, which most of the times leads them to support the cause of the
charity
● On the other hand, the use of negative appeals has been the subject of severe criticism. At the centre of these
critiques is the argument that these images, by dehumanizing the sufferers, are for the most part responsible
for causing sentiments of compassion fatigue to the audience
● However,despitecriticismsagainstthem, evidence suggeststhat this isstill the most efficientwayof appealing
for imperative action – hence its long-lasting existence in the public communication of suffering
● ‘Positive appeal’ campaigns reject the representation of sufferers as helpless victims and focus on their
agency and dignity.
● Advertisements incorporating positive messages are more effective since they result in the spectator feeling
more favourable towards their subject
● Moreover, positive appeal images offer the spectators the opportunity to watch the results of their actions.
Getting to see that their actions can actually lead to substantial change in the sufferers’ lives, highly
motivates viewers to undertake the actions suggested by the advertisements
● However, ‘positive appeals’ approach is not without disadvantages. It has been argued that these images as
well, generate a different type of-compassion fatigue. Showing smiling faces of children, creates an
impression that ‘everything is already taken care for’ (Small, 1997: 581-593), while these images may
ultimately lead to inaction based on the assumption that ‘these are not really people in need’
Type of Action
● Most times charity advertisements request for monetary donations so as to fund the work of NGOs. These
requests can be segmented into requests regarding a specified amount, requests for an unspecified amount,
requests for a bequest etc.
● Loyal donors that develop long term relations with aid organisations are more likely to respond positively to
any type of request, than those who are uncommitted
● Requests for money that do not specify the amount are less likely to generate positive responses, since
donors consider them as less concrete and trustworthy.
● When the donor is only given the opportunity to respond to suffering by offering money, this could impede
his/her moral response.
● Particularly significant to the issue of audience’s reaction to humanitarian appeals is Cohen’s research on
denial (Cohen, 2001; Cohen & Seu, 2002). Taking a different approach, Cohen focuses on what he calls the
‘black hole of the mind, a blind zone of blocked attention and selfdeception’ (Cohen 2001: 6), referring to
the different ways of avoidance people use to shelter themselves from unpleasant realities and their
responsibility towards the sufferers. Following Van Dijk (1992), Cohen crucially asserts that denial may
appear in different forms: from defensive strategy to a strategy of normalisation and neutralisation.
The Ideal Victim  Generate action on behalf of sufferers.
 Manipulate people’s internal emotions to generate compassion and empathy by
showing images of suffering.
 Kinsey (1987) advertisers have a longstanding awareness of the fact that images of
particular sufferers can be especially effective in getting audience’s attention.
 the media constitutes both social and physical approximation.

3. Paper 1: Section B: Media Language and Representation – ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
 Pro-social behaviour is shown when particular images of suffering is shown.
 Christie (1996: 384) defines the ‘ideal victim’ as a ‘person or a category of individual
who when hit by crime, most readily is given the complete and legitimate status of
being a victim’.
 Höijer (2004: 517) notes that in general, children, mothers and the elderly should be
used because they are genuine, real and prevail innocence.
 When pictures are shown victims are perceived as more vulnerable by respondents
and thus deserve their help, or respondents may feel more compassionateabout
these sufferers.
Negative versus
Positive Appeals
Negative appeals
 More likely to breach spectator’s expectations (generates scrutiny).
 Viewer witnesses of horror and suffering.
 Undesirable future social alliterations adjust people’s behaviour to deter a threat
which leads to support.
 Faced severe criticism of dehumanizing the sufferers.
 Evidence says most appealing for imperative action and is long-lasting.
Positive appeals
 Reject representation of sufferers- focus on agency and identity.
 Positive messages make people feel more favourable.
 They can watch results of their actions.
 However, criticism says it generates a different type of compassionate fatigue-
smiling faces say that ‘everything is already okay, these are not the people that need
help’. (Small, 1997: 581-593).
Types of Actions
 Monetary donations- fund work of NGO’s (request for unspecified amount).
 Loyal donors with long relationships- respond to most requests.
 Charities that do not specify an amount usually gain positive feedback because it
signifies that the charity is less concrete and trustworthy.
 Some people’s morals are impededif they are only able to give money to charity.
 Reaction to humanitarian appeals is Cohen’s research on denial (Cohen, 2001; Cohen
& Seu, 2002). He believes there is the ‘black hole of the mind, a blind zone of blocked
attention and self-deception’ (Cohen 2001: 6). denial may appear in different forms:
from defensive strategy to a strategy of normalisation and neutralisation.

4. Paper 1: Section B: Media Language and Representation – ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
Look at the following charity advertisements. Using all your knowledge of advertising – legal and ethical issues, the
law, advertising techniques, the 4Ps, USP, advertising content – annotate why these charity adverts were banned.
Charity Advertisement Analysis
 The advert uses a popular term for the wealthy ‘silver spoon down
your throat’ but have turned it into someone more real,
demonstrating how some children are born with nothing and can use
the money to help them. The cockroach in the babies mouth
symbolises the poverty and despair some children live in.
 This advert shows the issues surrounding meat and what it can do to
the health of people. The advert has used a child to enhance the
danger is can cause even within a small child who still holds their
innocence. Instead of using actual meat, the advert links cigarettes to
meat, suggesting the two are just as harmful.
 The advert may have been banned because it scrutinizes a national
day where we celebrate mothers and all they do for us. The majority
of mothers in the UK are responsible and safe with their children so
this advert immediately makes them feel singled out and guilty for
other children.

5. Paper 1: Section B: Media Language and Representation – ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
ASA 2012 Report
People in the UK had a number of concerns about charity adverts they saw on TV; these were:
• can go too far in their portrayal of violence, suffering or hardship
• often make people feel guilty or uncomfortable in a way they considered inappropriate, especially ones [that
are graphic] distressing and even offensive
• [graphic/shocking ads] are particularly problematic if encountered unexpectedly or repeatedexcessively
• Targeted their children (in particular animal welfareads) and put pressure on parents to donate money or
do something about the issue
• Appear on children’s channels
• Prompted children to ask parents to adopt pets from shelters
• Affected children emotionally or led to conversations that were not necessarily age-appropriate
Look back at the advertising techniques that are successfully used in adverts. Which ones do you think apply
specifically to charity adverts? Why?