Negative vs Positive Advertising in Charities

In this assignment charitable advertising will be used in order to identify and assess arguments for and against using negative advertisement as a device in order to generate a greater income to address the underlining issue.

Figure 1: Motivating Factors For Donations

(Source: Mitskavets, I. (2010).

According to figure one a growing resource for gaining income for charities is through the use of television advertising. Therefore it is essential that the advertisement either positive or negative fits in with their target market in order to generate a larger income.

Yau, R. (2012). Positive campaigns build goodwill, generate conversation and galvanise the layperson to take action. This reference states that their belief is that positive advertisement is the action which should be undertaken by charities as it does not only address the issue it allows for it to be conversed about amongst society. This reference which supports positive advertising can be linked to research conducted by the UK’s prostate cancer charity which discovered when positive appeal letters were sent rather than negative ones, the positive appeal letters made donations worth 45% more on average (Yau, R. 2012).

Figure 2: Breast Cancer Awareness Advertising Campaign

(Source: Scottish Government. (2012)

An example of positive advertising amongst charities is seen in the Scottish breast cancer awareness campaign of 2012, which is shown above. The campaign features a statement of equality showing that all women have the chance of being diagnosed with cancer. However in the advertisement light heartedness is employed alongside positive reinforcement, this appears multiple times in the way information is displayed via small boards held by the actress to show that it is in her control, much like cancer. Specific vocabulary choices such as ‘breast cancer is much more treatable these days’ and by the actor smiling at the end it gives an overall positive feel to what can be a life changing situation.

The Lancet. (1993). Some charities have adopted powerful and emotive imagery in support of their cause, and such tactics can be extremely successful in raising public profile. Negative television advertising is a common theme, which appears through marketing campaigns for some charities in order to shock and grab the attention of the audience, and by doing this emotions can be a contributing factor in then inclining you how bad the surrounding issue is and that something needs to be done about it.

However according to Hudson, S. (2013). When people feel extreme negative emotion they go into a state of withdrawal, and are therefore unlikely to take action and give money. This reference therefore is conflicting to my earlier reference due to the fact that this is stating that negative advertisement is not a wise marketing approach to gain donations for charities as it can put the audience off donating.

Figure 3: NSPCC Christmas Advert 2014

(Source: WPN Chameleon. (2014)

Above is an example of a negative advert, which was used for the National society for the prevention of cruelty to children campaign in 2014. In this video it shows a number of vulnerable children who suffer countlessly when it comes to simple things we may take for granted such as sleeping. The dark colour scheme throughout emphasizes the detrimental effect this abuse is taking on the child’s happiness and welfare as a whole, this is especially poignant when linking to the festive and bright time that Christmas is. The facial expressions of each child follow a similar pattern of despair and loneliness to evoke the viewer into an empathetic state and perhaps sway them to also donate to this cause. 

De Castella, T. (2012). Have to make sure that in the one or two times that people see the ad, it registers. Hence you need to create a shocking or standout image. This reference is therefore stating its importance of sticking in the customer’s memory and associating links with how devastating certain situations can be in order to maximize potential donations.

Figure 4: Barnardo’s Advert

(Source: Videos. (2008)

One further example of negative advertising is the Barnados 2008 advert shown above. It features a young individual who repeatedly finds herself in distress either through being in a jail cell or having some form of domestic abuse from her father at home. This advert solely emphasizes on the shock effect of how she is trapped in a repetitive cycle that is evidently harming her mentally and physically. The employment of repetition in the advertisement displays the extent to which the girl suffers every single day, and could offer reason for anger by the viewer.

The two negative adverts shown above could change their marketing campaigns to a positive approach, by depicting the great work completed by such charities to turn the children’s lives around. However the two charities have instead focused on showing distressing imagery in order to get their message across and to persuade viewers to give generously to their cause in fighting against these serious issues.

In conclusion I believe that negative advertising is a useful tool in specific charity appeals, however it appears to be very subjective and inappropriate for some cases such as breast cancer research, where positivity and optimism are main components to aid people through the journey of cancer. However charities may choose to expose raw images and facts that impact on the viewer and display the struggle behind their work, in order to relay in the viewers mind to generate social conversation and publicity. This may wholly produce greater donations from the general public, although my earlier reference stated that positivity in advertising ended up producing donations of 45% more on average, supporting my inclination towards positive advertising.

References:

De Castella, T. (2012). What is it that really offends people about adverts?. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19048807. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.

Hudson, S. (2013). Are emotive appeals effective in persuading people to give to charity?. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2013/sep/02/effective-emotive-appeals. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.

Mitskavets, I. (2010). Charitable Giving. Available: http://academic.mintel.com/display/551912/#figure4. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.

Scottish Government. (2012). Breast Cancer Awareness. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxQdfB-no50. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.

The Lancet. (1993). Advertising by medical charities. The Lancet (British edition). 342 (8881), 1187 - 1188.

Videos. (2008). Barnardo's advert. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFOcrZeMRUU. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.

WPN Chameleon. (2014). NSPCC Xmas 2014. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFHotOQPz0I. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.

Yau, R. (2012). Why charities should abandon shock advertising. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2012/aug/30/charities-should-abandon-shock-advertising. Last accessed 2nd March 2015.