Printing and Advertising Services - Essay Example

Thesis: The Back Seats No Safer. Belt Up billboard ad is a powerful road safety campaign ad that encourages passengers to always put their seat belts on to minimize chances of injuries in the event of road accidents. Introduction Printing and Advertising services are gaining utmost significance in the way they are able to influence people through the messages they pass. Not only are they colorful, attractive, or even funny, but they pass the messages in a comical yet serious way. Perhaps billboards have thus become an alternative marketing tool that generates amazingly inventive and inspirational designs. The billboard in question is three-dimensional and portrays a gentleman seated at the back of the car, with no seat belt on, and is attached to a band of a massive slingshot. The billboard reads, “The Back Seat’s No Safer. Belt Up.” Analysis The billboard is effective not only through the message it passes, but also on the visual effect that takes a serious issue at hand. It then evolves into a more successful message employing extreme architecture. Perhaps what makes the billboard a huge success is the fact that it talks about negligence of passengers in vehicles. This ad is even keener in pointing out that the passengers at the back are not even safer; everyone in the vehicle should have their seat belts on at all times. The fact that the ad uses a three-dimensional oversize man at the back makes it appear even more real. As such, as much as the ad may be funny to some people, it evokes perhaps a sense of guilt in people who have always believed that the back seat is safer. The ad is clear and strategically positioned so that everyone can read it just from any angle. This strategy improves the ads visibility. Even passengers in moving vehicles can see it and perhaps put their seat belts on (if they did not have them on). The ad will then have reminded them that road safety is paramount and is the collective responsibility of not just law enforcers, but the passengers as well. The ad depicts a man seated comfortably at the back seat, with no seat belts on; perhaps oblivious of the potential danger he is exposing himself to. This helps to show that the notion that passengers sometimes have; they think the back seat is "safer” (Barraclough 81). The billboard portrays an effective message; it tells people or passengers what they must not do if they want to be safe on the roads. In case they do not wear seat belts, they will be victims of their mistakes and negligence. Perhaps the ad also reinstates the need to be responsible road users, whether as passengers, drivers or pedestrians. Looking at the current accident trends, statistics suggest that 50% of all road accidents are preventable, among them by using seat belts (Barraclough p19). Moreover, what a better way to pass this message than through the three-dimensional and colorful billboard ad! Car manufactures place seat belts in cars for a good cause. They realize that in case of an accident action and reactions forces will be involved. Due to inertia, during sudden breaks on collisions, passengers in a car will be thrust out; even through the windscreens and out of the car. These impacts become worse when the passenger does not wear their seatbelts. As such, seat belts play a major role in holding the passenger back during sudden breaks or collisions and therefore save the passenger. The need for seat belts in cars can therefore not be overstated. It is the duty of every passenger to always have his or her seat belts on (Barraclough 41). The ad only acts to remind people and create awareness that will help prevent unnecessary road accidents. It helps to expose the traditional belief that only the driver and the co-passenger should wear their belts. According to them, the back seat is a "comfort zone" and meant for relaxation. Perhaps this explains why the man depicted in the billboard seems relaxed and oblivious of any danger he is exposing himself to. The truth though is that the back seat is equally as important as the driver seat. Accidents in which the back passengers sustained injuries occurred because they did not have their seat belts on. As such, the impact threw them out of the car and they eventually died (Barraclough 28). It is not only the message element in the billboard that makes it effective; its design and mounting do play a great role. Imagine drivers on the Australian streets seeing the billboard supported by a huge sling shot. The slingshot is used symbolically to show the effect of such extreme negligence. The drivers halted and pulled over just to have a view of the massive slingshot. When they were even nearer they gathered that it was an out-of-size ad that campaigned for seat belt enforcement as well as road safety. Moreover, when the civilian noticed that the slingshot was actually aimed at a person sitting "in the back seat," they actually identified with the message and realized that the ad talked about commonplace daily negligence on the roads. What is worse, most people at the back seat actually almost never fasten their seat belts. The magnificent slingshot statue attracted people to the side, making them to listen to and grasp the important message conveyed by the billboard. Perhaps this Australian road safety ad is much more effective compared to other advertisements promoting seat belt enforcement. The Back Seats No Safer. Belt Up is an infamous billboard that has elicited great attention and won the admiration of many road users. In fact, statistics now suggest that more people now put their back seat belts on, aware that they are just as prone to accidents as the driver (Barraclough 27). What makes this billboard even more appealing is its great, massive design and architecture. The message is portrayed physically; is blunt and precise. It clearly informs the society about contemporary issues such as road accidents and the role of negligence or arrogance in escalating them. This ad was a unique and a different form of advertisement that attracted the people passing by it and helped to create a heightened sense of awareness in them. Conclusion The Back Seats No Safer. Belt Up is a powerful road safety campaign ad that is "real" given its three-dimensional architecture. Its design is brilliant. It is colorful, comical, and appealing to the eye. The designers did a wonderful job. Perhaps to make the ad even more effective they should have added brief statistics about number of lives lost by not using seat belts. In my opinion, this would have helped to reinforce the message. Overall, the masterminds behind this great astounding and breathtaking larger-than-life billboard should be applauded for the great success and contribution of the advertisement. Work Cited Barraclough, Sue. Road Safety. Chicago, Il: Heinemann Library, 2008. Print. Read More