How Can Advertising Campaigns Appeal to a Sense of Australianness - Literature review Example

Name: Course: College: Tutor: Date: How can advertising campaigns appeal to a sense of ‘Australianness’? Illustrate your argument with reference to at least one advertising campaign. In order to appeal to a sense of Australiannes in advertising campaigns its prudent to nature a sense of cultural diversity and avoid discrimination of any kind whether it’s along ethinic,religious or race lines. The most appropriate advertising campaign that has ever been aired in Australia’s TV Stations and that can appeal to a sense of Australiannes is the “Faces in the Crowd” This one of a kind program was aired on all TV stations in Australia on a day to commemorate human rights activities in the whole world. This was in December 2001. (Donovan, 2006). The faces in the crowd advert come in a series of four people walking on the scene and a woman’s voice over behind the scene talking about their plight. The soft female voice says in reference to a kid walking down the street; may be she came by boat from the ravaging protests in the Middle East in the arms of her sick and tired mother, In reference to a middle aged European man in an official attire it says; may be he arrived from Bosnia, To a seemingly old couple it says may be they survived the holocaust in German, then to a kid who doesn’t have a specific ethnic affiliation it asks the question how can we lock out refugees. Then the website of Australians United Against Racism appears followed by music in the background to drive the point home. This brings a bond of uniting against a specific front and makes everyone appeal to a sense of Australiannes. The “Faces in the Crowd” advertising campaign made the audience highly appeals to a sense of Australiannes because majority of the people identified with the course to have basic human rights regardless of their background. This is because human rights are standard and universal they don’t favor a click in society and are a must have for any human being. In addition this advert would go against the grain by ensuring it erodes those views that are mainly divisive on race, religion or ethnicity. (Donovan, 2006). Since several people have suffered in society due to violations of their basic human rights by government authorities and other private members of the society they would identify with a program that is out to ensure their integrity is highly upheld as respectable citizens of the nation. Apart from ensuring that the aggrieved have their heads held high it also ensures that politicians and governments of the day are checked in terms o9f their policies so that they don’t pass laws that discriminate against rights of everyone and particularly marginalized groups in society. The advert faces on the crowd was made to touch the life of people who had been suffering quietly and its social appeal to people was realized when its air time on TV was actually funded by the masses themselves. (Donovan, 2006). Since a considerable number of Australians are uncomfortable with the rising number of Muslims living in their community its advertising campaigns such as that of faces soon the crowd that would beat some sense into them. With the number of refugees from the Middle East rising day by day due to the civil unrest sweeping across the Arab world it would be obnoxious to turn them away. In such an advert the images of women and children on the verge of a humanitarian crisis would drive empathy into people and they will identify with them regardless of their religious background. (Donovan, 2006). In order to inculcate the appeal to a sense of Australiannes its prudent that in such an advert where the target audience are refugees past history of other refugees settling in Australia comfortably should be addressed e.g. Bosnia refugees, Jewish refugees and even South east Asian refugees from the various world wars starting with world war1 to that of the 1970s between Israel and other Arabian nations. The concept of other refugees having been previously accepted and should be a resourceful learning point. This will make them realize that no one is indispensable and such a circumstance could happen to anyone. The faces on the crowd advert will also showcase how the refugees accepted previously in other eras had become of positive impact to the Australian society. Images of smiling Muslim women doctors with voice over such as ‘religion isn’t the only message they have’ will make the antagonists to cool tempers knowing that they too will benefit if they accept them in their community. (Donovan, 2006). In order to ensure that the adverts used to shape oneness and unity in Australia are far from the past modes of same time same station the faces on the crowd advert has to be used on all TV Channels in Australia to avert a situation where some people who prefer other channels won’t be able to see them. (Gramsci, 1971). Faces on the crowd is an advert whose main objective is to let the viewers realize that the refugees were once accepted in Australia and they went ahead to be of positive impact meaning its Australians who stand to loose if they turn them away. The image of a lost girl who seems confused with the words how can we block them from the voice over gives a strong emotional appeal to the audience to reach out to the refugees and help them on humanitarian grounds. (Donovan, 2006). This Television advert would go down well in changing attitudes of people who had been poisoned by politicians and Media outlets that were campaigning against refugees on grounds of their religion. To fight racism Harmony day commemorated on 21st March in Australia serves to enlighten people on the need to live together in unity. As a matter of fact due to the power of advertising most Visitors to Australia and even local tourists have been misled that Australia is a friendly country. This is because tourism adverts are meant to wreck in profits by encouraging mass tourism at the expense of local cultures. Faces on the crowd Will serve the purpose of enlightening not only visitors to Australia but locals as well on the bitter truth on the ground that is frequently pushed under the carpet. (Donovan, 2006). Another initiative of fighting racism is to lodge complaints against TV advertorials that are hell bent on inducing or supporting racism. For instance the Alice Keys case where she was accused of promoting racism through her company ads. Through the intervention of Roll back organization and other interested groups. Alice negative attitude towards the Aboriginal people was condemned. (WGAR News, 2011). The Australian media could also use its platform to attack those who wri9te nasty things about members of its marginalized population. For instance the way they attacked the Guardian Newspaper writer who depicted the Aboriginal people of Australia as Violent by substantiating evidence of their uncivilized originality. (Philips 2008). Antonio Gramsci a western Philosopher once said that the masses in any country will believe the ideology of the government as the right one and in those days it was the government that shaped public opinion. Similarly members of the fourth estate can capitalize on this golden opportunity to shape public opinion on Australianism through appealing adverts. (Gitlin, 1979, p508). The Television is a very powerful influential tool in terms of shaping public opinion for the masses are always glued to it watching everything from sports to soap operas and news items. (Crehan, 2002, p6). Since discrimination is an act of prejudice to have negative opinion of other people in society who may not be privileged like the disabled, uncivilized or old people it would the use of an appealing TV advert like Faces on the crowd will go hand in hand in ensuring that these people are embraced by their loved ones and not send to homes to be looked after by social workers. Since they are members of the same household they wouldn’t want to feel neglected by their close family members and would thus capitalize o such adverts to be heard by the rest of their households. (Donovan, 2006). In Australia there seems to be very few agitated campaigns against racism and the few that can be found have little impact on behavioral and attitudinal change of the masses towards this social problem. A vicious TV advert like the “Faces in the Crowd” could mark the turning point of campaigns against racism in Australia.This can only come to pass if its broadcast as many times as possible on all TV Channels in Australia and the message made to sink in all the people that racism is not to be practiced in this age and time. To ensure a success of this campaign and mark a departure from the past where several communication campaigns ground to a halt in the formative stages thorough research should be carried out on both the target group and the aggressors to fact find the actual course of the discrimination acts, possible remedies and if possible any amicable solution that can be reached between the two groups. To ensure that the “Faces in the Crowd” doesn’t go down the history lane as being just another campaign tool on racism that came and disappeared meaningful communication ethics on racism and other discriminative acts have to shape the campaign. People wont just be warned that discriminatory acts are against the government policy and therefore illegal but will have to be taught that accepting the other minorities or others who have a different background in color, culture, linguistics or religion is a plus and not a minus. (Donovan, 2006). Unlike previous campaigns against discriminatatory acts where the target audience have always been generalized in this particular TV advertorial campaign the target audience should be named and told to face the facts statements like “No man is an island ,today its me tomorrow it could be you ” will serve to drive the point home. Those who are discriminated against because of their culture or race can also be told that they need to stand out and be proud of whom they are for they are fearfully and wonderfully made. To distinguish this campaign from others that have failed there will be need to broadly hummer the nail on the head by categorically stating the objectives of the advert, the actual beliefs and attitudes that the campaign is against and the reason why there is need to speak against the status quo.This will enable the masses to identify with this common problem that has been a stumbling block to economic successes in Australia for many people. This is because it becomes difficult for one to sell their goods and services to people they don’t want to associate with. At the end of this advertorial campaigns unlike other media communications that have been done in the past a thorough evaluation will have to be done to ensure that the success of this program will be built on as a foundation of other future endevours.This ensures continuity of quality rather than starting from scratch and reaching the same level. As much as costs of advertising vary with economic inflation in the evaluation of this advertising strategy its total cost has to be included to enhance a culture of accountability and transparency when it comes to other future programs of its kind. It also enables any other group to set up their budget well knowing how much they expect to spend if they want to come up with such a program. (Donovan, 2006). Since Faces in the Crowd is built on the foundation of enabling the general public in Australia to accept refugees. This fabulous program that is supported by funding from communal initiatives is the first of its kind and is definitely going to be a success given that it has sealed all loopholes that made previous programs not to excel in this field and thus nothing will stop it from achieving its goals. As this advertorial is aired on various TV Channels there will arise a number of debates amongst the population on how best to treat refugees in Australia and this will eventually be the turning point of discriminatory acts against fellow human beings in Australia.This is because of the empathy caused by this program and the fact that its only fools who don’t change their minds. This was arrived at after it was realized that most people don’t hate refugees on their own but it’s because of the ignorance and fear that has descended upon them in the society though the former generations embraced refugees amidst them who became very supportive in their socio economic lives. As a result of these negative stereotypes that have poisoned the minds of many in the society the Faces in the Crowd advert sought to use women and children to send a very strong message to the perpetrators of this stereotype that if anything happens God forbid they could be the ones facing this unwarranted humanitarian crisis. Many people don’t stand the sight of suffering women and children and thus they have no otherwise but to change their attitudes and beliefs. (Donovan, 2006). REFERENCES Crehan, Kate 2002, Gramsci, Culture, and Anthropology, Berkeley: University of California As obtained from; www.benamoore.com/.../the_media_in_australia ideological_hegemony_2006.pdf on 14th May 2011 Donovan, RJ &Vlais, R 2006 Report to Vic Health by RJD Consulting Pty Ltd. As obtained from www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/.../Paper_1-Donovan_Communications_Marketing.ashx on 13th May 2011 on 14th May 2011 Gitlin, Todd 1979, Prime Time Ideology: The Hegemonic Process in Television Entertainment As obtained from; www.benamoore.com/.../the_media_in_australia ideological_hegemony_2006.pdf Gramsci, Antonio 1971, Selections From the Prison Notebooks, New York: International Publishers As obtained from; www.benamoore.com/.../the_media_in_australia ideological_hegemony_2006.pdf on 14th May 2011 Philips R (2008) Australian Media attacks Germaine Greer over essay on Aboriginal Violence, International Committee of the Fourth International As obtained from www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/gree-a28.shtml on 13th May 2011 WGAR News (2011) Complaint against Racist Alice Spring’s TV Commercials As obtained from www.indymedia.org.au/.../wgar-news-complaint-against-‘racist’-alice-springs on 13th May 2011 Read More