Introduction
There is no doubt that advertising is one of the most powerful driving forces behind the growth of the 21st century’s global economy given that, most international media and internet firms are dependent on it for their revenues. Consequently, advertisers are under a lot of pressure to ensure they exert as much influence as possible on their target audiences. Media advertisements, more so digital ones, are primarily designed to convince audiences to develop a positive attitude towards a given product, concept, or even individual.
The insurance advertisement analyzed in this paper is a classic example of creatively blending the factors mentioned above to bring about what many people have described as an overly emotional and compelling advert. While its informational value is practically non-existent, the advert is, however, remarkably successful in appealing to the pathos of a universal audience. It achieves this by establishing an intense emotional connection between the positive emotions it evokes and the insurance company sponsoring it.
Synopsis
In summary, the advert shows a young man who goes through his day doing random acts of charity and selflessness for people that the narrator makes clear can never afford to repay him. He consistently gives money to a beggar and her child, hangs bananas on his elderly neighbor’s doorknob, and even cares for a stray dog and abandoned plant. The conclusion of the advert is that all he gets in return are emotions and the satisfaction of knowing he brings happiness to people (Chrystina). The insurance company then indicates that just like him, they are only interested in doing “good” for their clients.
Context
The advert is contextualized in the backdrop of Thailand, a country where life insurance has been experiencing a boom, with market analysis showing it to be on a consistent growth trajectory (Norchoovech and Leekitwattana). The target market for insurance companies is mostly the young emerging urbanized middle class, although many advertisers tend to focus on the entire audience spectrum.
The protagonist is evidently part of this emerging working class, while those he shows kindness are primarily from the lower end of the poverty bracket. Although the ending appears to be an anticlimax, from a critical reading of the context and actions, there is a moral lesson about the selflessness of buying insurance for one’s family with the knowledge they can never live to enjoy it (Be repaid). That is the same “good” contextualized in the young man’s actions, but this theme is so deeply hidden, it is mostly lost in the shadow of euphoric emotion generated by the overt acts of altruism.
Visual Effects
The advert has used several visual elements to create different impressions, with the most notable ones being color and light effects. Most parts of the advert are shot in “daylight” and made to appear as if the events are recorded under natural light. However, the lighting has been enhanced such that, even in the outdoor scenes, the actors almost never cast shadows. Consequently, in the darker scenes portraying night, there is a sharp contrast, although the location is only slightly dimmer and softer. In the harsh and bright daylight, the antagonist is depicted doing acts of charity, and at night, the light is softened.
As a result, when the narrator is asking the viewer to introspect about his life, the scene has been set using dim, soft lighting that viewers are likely to associate with meditation or deep thought. Color is relatively neutral in most of the film, but in the end, the insurance firm’s name, printed on a blue background, blots out everything else. The centrality of the word, as well as the uniformity of the blue background, forces the viewer to notice it and probably remember it for a long time, given the jolt of transition.
Analysis
A critical examination of the advert reveals overt the use of pathos as it is targeting the universal sense of charity and human goodwill. Given the nature of life insurance adverts, it is unsurprising that they should focus on the pathos appeal. However, in most cases, the emotional appeals are negative, surreptitiously impressing upon audiences the reality of death and sudden illness and reminding them of the need to be prepared for these eventualities. However, this advert strikes a positive note by focusing on the “good” qualities of the company providing insurance rather than the necessity of the product. It generates powerful feelings of happiness, sorrow, inspiration, and love, which the company hopes can be transferred to viewers to bring about a positive attitude towards their product.
What does the advert want to want to achieve?
The overriding objective of many adverts is to generate positive emotions and then, by association, relate them to a specific product (Stewart, David, Jon and Aditi 122). In this sense, the advert can be used to promote practically anything since it capitalizes on the positive emotions by presenting the company’s name at the end, and the narrator implies that the company is also out to do good. Despite the vague nature of the relationship between the product and advert, it is nevertheless immensely successful. The success is embodied by the advert’s online popularity with over 5 million views on YouTube, as well as the fact that viewing the clip is an overly emotional experience. It primarily succeeds because the emotions it appeals to are universal, and as a result, most people watching the film empathize with the characters and can relate to them at some level. However, therein lies the risk of emotive adverts as customers may emotionally pick the company without exploring the alternatives in the market even if they are probably more cost-effective and better. Therefore, while conceding that the advert was remarkably successful, this may not be a good thing for prospective customers as they may end up buying products they do not need or understand well enough.
Whom does the advert target?
As mentioned above, the protagonist is most likely a member of the emerging middle class, and the advert, therefore, assumes that his peers in this category will relate to his actions and envision themselves doing or witnessing them. It sharply contrasts with most insurance adverts, which appeal to upper-middle-class tastes and ideals such as a secure home for one’s family and the comfort of living a stress-free life. On the contrary, the advert embraces the fundamental challenges of life and confronts realities that society would rather ignore. These include extreme poverty and starvation, lack of proper housing, clothes, and even physical human weakness. However, the advert does not target only those who suffer from such problems. By appealing to the fundamental human emotions, it manages to reach out and transcend social-cultural and economic barriers making it relevant to a universal audience.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that in the advert discussed in this paper, there is no information at all about the insurance firm’s product, but as aforementioned, its success is unequivocal. Therefore, one is compelled to ask if an advert by a competing firm demonstrating the advantages and cost of their premiums would appeal to customers more. Probably not; while the answer is not a validation of the superiority of emotional advertising, it is proof that in this particular case, it has been applied with exceptional success.
Works Cited
Chrystina, Ng. “Creative ads touching heartwarming thai life insurance commercial.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube. 2014. Web.
Norchoovech, Phuwin, and Leekitwattana, Anothai. “The Future of the Thai Life Insurance Market.” Bangkok Post 2014. Web.
Stewart, David W., Jon Morris, and Aditi Grover. “Emotions in advertising.” The Sage Handbook of Advertising. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi, Singapore: Sage (2007): 120-134. Print.