In today’s era, technology has become a way of life since people want to communicate regularly regardless of the activities they are doing. Among the most common dangerous behavior is texting and driving, which has resulted in many deaths. Although individuals are aware of the repercussions of this behavior, they continue with the practice, leading to an increase of road accidents. Nonetheless, attempts have been made to counter this harmful activity including using advertisements to showcase the necessity of fully concentrating on the roads.
The advertisement being analyzed showcases a man being punched in the face, with the words “Stop the violence, don’t drink and drive.” The message portrayed in the advert is that texting while driving is dangerous because it reduces a person’s driving focus, hence causing unnecessary road accidents. In this regard, the image uses creative design and imagery to depict the importance of driving when attentive and understand the repercussions of multitasking while driving.
The advertisement uses creativity, and this can attract the audience’s attention because they can relate to the message being portrayed. According to Daniel Baack et al., “in consumer advertising, psychological differentiators, such as creativity, are frequently used to increase advertising effectiveness…Creative ads generated stronger shifts in attitudes toward the ad, attitudes toward the brand, and behavioral intentions” (abstract). The image illustrates a man being punched in the face with a fist, and two cars that have appeared to have collided. The image is colorful since the advertiser has used yellow and blue colors on the vehicles to help the audience to distinguish the two vehicles and identify that they have collided.
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Obviously, the man appears to be in pain after the punch, and the image has visualized this reaction effectively and even included the spitting that occurs after the activity. When people view the image by utilizing its creative element, they can critically connect it to the message written in the image, “Stop the violence, don’t drink and drive “to comprehend that road accident is inevitable while texting. If the viewers are willing to change, just as Daniel Baack et al. reiterates, they can alter their behaviors to avoid road accidents. Therefore, the advertisement’s creativity is useful because it attracts the audience’s attention and this can prompt them to avoid this addicting behavior.
Another persuasion technique in the advertisement is imagery. Alan Branthwaite stipulates, “The potency of imagery from the point of view of communication and persuasion is that it has the capacity to transcend the boundary between the outside world and what is happening inside us” (165). Imagery is a powerful tool since it evokes the audience’s emotions and feelings towards a particular topic. In this case, the advertisement contains imagery because it allows the viewers to think critically of its meaning; rather than concentrating on its literal meaning.
For instance, the punch displays the road accident because it is the aftermath of the two cars painted on the man’s face. The facial reaction of the man, who appears to be in pain is the result of accidents since, after the impact, many victims end up bruised or even dead. In fact, the way the man spits after the punch demonstrates that road accidents have high impacts. Therefore, these different imagery interpretations can compel individuals to avoid texting while driving. Evidently, the advertisement has hidden meanings that the audience can decipher and change this negative behavior if they practice it.
The advertisement has succeeded in sending its message to the public because of its creativity and use of imagery. These two persuasion strategies are crucial in evoking the audience’s emotions and help them understand that texting while driving is dangerous. The image’s creativity increases the advertisement’s appearance and ensures that they understand the disadvantages of texting while driving. Consequently, imagery helps the audience think critically to the message being portrayed and not assume it is just a mere advertisement. In this view, the advert has succeeded in describing its central message that is texting while driving is dangerous, and the people can decide on whether or not to comply with the message.
References
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Distracted Driving
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: State-by-State Fatality Statistics
- Distraction.gov: Official U.S. Government Website for Distracted Driving
- Car Seat Blog: Texting and Driving – A Deadly Combination
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Traffic Safety Facts Research Note – Distracted Driving 2016
