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This ad campaign by the New South Wales Police Force and DDB Sydney raises awareness about the hazards of using iPods and mp3 players. The ad features a photograph of a girl lying on the pavement with her body outlined by headphones. The message encourages listeners to be cautious when wearing headphones and crossing streets. The use of dark colors and omission of road lines and legs in the photograph creates a remorseful and disheartening mood. The contrast between the pale skin of the girl's arms and the pavement draws attention to her, emphasizing the message. The image appeals to logic by highlighting the contradiction between our agreement that electronic devices are hazardous and our actions that do not always reflect this agreement. The symbol of the iPod being illuminated in contrast to the scene around it adds irony by representing the loss of life and hope. The ad targets anyone who listens to an iPod while crossing the street, especially teenagers, and also drivers who need to be aware of distracted pedestrians.
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Visual Rhetorical Gina Newberry
The New South Wales Police Force and DDB, Sydney campaign Agency: DDB. SydneyExecutive Creative Director: Matt EastwoodArt Director: Adam RoseCopywriter: Ben O’BrienPhotography: Mat BakerRetouching: Dennis Monk http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/2008/01/nsw-police-department.html Baker, Mat. ND DDB Sydney adgoodness. Web. 21 Sept. 2011
Argument What’s the argument of the Ad? Watch for cars when wearing headphones-NSW Police Force I believe the photographers goal was to raise awareness of the hazards of using iPods and mp3 players. This is generally not an issue focused on in today’s society, therefore the often dangerous distractions these devices pose are ones we never think about.
Audience Who is the audience of this ad? The audience is anyone who listens to an iPod while crossing the street. More specifically this ad is directed towards teenagers, who in general are frequent iPod users. The audience could also extend to drivers who need to be aware of these people being distracted.
Point of View Who might agree or disagree with the issue represented? Anyone who uses an iPod frequently while crossing streets (ex: Joggers), might disagree, arguing that they are aware of their surroundings and not distracted. Others, including emergency medical professionals or police officers might agree having witnessed the results of these distractions. Also, drivers who have to watch for these distracted people might agree with the message.
Analogy Can you find an analogy in the ad? The headphones outlining the body are like the commonly known chalk outline of a victim’s body at a the site of an accident or crime.
Vantage Point How would the image’s message be different if the perspective changed? From the viewpoint of looking down on the body, you can only see the pavement and the victim lying on it. If the picture was taken from a different perspective, the environment in which the incident occurred could be viewed and give away a specific location. For example whether it was in the city or a rural area.
Vantage Point How would knowing where the picture was taken affect the argument being portrayed? If we knew where the photograph was taken then we would think the argument only applied to certain areas, such as busy city. Therefore the message would reach a much smaller audience, losing the interests of people it didn’t pertain to.
Color What’s significant about the colors captured in the photograph? Notice all the colors in the picture are dark and dismal. The girl is wearing darkly colored clothing and the pavement is solidly black with all traces of the white or yellow road lines omitted. The girl’s hair is also a darker brown.
Color Why do you think the photographer chose to use darker colors (clothing, no road lines, hair, ect.)? I believe the photographer was trying to capture a disheartening and remorseful mood to emphasize warnings to the unobvious hazards that exist. If the girl was wearing a brightly colored shirt, had fair hair, or the photographer had included the road lines, the impact of the image would be much less effective.
Omission What’s omitted from the picture and what’s the effect? • Road lines- I think the photographer did this so the image lacks color and therefore creating a remorseful mood discussed previously. • Legs-I believe the photographer chose to omit the girl’s legs so the viewer would focus on the upper half of the girl where the headphones outline her emphasizing the message. If the legs had been included it might distract the audience.
Contrast What stands out most in the picture? What really stands out to me in the picture are the girl’s arms. Notice her skin is extremely pale, especially in contrast with the pavement, making her stand out. If the picture didn’t have this contrast , the girl would be much less defined, and therefore the message as well.
Symbol and Irony What do you notice about the IPod? Notice that the screen of the IPod is still on, however the girl is dead. I believe the IPod symbolizes life and hope because it illuminates out of the picture in strong contrast with the scene around it. This is ironic because the life that was important and irreplaceable has been lost.
Logos How does this image appeal to our sense of logic? • When we look at this picture, it’s logical to agree with the statement it’s making about electronic devices and how easily we give them our full attention. What doesn’t make sense is that the actions we take don’t reflect our agreement. We rationalize, yes this is hazardous, but I’ll be okay as long as I try…not to be distracted?
Ethos Why should we be concerned or even care about what the message is saying? • You don’t typically here about this kind of thing in the news. • “Girl gets ran over because of an IPod”? • Usually we hear a similar story from a different perspective. • “Distracted driver runs over innocent girl.” • So why should we care? This doesn’t typically happen, so it’s nothing to be concerned about. Right?
Ethos Ethos The idea that this doesn’t generally happen isn’t true. An article written by Tom Leonard, 'iPod oblivion' set to become illegal in New York, from The Telegraph states, “"iPod oblivion", the modern condition which reduces people with little white headphones stuffed into their ears to a zombie-like state, could become an offence in New York. Alarmed by a spate of deaths in the city caused by iPod wearers inadvertently stepping into oncoming traffic, a New York
Ethos senator is introducing legislation this week that would make it an offence - punishable by a $100 fine - to use any electronic device while crossing a street.” This is a rising issue, so yes we should listen to the message being conveyed and yes, it is credible. It’s a campaign for the NSW Police Force Leonard, Tom. “'iPod oblivion' set to become illegal in New York” The Telegraph (2007): n. pag. Web. 25 Sept. 2011
Pathos What emotions does this image cause us to feel? When I look at this picture I feel astonishment and concern for the issue represented. The photograph directly addresses the issue in a clear manner that causes the viewers to feel shocked. The ad also creates a remorseful and disheartening mood through the colors and composition.
Reference Page Baker, Mat. ND DDB Sydney adgoodness. Web. 21 Sept. 2011 • http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/2008/01/nsw-police-department.html Leonard, Tom. “'iPod oblivion' set to become illegal in New York” The Telegraph (2007): n. pag. Web. 25 Sept. 2011 • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1541987/iPod-oblivion-set-to-become-illegal-in-New-York.html Armenian National Committee of Australia. NSW Police Force, 6 May 2008. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. • http://anc.org.au/news/ANC+Australia+in+Meeting+with+NSW+Police
