WaterAid Advertisement.

Compare how audiences are positioned by the representations in the 'Sunshine' WaterAid advertisement and the 'No Choice' WaterAid advertisement.

To begin with, WaterAid is an international non-profit organization that was set up in 1981 as a response to the UN International Drinking Water & Sanitation decade. The purpose of the 'Sunshine' ad is to encourage people to donate money to this case. They are avoiding the general charity commercial stereotypes (such as the 'No Choice ad'). while still raising awareness. The aim of the ad is to persuade the audience to help by alleviating the suffering in a third world country. When we think of a third world country, horrible images of poverty, suffering and despair come up into our heads, and this is exactly what the ad is trying to show, except it contradicts its point as it portrays it in a positive way. Claudia, the main character starts singing a very popular 1990's pop song and the people around her are joyful and humble. This makes the audience feel guilty as it shows the struggle of everyday people who don't have access to clean water, yet they are still happy. In the ad, the perceived desensitization of the audience to such texts almost make them feel sympathetic, meaning that they will be forced to give in and call. The 'Sunshine' ad uses an overall positive representation of the whole tragic situation reflecting on the change that happened throughout the years. This sends a message to the audience that the money they have donated brings joy to people that are suffering, like the one's in Claudia's country, and encourages them to keep doing it as it's a major help for everyone; making the world a better place. Audiences as such have an immunity of being moved by images like these, meaning they will give in and contribute to a child's happiness.

Moreover, the market strategy behind this ad was to showcase the benefits through imitations funded by the donations. For example, they have used to water pumps/taps to indicate that their main source of happiness is clean water. Both adverts are positioning the audience in an emotional location as they both feature children and adults suffering in third world countries. In the 'Sunshine' ad, Claudia; a black female, the main character of the ad is portrayed using various shot types and lengths for effect and to differentiate the ad from the generic charity sub-genre. This links to Stuart Hall's reception theory as the message is interpreted in a very commiserating way by the audience. This can make the audience feel superior as they have a choice whether to donate and help make someone's life better. The ad clearly shows how the West and the East are binary opposites, as the people portrayed in both ads can't afford to follow such a privileged lifestyles. Some may argue that the females are purposely portrayed in the ad to give it an overall sense of independence and to follow Gauntlett's theory of identity - representing young women like Claudia, hard-working and down to earth. In the "No choice" ad, most people begging for the audience's sympathy and help ,give a direct mode of address to make it seem like they are personally addressing the viewer. Another different aspect of the ads, is the music and sound effects. For example, the 2013 'No Choice' ad had a very depressive background instrumental song, meanwhile the 2016 'Sunshine' one has an upbeat 1990's song to show improvement.

Making the audience understand that their donations has been helping the people who are suffering encourages them to donate even more. This is why the advertisements cannot be the same every year, because if you keep asking the audience to donate, but they see no change, they are going to start wondering where their money is actually going, and why aren't the helpless people helped already.

On the other hand, both advertisements use unexpected elements such as the scenery, landscapes and sunshine, perhaps representing the freedom and the close atmosphere they have in the East compared to the dullness and the rain you find in the UK. This is used to make the audience move as they're trying to prove the children are still happy, and enjoying life even though they don't have such an important necessity like water; something we all need to survive.

The 'Sunshine' ad starts with a neutral scene, a rainy day in London, while the radio is on to familiarize the audience with the mis-en-scene. The uses and gratifications theory is used in this ad to position the target audience to identify with the environment. This is then juxtaposed with the dry, African landscape.. a less familiar environment that isn't really appreciated by the Western world because of the reputation it has.

In conclusion, both ads have had positive results from the audience as it is shown in the videos, but more help is required as more than 650 million people still don't have access to water. The last comment written in a small font at the end of the video - "WaterAid receives 100% of donations" is significant as it shows how much money is directed to this important cause. This will make more people donate more as there is no such things as profits or taxes. and all their money will make a change.