1. Social Action and Community
Media
Existing Product Research
By Catherine Giggal

2. Case Study: Shelter – Homeless charity
Purpose:
The purpose of this specific charity
webpage is to raise awareness of
homelessness in the United Kingdom.
Also, it has also been created to initially
‘campaign’ against homelessness, by
tackling it at its source and helping
those who are in need.
Aims:
• To raise awareness of
homelessness and poverty in UK.
• To persuade people to donate
money to the charitable
organisation.
• To aid those who may be homeless
and give them advice.
• Possibly to get people to spread the
awareness of the charity through
means of social media.
2Creative Media Production 2012

3. Techniques:
There are several forms of techniques utilised within this specific
webpage, such as a red colour scheme which is significantly eye-
catching and will initially draw in the attention of the intended,
primary consumer. Also, there are two main images that are used in
order to attract the audience and therefore, they will be more obliged
to read the text surrounding the image as their attention has already
been grabbed. At the bottom of the page, there is a ‘donation’
section, which is likely to be viewed by those who have drawn in by
the website. The section is emphasised heavily, as the charity itself
relies on donations to keep going. The most important pieces of text
are highlighted in red, the signature colour of the charity. This makes
the consumer identify with the colour scheme of the organisation, as
well as highlighting the colour of ‘red’ itself, which initially connotes
danger and peril, which mirrors the hardship faced by individuals who
are in fact homeless and therefore, the subject of this stated charity.
The colour therefore has a double meaning. It is notable that the
most important pieces of text are highlighted in order for the
consumer to be drawn to them primarily and view them before
reading any other piece of text that is featured on the webpage.
Furthermore, there is a section with links to social media websites
such as Facebook and Twitter, which initially helps the organisation
to become more popular to a wider target market, as opposed to
being restricted from a younger audience.
3Creative Media Production 2012
Case Study: Shelter - Homeless Charity

4. Impact: Evidence of any change being brought about through projects
using words and or graphics.
4Creative Media Production 2012
Case Study: Shelter - Homeless Charity
This charity has initiated a Christmas
project utilising a simple statistic in order
to alter the view of the audience, as
‘80,000 children’ is more emotive than
‘80,000’ adults. They use a vulnerable,
innocent group in society to initially make
the consumer sympathise and therefore
be more encouraged to donate whatever
amount they can to help. However, even
though the validity of the statistic cannot
be denied, the charity have utilised a
clever marketing technique in order to
increase the amount of income they
receive. This specific project is said to
bring about change, by using the money
made by it to help fund the housing of
homeless children/families.
The ‘Pay In’ section encourages people to donate to
the charity who have already been drawn in by the
bright colour scheme and emotive language. It is
initially a clever marketing technique.

5. Case Study: “U BOOZE U LOOZE”
Purpose:
The purpose of the advertisement is to
encourage young people primarily, not
to indulge on too much alcohol, as it
results in losing things that you care
about, as well as losing respect for
yourself in the process of ‘binge
drinking'. The campaign poster was
intentionally initiated to shock people
and display a sense of reality to the
young, juvenile audience that it is aimed
at.
Aims:
• To prevent young people from
drinking excessively.
• To eradicate ‘binge drinking’ from
the United Kingdom.
• To make people aware of the
disadvantages of drinking too much
on a regular basis.
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6. Techniques:
One technique is that colloquial language is utilised within the advert,
such as ‘U BOOZE U LOOZE’ , which doubles up as rhyme that is an
effective linguistic device that initially draws in the eye of the viewer.
Also, the fact that the main text is bold and in capitals emphasises
the fact that it is significantly important. The advert makes the
consumer really think about the consequences of ‘binge drinking’,
where the subject of the campaign is hanging their head, appearing
as though they have a low opinion of themselves. The consumer will
not want to end up like the subject of the advert, even though it is a
staged picture, it will make the audience think twice about drinking,
as they may not want to end up like this.
Furthermore, the informal language shows that it is aimed towards a
young, target market, as slang terms such as ‘dosh’ is used to help
the primary audience comprehend the serious message that is posed
by the Government campaign to tackle binge drinking in the UK. It is
clever how a sense of juxtaposition is used within the advert, with
terms like ‘mates’ and ‘dosh’ being listed with ‘respect’ and ‘future’,
which will make the consumer think about their social life in
conjunction with their own future and how their life will turn out if they
binge drink. The campaign is very powerful in making the audience
think about the consequences of making negative life choices at the
juvenile stage in their life and how their future will initially suffer from
it.
6Creative Media Production 2012
Case Study: “U BOOZE U LOOZE”

7. Impact: Evidence of any change being brought about through projects
using words and or graphics.
7Creative Media Production 2012
Case Study: “U BOOZE U LOOZE”
It is notable that the main image on the advert itself is
extremely hard-hitting, connoting the negative
undertones of binge drinking. The image is trying to
promote the fact that drinking in an excessive manner
is not a wise choice, as it could lead to a lifetime of
personal fails, no career and no social life. The image
as well as the text are very powerful, as the image on
the advert shows how someone who chooses this
lifestyle will become. It is like a future reflection. It also
makes you think of the dangers surrounding binge
drinking, where you are put in a vulnerable position.
The consumer will pick up on this and it will make
them think twice about drinking excessively. The list
of what you ‘lose’ when you drink will also have a big
impact upon the intended audience, as they will
realise how much drinking affects your life in a
negative way and will therefore be discouraged to
adopt this hazardous lifestyle.

8. 8Creative Media Production 2012
These two adverts are
promoting the similar type of
message: Don’t drink
excessively, as there are
negative consequences. It is
clear that even though they
both discourage ‘binge
drinking’, they are dissimilar
in how they are promoted to
their differentiating target
audiences. Advert 1 being
targeted at an adult market in
contrast with campaign 2
which is tailored to a teenage,
juvenile audience, who are
stereotypically more
susceptible to this type of
problem that is prominent in
modern day society.

9. 9Creative Media Production 2012
Campaign 1 and 2 utilize the the slogan “You Booze You
Lose”, however, 1 is more formal than 2, where the text
alliterative piece of text is spelt utilizing good English, whilst
2 is highly colloquial and written in a manner that makes it
easier to comprehend by a juvenile audience. It is clear that
advert 2 is significantly more hard-hitting than 1; as it
includes an image of an individual that has been affected by
‘binge drinking’, which makes ‘drinking’ seem more of an
important issue, as they are presented will an image of a
drunk individual. 1 includes a sentence saying “Don’t ruin
your summer, Don’t drink and drive”, whilst 2 is more abrupt
and straightforward. The colour scheme on advert 2 is bleak
and dreary, with black being used as a way of showing the
‘dark’ side of drinking, whilst 1 has a white background that
connotes purity. This is a significant contrast, as 1 is
lighthearted in comparison to the ‘sketchy’ undertones
presented by 2, which is primarily targeted towards an
adolescent audience, therefore, it has to make an impact,
so that the consumer will refrain from ‘binge drinking’ and
the purpose and aim of the advert will be fulfilled. 2 is not
as effective in promoting anti-drinking, as it is not as hard-
hitting, however, it is targeted primarily at the adult market,
therefore, this group of individuals already have an
advanced understanding of the affect of alcohol, so they do
not need to be informed as much as the younger generation
do.

10. 10Creative Media Production 2012
These two webpages are from different, contrasting charities, one being the
homeless charity, ‘Shelter’, whilst the other one being the ‘RSPCA’. Advert 1 is
specifically targeted towards an adult audience in contrast with advert 2 that is
significantly more child-friendly, as it is centered around animals, with a high
image:text ratio.

11. 11Creative Media Production 2012
Adverts 1 and 2 have a significant colour scheme,1 having ‘red’, which connotes peril, in contrast with 2, that
has a blue scheme, which primarily connotes peace and serenity. It shows that 1 is possibly more urgent than
2. It is notable that both 1 and 2 contain a section where the consumer can connect through social networking
means, which is a clever marketing technique as it not only helps to spread awareness of the charities, but it
also shows that the organisations are prominent in the ‘digital era’, which will make them appeal to a younger,
juvenile audience. Also, on each of the adverts, there is a ‘donation’ section and even though they stand for
completely separate causes, the need to gain money from consumers is still present across the board. The use
of a visual aid differs for both of these webpages, with 1 including a couple images, in contrast with 2 that has a
high image:text ratio and therefore makes it more appealing to a younger audience who may become weary of
such an extended amount of text and will prefer to look at photographs.