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Advertising is not just about the commercial promotion of branded products, but can also encompass the idea of public denounce. That is the case of the campaigns Because I am a Girl of Plan International Canada and Gender Equality Now! of 4tomorrow an organization in favor of Human Rights.
■ WHAT – TEXT FUNCTION (impact, function)
- To inform and raise awareness on the discriminatory situation of women.
- Whereas advertisement A focuses on denouncing gender discrimination in our society and its aim is the parity in the treatment of men and women. Advertisement B seeks for the protection of women rights in underdeveloped countries and the fundraising for NGO Plan.
■ HOW – GENRE
A was exposed in a design exhibition
B was emitted on Canadian public TV
■ DISCOURSE MODE
In both, the dominant mode is expository; we are presented a series of information supported by using examples, details, facts… in an objective way.
Since they try to convince the reader –through strong arguments or an ending call for action- to take act in some specific way, we could say they share also some aspects with argumentative-persuasive texts.
■ HOW – LINGUISTIC FEATURES
Higher elements
Structure, moves +steps: They all share the same elements: a slogan or headline, text development, image, logo and further contact references. However the order differs: A presents them all at the same time with the image as background.
B does it with the text on first position, followed by the slogan and at the end the impact image (larger as compensation).
Theme & rheme: Both follow the progression theme (given)→ rheme (new information)
Lower elements
Grammatical cohesion:
- Sentence structure:
- A Long sentences, however The slogan together as one! GENDER EQUALITY NOW! follows a short, snappy structure without intervening grammar to facilitate fast and easy comprehension. It also follows a 3 part list construction, a way of providing an air of completeness.
B short and snappy sentences
- Use of parallel word and structure repetitions to emphasize the message: In the XXI century … still being discriminated Even after advances on legislation … still being discriminated Still being judged differently, beaten and humiliated women and men at the same level, with the same rights
- Direct sentences
- Listing
- Employ of imperative sentences: A Is time to change, to be fair and rational. To put
- women and men at the same level.
B Enjoy the movement
- B The traditional syntactic structure –I am the poorest of the poor because I am a girl- is not followed, the subordinate clause is put before. Parallel structure following a negative-positive restatement: a method of achieving emphasis by stating an idea twice, first in negative terms ( I watch my brothers go to school while I stay home, I eat if there’s food left over when everyone is done, I am the poorest of the poor ) and then in positive terms ( I will share what I know, I am the heart of my community, I will pull my family out of poverty if you give me the chance, I will take what you invest in me and uplift everyone around me ). Ending with the slogan that serves at the same time as conclusion: Because I am a girl, I can change the world.
The data in the bottom part also follows this structure: Plight / Power
- Semantic strategies:
- Personalization: use of “we”, “our”, “us”, “I”… as a way of personalize the message, including the reader as an active part of it. All of us, together as one!
- Paralinguistic elements:
A At first glance, the very first image we perceive, and what is given more importance, is a face divided into two: the male (on a blue background) and the female side (on a pink one), colours that mixed create a kind of purple (currently associated with feminism), color shared by the second part of the slogans, remark by a bigger size.
By this simple drawing we get the idea of gender equality, both genres interdependent the one respect the other.
Typographically, the most important parts are highlighted in bold and by the employ of exclamation marks.
TEXT RECEIVER (acceptability): shocking topic for the public of a design exhibition, an easier way for the message for starting to get through.
TIME & PLACE (situationality) Design exhibition at Paris, 21st century.
B What catch our attention the advertisement background is the sad face of an Asiatic poor girl on the left side superpose with the happy faces of other girls from underdeveloped countries on the left side.
The background of the bottom part as well as the slogan are colored in pink (a tone usually associated to women)
And down on the right side we see the logo of the campaign with three girls of different continents, it contains the NGO logo and the slogan
The two last images are again the slogan but larger, followed by the web direction of the campaign and further data to contact them.
TEXT RECEIVER (acceptability): fulfills the standards of NGO commercials on internet
TIME & PLACE (situationality) part of the campaign Because I am a Girl – Plan Canada, 21 st^ century.
