- Water Aid -

How is the UK represented in the advert ? 

The UK is represented as a resourceful nation, which is shown by the excessive rain displayed in the video, this is a direct contrast to the representation of Africa being an arid, dry continent, with little to no resources or anything of value. The use of blue lighting is done to show the UK as a cold country, which could represent the ignorance of the people who live there and take everything they have for granted. This contrasts the yellow-orange hued lighting of the African continent displayed in this video, this could represent how Africa is a quite tropical area, or it could represent the hearts of the people who live there, who are displayed as nice, kind-hearted individuals, singing in unison throughout the video. However, the video takes advantage of the idea that everybody in the UK is rich or lives in a middle-class home, while in Africa everybody is poor with little resources, this is done in order to give everybody a 'reality check' and to get them to donate or do something about it.



Who are the target audience ? How can you tell ?

The target audience of this video are the middle class, as they're living in luxury. They're the target audience as their income allows them to freely do things like this without it denting their wallets. This is also shown by the use of a luxury item, the radio and a plant pot (which could be showing how the UK's environment is rich and fertile while the African environment is arid and dry).

How is the landscape of Africa represented in the advert ?


- The landscape of Africa appears to be warm and dry, with scattered trees and dead crops around the area. 

-  The landscape is full of people enjoying themselves despite facing several hardships that people who live in a middle-class British society cannot comprehend nor begin to understand.

How are the people in Africa represented in the advert ? Focus on the main character as well as
other people you see.

The people appear to be happy, the main character sings an old song, perhaps to show the viewer that even though they aren't rich or from a country with plenty of resources, they're enjoying themselves as much as we do.

It also focuses on the people washing their clothes by hand, while we wash using washing machines, shows the viewer the amount of technological advances we take for granted in our country. (another example is the radio, instead of listening to the radio, she is singing, depicting African society as primitive in order for the viewer to feel sorry for them and to assist them).


What is the central message of the advert and how does it achieve this ? Look at techniques to appeal to the audience and the technical codes used.

The central message of the advert is that there are people less fortunate than we are and that we need to help them. This is evident by highlighting how common water is in the UK, while in Africa, people walk hundreds of miles in order to get to a well or another water source. The video is designed to take advantage of the viewer's empathy (or sympathy) in order to get them to help or assist those who aren't as lucky as they are.


Does the advert follow or subvert the conventions of the charity advert genre ? 

It follows similar themes as other advert genres, but it's not quite the same. Both "MOST SHOCKING DAY" and "Rain for good" use children in their campaigns, targeting people with families or middle-class backgrounds. However, in "MOST SHOCKING DAY", it basically brings the chaos and famine to our doorstep, creating a warzone-like reality in a first world country. While in "Rain For Good", this is all happening somewhere else, completely far away from us.