Charity Advertising Research 3

Visiting Gramps - The Silver Line Charity

Ideology
The message that is conveyed is that the elderly suffer isolation and loneliness. This isn't just at Christmas time, it is all year round. It portrays loneliness as painful suggesting that everyone needs company.

Characters/Visual Style
There are two separate scenes in this advert. An elderly man is shown prepping his house by putting mince pies out and puffing his cushions. The other scene focuses of what seems to be a very happy family who are opening their presents on Christmas morning, they then go and visit their family. This is done in a very clever way because the audience get the impression that the elderly man is expecting visitors, as an audience member I got the impression that the happy family were going to visit him because of the phone call the woman makes telling the significant other to 'pop the kettle on' the next shot is showing the elderly man flicking up the switch to his kettle. However later we found out that the very happy family were in fact, not going to visit the lonely, saddening old man, yet they were visiting the next door neighbours of the man. This was a huge twist and actually very shocking. The emotions of the elderly man are shown through close up shots because when he is peering through his window, the disappointment is clear.


Lines Of Appeal
Because there are millions of elderly people who are suffering the pain of loneliness, this advert allows a large majority to relate to it. This encourages the audience to in some way, personally identify with it. Like I mentioned before, the advert has been done cleverly with a twist. It got us to assume that the man was having his family over for Christmas dinner yet this is not the case. The twist could link to enigma codes because we just assumed. This then led to the feel of guilt because we find out that he doesn't have anyone to spend Christmas with.
You could also say that it makes the audience have a need for love and belonging because younger, more oblivious audience members may realise that this could be them one day.

What Works
The twist in the story makes us feel bad for the elderly man because no one should have to spend Christmas or any other day alone. It is emotive because it was unexpected therefore it has a greater effect on the audience.