Big Issue front cover

 

Super curricular - analysis of Shelter advert film

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/lifestyle/video-3543303/Video-Shelters-emotional-Christmas-ad-highlights-housing-crisis.html

Commentary on the Advert & Its Narrative

Narrative Structure & Emotional Contrast

• The advert (“Earworm”) opens with a schoolboy joyfully singing Total Eclipse of the Heart as acapella — no backing track, just his voice.  At first, it feels playful and innocent — a child simply humming a tune he likes, reinforcing childhood purity and wonder.
• Revelation & Metaphor
  As the story unfolds, we learn that his mother is on the phone trying to get through to a housing or accommodation service — and the same song is playing on a loop as hold music.  The earworm (a song stuck in your head) becomes a powerful metaphor: what’s in his head is exactly what she’s enduring in real life — waiting, hoping, being stuck.  
• Creative Choices
  
• A cappella singing: They deliberately chose for the boy’s voice to be unaccompanied to feel raw and real.  
• Involvement of lived experience: Shelter and the agency worked with families who have lived in temporary accommodation to shape the portrayal authentically.  
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• Emotional Payoff
  The use of the twist that the song he’s been joyfully singing is actually the looped hold tone his mother is stuck on portrays heartbreak. It drives home how deep and personal the struggle of being homeless or in insecure accommodation really is.  It’s not a “look how sad” ad, instead it’s subtle and deeply empathetic.

How It Reflects Altruism & Prosocial Behaviour

1. Empathy Building; By showing the child’s innocent joy and then revealing the emotional burden behind it, the ad makes viewers feel the worry, frustration, and helplessness. That empathy can motivate people to help.
2. Raising Awareness; The ad illuminates a less-visible crisis: families in temporary accommodation. Many people may not realise that hold music on the phone is something that some parents literally live with while trying to secure stable housing. 
3.  Call to Action
• Shelter’s campaign isn’t just about sharing a story — it encourages donations, support, and a sense that we (society) must act.  When viewers connect emotionally, they’re more likely to contribute or get involved.
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5. Solidarity & Shared Responsibility
   
• The advert suggests that no family should be left on hold — literally or metaphorically. It frames homelessness not just as an individual misfortune, but a systemic issue where society must step in.
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7. Altruistic Behavior Encouraged
   
• For many viewers, reacting to this campaign (by donating or advocating) is an altruistic act: helping families they will likely never meet, for a cause that is deeply meaningful but not always visible.
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Media Magazine article summary

 

This article explores how the media has represented teenagers from the 1950s to he present and how tech has changed their relationship. It suggests that teens have often been shown negatively - linked with deviance and rebellion. However, modern platforms like YouTube and other social media have given young people more control over how they present themselves. The article also notices teens as a profitable audience, changing an advertising around them. It talks about how digital technologies threaten traditional media businesses because the teenage audiences relate and share their own content about it. 

What I learnt: Teens have been represented through stereotypes, they can also now create their own identities online, youth audiences are always valuable to advertisers, representation continually evolves.

Relating to my studies: 

Advertisers often rely on stereotypes about teens being rebellious, fashionable and tech-savvy. Links to brand identity and lifestyle advertising - how media companies see the youth as a profitable demographic, how technology influences consumer behaviour (teenagers are often more naive) and why people tailor campaigns to youth culture. Finally, how media media constructs identity especially within teens and how they present themselves online rather than relying solely on traditional media.

School advert - practical work

 

Here I have produced a print advert for Southend High School for Girls. I used the repeated motivational phrases "Achieve more, Learn more, Be more" to create a strong message that appeals directly to students and parents, positioning the school as ambitious. I ensured the text was in bold and majorly stood out from the rest of the advert to emphasise the schools high-achieving acts, making sure the audience see that straight away. I included the image i took of two pupils in uniform to build trust and reliability, showing real pupils who show real success. The schools social media tag was added to encourage digital engagement, reflecting modern marketing

Beauty advert - practical work