http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHA0HRjDgc8&feature=related
Ok. Media itself, usually makes use of human perception in order to effectively influence and affect the target audience. Audience's perceptions, in my own opinion, can be very personal and easily swayed. In the video provided, it shows a hideous woman persuading its viewers to quit smoking. Although not much was said in the video, I truly believe that the objective of the video has been met, not because of how persuasive is the woman, but credit goes to the technique used to influence the viewers in the production of the video. The reason why this video is successful in conveying its message to its viewers is because of the after effects it has on them after watching it.
Youngsters usually have the perceptions that smoking portrays a "cool" and "hip" image on them as they failed to apprehend the consequences and damage which cigarettes can do to them. As much as how the government tries to discourage smoking, they usually fail to bring the point across to habitual or potential smokers. This is because no matter how persuasive is the language used, it hardly has the shocking effect to instantly convince them of the harmful effects of smoking. Therefore, in the past year, the government has come up with several advertisements and commercials which directly present to the public what smoking can do to your health and appearance. These kinds of advertisements make use of non- verbal communications to effectively convey their message across to the audience. It is a type of communication that occurs when a stimulus other than words creates meaning in the mind of the communicator. It is usually non linguistic, contains intentional symbolic behavior, is a right brain activity and consists of nonverbal behaviors intentionally sent and perceived, that people within a given group recognize as having a consensual meaning. The hideous look of the woman indirectly creates a fear to habitual smokers and warning to potential smokers to stay away from cigarettes so that they do not end up like the woman featured in the video. I feel that the government had successfully used the correct approach to convey what it wants to say to the public.
In conclusion, we have learnt that different types of communications should be adopted to suit different audiences and purpose in order to achieve a desired result. There is no " one size fits all" method where communication is involved.
So to those smokers out there, will you still continue to smoke when there is a high chance that u end up like her? God bless you and your lungs. =)
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Well to me it hardly deters smokers. The video instills trepidation which is what it sets out to achieve but only during the video. Smokers will tend to ignore the facts presented in the video because they themselves already acknowledged the abominable aftermath. Since the start of this year, efforts to discourage smoking are demonstrated. There are more smoke-free places now and this is an overtly plain act of dissuasion, which from my point of view is the most forceful yet effectual implementation.
ReplyDeleteI ouldn't agree more. It would not stop me from smoking-maybe only that few seconds of gorry images to scare me, but after that, it leaves no effect on me.
ReplyDeleteThe video is typical of a form of verbal communication used to convey the direct side effects of smoking. I wouldn't really say it's not successful, but surely, with staying health-conscious as a rising trend today, perhaps that'll keep smokers away?
well what i think is the video shows both verbal and non-verbal aspects. verbal refers to the part that she's talking and conveying the message, while non-verbal comes from the 'cancerous mouth' of hers. the disgusting image just wont fail to create a certain perception in us ( rmb intensity factor that affects perception, i think it meant it this way )
ReplyDeleteabout the effectiveness of encouraging people to stop smoking, in a way its successful and not. k, frankly speaking there isn't much ways to actually stop a person from smoking. it's already a habit and we know it's hard to quit a habit. and there are smokers out there with decades of experience with smoking, it's almost like asking traditional china grandparents to stop eating rice as their staple and switch to... maybe paghetti ( pardon the expression :D )
what i am trying to say is that such advertisment only serves as a deterrence. effective or not, it's actually up to those smokers to decide themselves.
and the only way to stop smokers from smoking?
ban smoking in singapore :)
To begin with, I must say that the advertisement is just plain disgusting. With reference to the non-verbal distasteful images in the video, I presume it will be even sufficient enough to represent good things in a bad light.
ReplyDeleteTeenagers nowadays live in the moment. Their life revolve around instant gratifications and pushing the boundaries of normality. Although they may be initially put off by the disgusting commercials or even the print on the cigarette box itself, they still try to find their way around the facts by putting the cigarettes into their own container. To worsen things, the proliferation of these revolting images may even exacerbate existing smoking problems as those who smoke believe that they are perceived to be able to manage risk and hence the 'cool' image. Ironic it may seem, but certainly true it definitely is.
Referring to the communicator statement on banning smoking in Singapore, I feel that it is not feasible and difficult to be implemented. Understanding the nature of the free market in Singapore, the authorities can only impose heavy tariff to control the volume of smokers. In the mainstream media until now at least, we have never gotten to see smoking ads portraying the positive side unlike other countries itself. And that is the minimum correct thing we can do to pass down for our next generation to follow.
shocking ads leave a deep impression in our minds and hearts. it is an unconventional way to bring a message across.
ReplyDeleteshock stirs up the guilt and further convicts us of our flaws and bad habits. however, shocks are playing with emotions and they only last for a while.
without proper follow up on the topic, people will just forget the impact they had when they first viewed it. they would then lead their normal lives of smoking away.
it is a well choreographed ad which sends out its intended message using both verbal and non verbal cues.