Analysis of NSPCC Campaign

This is a short video documentary that the NSPCC used as part of their campaign in 2012 to promote their charity, preventing cruelty towards children. The advert was shown on television and at cinemas, trying to get the message across to as many members of the public as possible. Although the campaign revolves around anuses children, the bad language and darker themes suggest the target audience for this campaign is adults, who are more likely to recognise the signs of child abuse than a younger child, who may feel threatened or scared by this advert. At first, comedy is used to grab the audience's attention, with children making comments that adults will find sweet and funny (e.g. 'Rabbits are scary, it's like they're looking for people to eat!')- this can be juxtaposed with some of the later quotes. The audience will be shocked when the stories turn slightly darker- 'I can't help getting hurt, I'm too big for my boots'. Children are usually associated with innocence and purity, and hearing a young child talk about serious issues so nonchalantly ('I'm a mistake, it's always my fault/ Daddy banged my eyes on the floor.. It's a secret, I'm not allowed to tell') should make them feel upset, uneasy and almost guilty if they haven't acted. The colours and lighting grow darker as the advert progresses, highlighting the serious themes and reflecting what the children are implying. The closing shot is of one of the young children looking at the camera, visibly upset- it is as if he is begging the audience to help him, or another child in a similar situation. There is the slogan of 'It could be nothing but it could be something'  which, although is not a rhetorical question, makes the audience think. The final few seconds of the advert display contact details and the name of the charity for the first time. As it is the last thing the audience sees, it is more likely that the name and number will stay in the audience's head.

Television adverts are not the only form of media that the NSPCC use to promote their cause; they also use the internet, and have their own website, YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account. This is probably to appeal to the younger end of the target audience, who are stereotypically more likely to use the internet regularly. It can also be accessed from any device, at any time and anywhere in the world, unlike a television advert. The sites are regularly updated to remind people of the good work the charity is doing and to direct anyone struggling with any issues to helpful sites. 

Above is the original NSPCC poster. Although the current NSPCC posters and other adverts nowadays are more complex, this simple logo and slogan are still used. It is effective because there is nothing to distract from the logo and the message. The green circle is still associated with the NSPCC and the work that they do. The same typography and logo were used in the campaign above 'The $#*! Kids Say'.

Regeneration Around School

Lots of areas around the Knights Templar School have been regenrated or built for the benefit of the students around the school, for example;

• The benches and outdoor seating around school
• The school chicken pen
• The new sixth form block

The school council and grow global club are also working on improving the school- over the summer, a school garden and vegetable patch were developed.

Places That Could be Regenerated For The Community

Clothall Park

Clothall Common is the largest housing estate, built in the late 1980s. For any young children or families in the area, the park is the nearest green space/ recreational area; there is a small court for playing ball games, space for bike riding/ skateboarding and play equipment. The park has not been done up in many years, meaning the area is badly kept; the grass is messy and overgrown in some areas, the play equipment looks tacky as the colours are fading and there is a lot of graffiti due to older teenagers. The play equipment could be fixed or even replaced, the grass and bushes could be trimmed and reghularly looked after, the litter picked up and the graffiti painted over, to make it more appropriate for the young families who use it and would benefit from these changes. 

Baldock Police Station

The old Baldock Police Station was located in the centre of the high street, until it was closed in May 2011 in a bid to cut costs. Police officers and PCSOs now work from Baldock Community Centre on Simpson Drive. The downside to this is that the old building, which takes up a fair amount of space, is now abandoned and in a complete mess, distracting from the aesthetics of the rest of the high street. There is a lot of litter and mess in the old car park, while the building itself is in a terrible condition. To make it not only look better but to benefit the community, the old police station could be knocked down and built upon, for example a Cafe, small hall or shop. 

Field Opposite Hartsfield

The field opposite Hartsfield JMI School was a popular teenage hangout on Baldock a few years ago, and was also used as the training grounds for Baldock F.C.  Now, the field is still used, but by mainly dog walkers. It isn't in a good condition the field is extremely muddy and the grass isn't very tidy. The football pitch lines are faded and the goalposts are wonky and rusted, meaning footballers no longer frequently use the area. The small building at the edge of the field, previously used by the football players and then a darts club, is currently abandoned. The football pitch could be redone, the greenery tidied up and the building renovated- it could be rented for small functions in the summer, and there is room for a small skate area to attract teenagers again.

Derelict Garage on Icknield Way

The garage, located on the edge of Baldock on Icknield Way, used to be a second hand car showroom until it was shut down around 6-7 years ago. Since then, the large building has been left empty, and there is still rubbish left there from when the garage was open. It looks bad- it is in the midst of housing, making it even more of an eyesore. The remains of the garage could be knocked down and more residential buildings could be built there; this would attract more people to the community, make the area look a lot nicer and also bring more money into the local economy.

Goldcrest Hotel on the High Street

The Goldcrest Hotel is located in a prime location in the centre of Baldock, however was forced to shut down roughly 10 years ago because of the lack of business/ losses in profit. Ever since, it has been boarded up, which doesn't look great. It is an older building, like many of the other buildings on the high street, and architecturally pleasing. The hotel could be regenerated and reopened as not necessarily as a hotel, but as a venue for functions or meetings (from which the community would benefit the most), a residential or retail outlet. It would make the high street much more aesthetically pleasing and would be good for the locals too. The look of the building would definitely fit in with the modern high street, which underwent regeneration in 2008.

The Hotel in the 1990s, when it was still open.

The Hotel now; the windows and door are all boarded up, and it doesn't fit in with the rest of the high street.

Community Areas in Baldock

The video below shows some examples of community areas in Baldock town. These include; 

• Ivel Springs Nature Reserve
• Baldock Allotments
• Avenue Park/ Avenue Park Sports Club
• Park Drive Play Area
• The Arena (Baldock Football Club)
• Costa Coffee
• The Orange Tree
• The George
• Baldock Community Centre
• Baldock Library 
• Baldock Town Hall
• Baldock Scout Hut
• Saint Mary's Church
• Church Hall

Research into the Issue

Why do we need to focus on regeneration?

Regeneration is important and something we should focus on because it is something that can benefit everyone within a community. It can affect an area socially, economically, environmentally and aesthetically. Creating a new area that offers the locals opportunities to interact such as a community centre or park gives the area a sense of community and belonging. It gives people a place to go to and relax; an example of how Baldock could use somewhere like this for teenagers would be by building a skate park. The town offers nowhere for teenagers to socialise- the parks are used by families and younger children and the church hall and community centre give adults opportunities to interact. 

Some regeneration projects can help the local environment and wildlife, for example Ivel Springs, the small nature reserve in Baldock. In the last few years, the Friends of Baldock have worked on redeveloping the area, with volunteers regularly checking up on the area. It was redeveloped to make it not only more friendly for the wildlife living in the fields there but look more aesthetically pleasing and raise awareness of the area to encourage people such as bikers, dog walkers and runners. Making somewhere look more appealing to the community can have a positive impact on the area as more people will want to go there. (X)

The current state of the Springs; clean and spacious with clear pathways for visitors

Regenerating an area can not only benefit the community but the local economy too. An example of this on a large scale is the East London Docklands. The docklands were on the Thames and used for trade and transporting various products in and out of London, however around 1960, as industry developed (e.g. aircraft, trains) the warehouses there were forced to closed and the docks left abandoned. Another contributor to this was the Blitz in the Second World War, that ruined many or the larger buildings and had a negative impact on the business. As the warehouses shut, people lost their jobs and began to move away. Unemployment was high, and poverty and other social problems were rife; the area became a popular site for vandalism and gangs. Regeneration began on the area in 1981, when the LDDC was created (London Docklands Development Corporation). The area was rebuilt upon; there were houses built as well as many new offices and the iconic Canary Wharf building, which was, at the time it was built, the tallest building in London. Jobs were created in firstly creating new buildings and then in the offices themselves. People began to move back into the area, bringing more money into the local economy. The opening of the Millennium Dome in 2000, nearby the docks in Greenwich would have also benefited the area, as well as the Olympic Park, opened in 2012 the other side of the river. The Olympic Park is an example of regenerating an area that not only benefits the area economically but leaves a legacy and is a reminder of the event for generations to come. The sporting facilities can also be reused for sports teams. This is an example of the positive impact that regeneration can have on an area.

An abandoned area of the Docklands in the 1950's, after the Second World War

The Docklands now- large offices have been built in place of the warehouses such as Canary Wharf

 Why is getting people involved with community and green space so important?

It is important to get people involved within their local community; it gives people time to interact with different people and make new friends within their area. It also gives people a sense of belonging and makes them feel as if they have a voice within their community. People who are involved with community generally safer within the area that they live in because they know that they are not isolated; they have people to rely on if something goes wrong. Most towns will have lots of different clubs and activities. For example; Baldock community centre offers foreign language classes, dance and cheerleading classes, Sunday School and parent and toddler groups. There are also plenty of local groups to get involved in who work with the local council to improve the town. (X)

Green areas also play an important part in community. Places like parks and nature reserves offer locals a place to escape from any stress, and helps them to relax and calm down. It also is important to preserve these areas for the sake of any wildlife there is. It also creates a place for people to play sports and start teams, which links back in to why community is also important. Some people also enjoy green spaces because they break up blocks of building in larger cities and can bring life to a community. (X)

Emma Stone Revlon Analysis

This is an advertising campaign by Revlon, promoting their product 'Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain'. The target audience of this campaign is young women, most likely in their late teens or early twenties. This is because (stereotypically) women around this age enjoy going out a lot, and looking good/ keeping up with the latest fashions is important to them. The poster attracts the target audience by using bright, vibrant colours, in particular pink. This may be because pink is a colour that is associated with woman and femininity. It also has connotations with love, romance and passion, which will appeal to the target audience who are old enough to be concerned with these values. 

There is one main image, of Emma Stone, a famous actress, modelling the makeup. Using an image of an elite person will not only attract fans of the person but make people feel that if the product is good enough for a celebrity then it is good enough for them as well. Emma Stone has starred in films such as Easy A, Friends with Benefits and Crazy, Stupid Love. These are all romantic comedies, films that generally attract young females. This means the target audience will have likely heard of Emma Stone. She is also very young and stereotypically beautiful; this not only gives the company a positive reputation but people may think that if they buy Revlon makeup it will make them look as good as she does. The makeup she is wearing is fairly natural, apart from the bright lips. This means people will notice her lips first, which will have been done deliberately as this advertisement is for lip balm. She is standing against a background of pink flowers which again reinforce the femininity and beauty of the product. 

The advert uses a lot of text, especially at the bottom, describing the product. Positive language and adjectives are used to highlight why the audience should buy the product, for example 'Get smoother, softer looking lips with a perfect flush of colour that will last hour after hour, in 12 vibrant shades'. The choice in words exaggerates how good the product is, and makes it stand out among similar products. 

There is a huge Revlon logo down the right hand side of the page, that promotes not only this product but the brand itself. Down the bottom there are contact details, encouraging people to stay in touch with the company through (in this instance) the internet. 

Smoking Kills NHS Analysis

This is a public safety campaign poster created by the NHS that is trying to convince people to give up smoking by using threat and shock. It is aimed at regular smokers, most likely young adults of both sexes. The poster attracts the target audience by using colours that are not stereotypically associated with one gender (e.g pink is feminine whereas blue is masculine). The black is not only unisex but has also been used to highlight the message of the campaign- black is a dark, unhappy colour with negative connotations, the most common of which is death. This emphasizes how serious the effects of smoking can be and acts as an underlying threat.

The main focus of the poster is on the image of a skull made from the smoke of a cigarette. The skull is a clear representation of death and the fact it is coming from the end of the cigarette shows the audience that smoking is to blame and can be deadly. This is a shocking image, and could scare the audience in wanting to quit smoking in order to avoid an early death. Instead of resting on a plain surface such as a table, the cigarette is resting on an urn, which again reinstates how serious the problem is because of it's association with death and cremation. This could also be a metaphor; cremation is the burning of a body which could have been brought on by lighting/ burning a cigarette.

The main text is the simple 'Ashes to Ashes' in the centre of the right hand side of the page. This keeps in with the references to death and links between smoking and death that act as a threat to smokers of what could happen if they do not quit. It is a well know line from a prayer that is recited at Christian burials; 'Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust'. It could again be a metaphor that links the ashes of a cigarette to the ashes in an urn, again showing the audience how smoking kills. 

In the bottom right corner there is the small slogan 'smoking kills' which is very short and simple but effective in directly summing up the message of the campaign. Next to this is the NHS logo; they are the people behind this campaign. Although there are no contact details, it is obvious to the audience that they should go to the NHS for help or further advice.

Overall, the campaign uses threat and shock to show the serious message and try and scare the audience in quitting smoking.  Maslow's hierarchy of needs says that health is one of the first things that people need to feel content is good health and this poster makes the audience feel uneasy by showing the worst possible outcomes and using grim images with negative connotations.