campaigns

In a campaign, multiple interpretations by its audience would make the campaign a failure.

Take sea campaign add by Haribon for example.

The organization’s goal was to advocate and encourage people to save the seas. It starts with a frame the shows a ruined coral reef. The text “where have all the fish gone?” was flashed amidst the emptiness of the reef. It was followed by a drawing of a school of fish swimming around. The frame turned to black and the message “call Haribon Foundation” was projected.

So as a viewer of the ad, the first thought that came to me was the question what would happen if I call? After calling, that would be the time I’d know? For the question “where have all the fish gone?” I could say probably fishermen used dynamites or some other form of corruption of natural resources. There were a lot of questions in my mind. The only thing that’s clear is that the ad wanted to infuse pity in me. That part I wouldn’t know if I haven’t seen other campaigns.

Campaigns need to deliver specific information or else its audience would be confused. They would give different interpretations and the goal of the organization wouldn’t be fulfilled if people would do different things.