Advertisements are created in order to evoke a response for the audience through the message they aim to convey. A recent Westpac Banking ad focused on small business does exactly this. The advert centres around a male character who starts as a young doctor in a war-torn country. He is shown tending to a patient as a building is blown up and collapses in the background. The music in this first shot is soft and sombre and the lighting is dark which straight away indicates a sad tone to the early part of this character’s story. A non-verbal exchange is then made between the male and his pregnant wife, they are travelling late at night presumably fleeing the war they are surrounded by. The way in which their body language and then the touch of hands conveys both their worry and reassurance is key to the emphatic response Westpac is looking to stimulate in the audience. The characters then appear to arrive at a refugee camp and the immediate tone of the scene is lighter, the music picks up slightly to have a more upbeat rhythm and a lot of natural sunlight is shown making the scene brighter. This contrasts the happy moment of their child being born to the sombre moment of having to flee their country. It’s relatable to a lot of Australians that have fled their our country and have come to Australia seeking a new life. Throughout most of the advert, there is no dialogue, just the music. The character is shown packing away his old stethoscope, which is symbolic of him putting away his old career and life and embracing his new one as he opens his own bakery. This is again highly relatable as most migrants come to Australia with a profession but are forced into working-class jobs to provide for their family. The ending shows the character and his daughter as she places her own stethoscope around her neck showing her as a doctor, coming full circle. The advert expertly uses its story-line, relatability, and visuals to convey it’s intended message which is displayed in the text, “Whoever you’re in business for, we’re here to help”.
Juneja, P. (n.d.) Advertising Techniques – 13 Most Common Techniques Used by the Advertisers. Retrieved From [https://www.managementstudyguide.com/advertising-techniques.htm]
Wilkinson, Z. (2019, June 3). War-torn migrants focus of Westpac’s latest ‘help’ campaign. Retrieved from [https://mumbrella.com.au/war-torn-migrants-focus-of-westpacs-latest-help-campaign-582472]
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