Well, well do have a close look at this. This was taken from the Singapore Police Force Crime Prevention News Letter. This was put up in conjuction with the recent festive seasons whereby there are a higher chances for drink driving to occur.
This poster was put in place, to warn people, not to drink and drink. This is suppose to reach out to the masses. It is relevant to all the different cultures in Singapore, as it mostly common across all of them to consume alcohol during social festive gatherings. Furthermore, being in a collectivist cultural society, it's no doubt that many people would take part in social drinking in a group, rather than to be left out. As in such a cultural society, we practised high level of conformity and readiness to coporate with members around us. Nevertheless, being in set in such a difficult position, it's not wrong to take a few drinks, but the key is not to drive after that. Even though, there are many who drives to the venue with the intentions of not consuming any alcohol, but end up taking on a few drinks. These are the people who shouldn't be driving back. And because we are in such a high context cultural society, whereby politness and 'face-saving' precedes over the truth, and people always say that they are not drunk, and can drive back. This usually leads to fatal accidents.
The advertisement here uses the concept of pathos to appeal to the viewers emotions, on the fatality in an accident. The potraying of the victim drenched in blood attempts to scare most people that this could be what would happen to them if they drink and drive. Thus by inducing fear, the police force hope that this image would be imprinted on the driver's minds when they wish to drive after drinking, hoping that it would deter their actions. Besides, you can find these posters everywhere, at bus stops, train stations and malls. Thus with such high frequency, it's also naturally that peole would select this poster to see over others, and remember it better. A high level of gore and blood is used to show the intensity of fatality and danger involved in drink driving, which is what the police force wants to tell the public. If we do take a more in depth look into the figure and ground of the poster. Whereby the figure, is the accident victim which exerts most of the influence, and the ground is a scene of where the accident actually took place. But why is the scene so blurry? Well, this is because it wishes to potray how the road or surroundings would look to a person under the influence of alcohol. At the same time, to show the fast movement effect, on probably the tremendous speed at which the car was travelling. We can also see part of the wreckage in the back ground.
One thing that appeals to me, and to most of us, is the use of the term bloody mary. It appeals to our logic here. Whereby bloody mary is an alocoholic drink, at the same time, it also describes a woman with blood on her. So, in the poster, they use a lady that is involved in the accident and stains her with blood. They call her bloody mary, at the same time, they use the fact that she consumed the alcoholic drink bloody mary that caused her tragedy. As a result, being aware of the alcoholic drink, our cognitive schemata aka our brain would be generally link it to the reason why the lady ended up to be so bloody. Therefore, I am sure that many of us would have a deep impression of this. And of course, the words on the poster explains it all, using a intensity of vocab that one don't normally use in everyday conversations to warn the public.
Well, other than bloody mary, Singapore Sling is one of the all time favourite cocktails here. Though I am now imagining what they can do with that term, and what would be the result of the poster.Hmm, a singaporean flying out from the car upon impact and landing on a hammock sling concidentally? LOL..I don't know...just my wild imagination. Good nite folks.. Don't have nightmares because of her...
Hello, kel,
ReplyDeletewould wanna add onto it effectiveness on this poster and the TP's efficiency in warning singaporeans not to drink and drive.
This advert has its outstanding highlights as it allows the viewers to percieve it. Perception of the viewers may vary from looking at this, especially the physical factors, personality and culture.
By the look of the poor gal, mary, and the pun usage of it "Bloody Mary", it really strikes fear into the intended audiences. From the looks of it, it could be to the young adults (aged 18 - 35?). Looking at statistics (TP), more teenagers are getting their licenses and ar driving (legal or illegal) dangerously.
The outlook of 'Mary' is to allow these young adults to think twice before drinking and the consequences for drink driving.
Plus to strike straight to them, since the personality of these young adults are extrovert, with other drink driving adverts, they might not even think they could be the 'lucky' ones with friends around them not getting into trouble. Thus the usage of 'a young teenage mary' to warn them, as she's someone their age, and could happen to them or their friend.
To conclude, this advert/poster will set minds thinking, and would improve and serve a stern warning to the young adults 'If you drink, dont drive'.
:)
hey kelvin,
ReplyDeleteWell , there are many Bloody Marys in the world these days, but the first and ultimate originator has to be Queen Mary I of the Tudor dynasty of England and sister to Queen Elizabeth I, who caused hundreds to burn at the stake as they were Roman Catholic dissenters.
I feel that even though the Bloody Mary cocktail is like a pun for the poor girl who is covered in blood, I feel that the girl has a stronger semblance to Her Majesty, Queen Mary of England.
This queen had the blood of many on her head as she ordered their executions, earning her the term ‘bloody’. Likewise, the girl in the ad is probably drenched in her own blood, or even that of a passenger in the car. The link is that the girl, though unintentionally (unlike Mary Tudor, who intentionally killed others opposed to her creed), could have killed the passengers and herself, if not others commuters or pedestrians if she were the driver. Their death and hence their blood would therefore be upon her head and she would have to deal with that guilt (though Mary Tudor found killing the opposition pretty ok) and unforgiving relatives of the deceased or maimed, for life. And hence this girl’s ‘bloodiness’... it would be cool if her name were really Mary..haha.
Yes, I also think that this is an ad that wants to scare us into not drinking and driving, but it does not touch upon the fact that you might just kill the innocent. There was another ad about a guy killing his buddy and having the ill fortune to survive. I mean killing yourself is one thing. Your life is your own, and you can only blame yourself if you kill yourself, but having to live with the fact that you survived and others did not due to no fault on their part is even worst then dying alone for your mistakes.
I feel that though the gory and bloody do deter potential driving drunkards; the thought of having killed somebody is a mean pill to swallow. A very very difficult thing to swallow indeed. Perhaps it is to this logical and humane side that ads should target in teens. And they have! In that ad that I talked about.
It’s like that social studies thing of the two pronged approach of diplomacy and deterrence! The gory and penalties are the deterrence and the diplomacy is the knowledge that you might just take a life.
On a lighter note, I was wondering whether it would be a good idea if pubs and other places where you can find a lot of booze come with free overnight parking. Maybe the government can subsidise this venture and maybe also some free overnight lodging to try to discourage people who just went for a drink to stay overnight at their destination. This might reduce the fatalities......but it might cost a bomb......
Hi there...with the first comment..yup I do agree that this poster is to strive fear in the young adults, as nowadays many of them are getting into alcoholic problems. Thus, even if for people who don't drink, by seeing these poster, they can actually warn their friends and loved ones not to drink and drive. as their is a mass media message that would wanat to reach out to all audience.
ReplyDeletenice commentary. maybe another way they subconsciously appealed to people was by making the poster red, since bloody mary drink is red. by the way, i like your idea about singapore sling! maybe you can email it to them...
ReplyDeletehi there to the 2nd comment, well i do appreciate your indepth analysis of all the Bloody Marys since the past century. And I do agree with your point that, the person who created this poster could want us to take on the perception that the girl could have caused the death of her friends in the car, as she was drunk at the steering wheel. As a result, her hands are "stained" with the blood of the victims,as she indirectly caused her death.
ReplyDeleteyes I do remember that ad as well. The tagline was drink driving shatter's life or sumthing..Well, I think the hardest face to accept in life, is not your death, but the death of your loved ones around you, and the fact that you have something to do with it, just makes it even worse! that commercial appeals to our emotins, and uses disturbing images to warn us of the harm that drink driving could do to the people ard us..and not only to ourselves.well, i don't think it would be a good idea for the free night parking. this is because there have been many cases whereby it's the drivers that insist to drive home, not because of expensive parking, but the fact is they just want to return back to their comforts of home...
hallo weiwen!!!!sorry been so busy myself, then we have gotten the chance to see each other so far..nevertheless, there sure shall be the day. wah..u really know ur alcohol ah..sorry I haven tried bloody mary before..So i don't know it's red. But from the name bloody, guess it should be red. But yes, I take your approach of subtle influence of the teenagers mind from the posters. SO in a way, the next time, someone consumes bloody mary, he's reminded of the advert..good way of putting it..haha..really? ahh..well well..maybe i can get some cash outta it yea? singapore sling..here i come
ReplyDeletehi kelvin,
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether anyone has considered whether this ad might be suitable for a child if he or she just happens upon it. I mean it isn’t exactly daisies and ponies. It is bloody and disgusting. This I feel might not be a good poster as it neglects the effect it might have on younger impressionable minds.
Maybe this poster might be a little too gory as it shows someone from an accident. Actually, there is some semblance to those Japanese ghost shows to the portrayed girl. This might not be suitable for children, who have a brighter perception of life and seeing posters indicating that such things do happen and can happen to them might be a little overwhelming. Other ads about drink driving like the one where a guy lost his best friend and the one where the view of the drunkard is blurred like that of drinking glasses put in a row were perhaps more appropriate as they were less bloody and I feel could therefore be aired on the television. A less mature audience might have seen those ads on the television but it would not really have been a problem seeing that it was not really gory. However, this poster is quite gory and I hope that it is placed in places where children don’t often frequent, such as clubs and pubs and not anywhere else. But it can be seen that the aim of the poster is to use shock and disgust and fear to curb the problem of drink driving. I mean imagining that the person in the poster could be you is terrifying and would make a good deterrent against drink driving.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is a social reflection on our society. We cannot be nicely told to stop doing things that would hurt both ourselves and others. We must be scared into doing it. Maybe it reflects how selfish we are. Unless we consider that such a thing could befall me, we would just carry on on our merry way and do what we will. And children might get influenced negatively for our selfishness and stubbornness. Of course this is just speculation but then again it is not entirely impossible.