Wednesday, October 23, 2013

PR Video Case Study


Make-A-Wish Foundation Logo
Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children whom are suffering life-threatening medical conditions. Because this organization is non-profit, Make-A-Wish relies on donations from the public to grant wishes to these deserving children, on average, every 38 minutes. In a recent video campaign titled “The Arc of the Journey,” Make-A-Wish shows the struggles and hardships that thousands of children and parents face everyday, because of life-threatening medical conditions.
This video campaign uses many unique, yet subtle strategies to appeal to the public in hope for their donations and support. The entire video incorporates different stories families face while dealing with the hardships and fear of the unknown, due to the life-threatening medical condition of a child. Not only does it show the negative aspects of these awful conditions, but also it emphasizes the incredible positive impact a wish can make. As you hear the voices and stories from different people, the video flashes important words on the screen to truly convey the difference that Make-A-Wish has on these children. The words go from, ‘Treatment, Life Support and Devastating,’ to ‘A Wish, Opportunity and Alive.’ The uplifting background music also stresses the importance of “a wish.” Towards the end of the video, the voice-overs say, “We are the best we’ve ever been health wise,” and “Here’s this little boy – so determined.” It is truly an uplifting experience and game-changer for thousands of children. The “life-span” line shown at the end of the video exemplifies the significance of one wish. One wish gives a child determination to keep fighting for survival.
In comparison to an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) video campaign, both of these non-profit organizations have similar goals. Slight differences in the video are that the ASPCA actually shows the horrible conditions that the animals are living in, rather than just voice-overs with descriptive words highlighted throughout the video. I think that this type of approach is needed for this organization, simply because humans prioritize humans lives as more important than animals. However, when this video campaign is showed, the public truly sees that these animals need their help just as much as humans do.
ASPCA and Make-A-Wish Video Campaigns
Though they are very different to the naked eye, both video campaigns share common strategies and, in fact, the exact same goals. They must convey to the public that these children and animals need our help – through support and donations. Without public support, these organizations would deteriorate and fail.  Video is extremely necessary for both of these non-profit organizations, simply because it is the most effective way to gain support from the public. From a personal perspective, I would not know anything about either of these organizations without their video campaigns. Through ethos, pathos and logos, both campaigns are able to get people involved. The credibility of the organizations is shown through the celebrity support in many of their other video campaigns as well. If the public sees their favorite celebrities helping this organization, then they want to do the same. These videos appeal to our emotions through the heart wrenching stories and pictures; meaning that we feel as though it is our responsibility to help others, through whatever donation we are able to give. Lastly, is extremely logical for us to help by donating. If 1 dollar a day can change the life of a human or animal, why wouldn’t we want to help?

Make-A-Wish Quote from Child

Looking back at the Make-A-Wish video campaign, it is extremely evident that video is effective to promote their organization. With video being their largest outlet for public relations, Make-A-Wish relies on these campaigns to fund their organization; and it does – granting a wish every 38 seconds. Because these life-threatening medical conditions are many of times incurable, Make-A-Wish allows to us to help these children the only way we’re able to. Every donation, no matter how small or large, is put toward helping a child fight for their life. 





No comments:

Post a Comment