Mobile Phone Addiction
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This curation looks at some of the successful campaigns or advertisement regarding mobile phones addiction. Techniques utilized that attributed to the effectiveness in conveying of message are analyzed.
1. Stop Phubbing Around — By Coca Cola
In this video, Coca-Cola encourages mobile-phone users to withdraw from their screens and indulge in real-life moments. Within 3-weeks of release, this viral hit garnered over 22-million views, becoming Coca-Cola’s most popular YouTube video ever. The pathos approach and relatability are key lessons applicable to our project.
From cultural perspective, creative twist of online parlance makes the video relatable to anyone using social-media applications on mobile-phones. It captivates audience while wittily translate activities behind-the-screen to real-life experiences. For instance, viewers quickly grasp the analogy of posting pictures on Instagram when reference to popular hashtag #nofilter was made. Common internet acronyms like “LOL” and acts of checking-in, tagging, sharing, commenting and creating group-chats were also utilized. Similarly, we can tailor our video to target audience by using salient examples that are relatable. This highlights the problem when viewers recognize their daily-activities as symptoms of mobile-phone addiction.
Emotional appeal is also apparent (Pathos). Heart-warming scenes revolving around friends and families present the promise of happiness as one immerse in real-life pleasures, while the upbeat soundtrack promotes positivity and aspirations. Similarly, we can take a “softer” approach and portray benefits of curbing mobile-phone addiction, making it desirable for audience to adopt the change.
2. Phones Down, Bottoms Up — By Guinness
This is a beer advertisement by Guinness. The image depicts a pile of mobile-phones stacked in the shape of a classic Guinness glass on top of a bar counter. It encourages pub atmosphere of olden days whereby patrons engage in conversations instead of burying their heads into their screens.
The pathos approach is evident. The phrase “Enjoy responsibly. Phones down, please” makes an emotional plea for drinkers to immerse fully in the indulgence of nice beer and relaxed ambience as suggested by the dimly-lit background. Hence, viewers are more likely to be drawn to the advertisement.
From a historical perspective, the advertisement reminds me of “The Phone Stack”, a popular game aimed to curb mobile-phone interruptions when dining with family or friends. In this game, everyone relinquishes their phones, stacks them up and is not allowed to touch till the meal ends. The first person who fails to comply would pick up the tab. Like me, audiences with background knowledge will be able to link the advertisement to mobile-phone addiction instantaneously. In our project, we can consider incorporating earlier popular ideas and give it a new light so that audiences find it refreshing, yet able to connect to it easily.
