Print Ad

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I decided to base my assignment on the Anti-rape print campaign in South Africa for POWA (People Opposing Women Abuse) by Lowe Bull Calvert Pace in 2003. The ad is double paged with the pages partially glued together. Once you pull them apart, it reveals an image of a young naked girl lying down with her legs spread apart in a poorly lit room, and the line; “if you have to use force, it’s rape”. It is no wonder why this ad received a Cannes Lion Press Silver award; a very powerful and brilliant campaign.

South Africa currently has the second highest rape rate in the world. They are also known to the be amongst the highest incidence of child and baby rape in the world. Their current reputation has led them to be known as the “rape capital of the world”. An estimate of sixty-five thousand rapes and other sexual assaults were reported in the year 2012 alone. Over twenty-five percent of South African men have admitted to multiple instanced of rape. Three out of Four of the men who admitted to rape, confess that their first attack was in their teens. If these men were to be convicted, their prison time would only be two years.
This ad has always been one of my favorites. I really appreciate how straightforward the message is. The unsettling image effectively communicates the overall feeling that the designer tries to emit. The way people react to this ad emotionally is telling of how they think about it rationally. This ad has shock factor that leads to an overall feeling of helplessness and vulnerability. The interactive role it plays in the advert is especially effective to the audience due to its graphic nature. I believe that this choice was crucial in the advert and is the reason why it is so commercially successful. Point is, if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s working.
Citations:
“Sexual Violence in South Africa.” <i>Wikipedia</i>. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“Becks’ Blog.” <i>Becks Blog</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“The Persuaders.” <i>PBS</i>. PBS, 9 Nov. 2004. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

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