Ashley Lewis
Instructor Thomas
English 102
01 February 2013
Angel:
A
Look Inside the BCSPCA Video
We have all seen the commercials for BCSPCA: images of abused
animals with sad eyes, the song, “Angel,” playing in the background, and Sarah
McLachlan pleading for donations that way animal cruelty can be stopped. Every
time that commercial comes on our televisions, we automatically want to change
the channel, but there is a part of us that wants to keep watching. We want to
be able to jot down that phone number or web address so we can help the
innocent animals. That is exactly what BCSPCA wants their audience to do. In
this commercial, BCSPCA and Sarah McLachlan creatively use heart wrenching word
choice and excellent metaphors to beef up the logos, ethos, and pathos, which
lures the audience into donating money and stopping animal abuse.
BCSPCA’s overall goal in this commercial is to raise
money and put an end to animal cruelty. Multiple times you hear Sarah McLachlan
say to, “Call the number on your screen…with a monthly gift right now.” As
heartbreaking as the commercial is, they are trying to raise money and BCSPCA
makes sure to pound that into the audience’s head. By donating money to them,
one less animal will be abused and that is exactly what we, as the audience,
wants. Also, during a majority of the commercial, the audience notices a phone
number and web address at the bottom of the screen. BCSPCA does this that way
it will be the last thing the audience remembers as soon as the commercial goes
off. The audience will rush to their phones and donate whatever they can so
they can help end animal cruelty, which is exactly the purpose of the whole
commercial.
BCSPCA appeals to the audience’s sense of knowledge by
stating astonishing facts about animal abuse. At the very beginning of the
video, a text pops up that reads, “Every single hour in BC, an animal is
violently abused.” Most people are stunned by this fact. But by BCSPCA stating
this, they are proving their credentials. A fact like this is something that
BCSPCA knows and researches every day. It is their job to know facts such as
this. And again, having their phone number and web address on the screen also
proves their credentials. This is all their information which also contributes
to their credentials.
BCSPCA definitely gets their audience by pulling on their
heartstrings. The first thing McLachlan asks the audience is, “Will you be an
angel for a helpless animal?” McLachlan metaphorically calls the audience angels, which covers her request for
money and flatters the audience at the same time. And of course, the audience
wants to feel like angels by doing a
good deed; donating money to BCSPCA makes the audience feel benevolent. The
word choice used in this commercial also plays a big part in why it gets to the
audience’s heart. One particular sentence used in the commercial was worded
like this: “Every day, innocent animals are abused, beaten, and neglected; and
they’re crying out for help.” The words abused,
beaten, and neglected appeals to the audience’s sense of melancholy and rage. No
sane person wants to hear about a poor animal being beaten or neglected.
Hearing words like that hurts the audience’s heart and at the same time, makes
them want to hunt down all the abusers and do terrible things to them. For me,
it hurts to watch this commercial because it makes me want to scoop up all of
the animals and bring them home with me. But that is exactly the kind of
reaction BCSPCA is trying to get out of their audience. If the audience is
riled up enough, they will want to call in, donate money, and put a stop to
animal abuse.
BCSPCA does a great job achieving their purpose with
their commercial. Millions of people donate to BCSPCA all the time, which is
what they want. Of course, animal abuse is still an ongoing problem, but at
least with commercials like this, light is being shed on it and things are
being done to stop it.
Works
Cited
Ragefc. “Sarah McLachlan Animal Cruelty Video.”
Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 03 Oct. 2006. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.
