In August 2012, a Canadian owned company, Quebec Automobile Insurance Society, launched a campaign, which consisted of three images (including the one featured above) called Buckle Up. Stay Alive.
All three images depicted a similar monochromatic graphic; a simple coloured tee shirt embroidered with one clearly visible year alongside an automobile seatbelt, which bisected the second year, obscured to the viewer. This clever advertisement represents the importance of car safety, especially in regards to wearing seatbelts. Without the safety precaution, pictured in the advertisement, the image instills that the passenger’s life would be cut short, as the dates are symbolic of the writing on a tombstone.
In 2002, it was recorded that out of all the fatal car accidents in the US, an astounding 59% of people were not wearing a seatbelt (Snyder, 2002). And so, this advertisement aims to reduce this number by highlighting the need for car safety with something as easy as wearing your seatbelt.
But, as simple and straightforward as it is, the campaign images could be falsely interpreted by the audience, consequently leading to the intended message not being correctly absorbed.
For instance, the simplicity of the advertisement means that there is room for a multitude of different ideas and meanings. In this case, the tee shirt as one of the main focuses could entail that it is an advertisement for clothing. There are no vectors to draw the eye to the subtle writing in the corner, and with modern advertisers, such as those at Apple, taking such simplistic approaches to displaying their products; it could be hard to determine exactly what the image is trying to do.
In a similar tone, the minimalistic approach to car safety was most likely intended to encompass a wide audience. Having no face in the advertisement could suggest that fatalities in car accidents could happen to anyone, allowing the viewer to slot in himself or herself, or someone they might know. However, this could lead to possibility of the complete opposite view being taken. The advertisement could seem impersonal and vague, the audience could have a ‘not me’ frame of mind because of this.
To sum, advertisements do not need to be overly complicated to generate different opinions on what it is trying to convey. Although being bold and to some, straightforward, there is always the chance of misinterpretation, based on the viewers perspective.
in omnia paratus 