Topic: IFAW’s Elephant Ad from the “Will Only Words Remain?” Campaign

Purpose: To analyze IFAW’s ad to show their successful use of persuasion to convince their audience about the importance of wildlife conservation

Thesis Statement: In this ad from the “Will Only Words Remain?” campaign, IFAW effectively utilizes intrinsic proofs to further the pathos, logos and kairotic moment in order to call to the civic to protect the elephants and their habitat.

Introduction

Attention Strategy: I will put a picture of the ad up on a slide and start with the question that is central to the campaign: “Will Only Words Remain?” I think asking this question will engage the audience, as it is thought-provoking and captures the idea and importance of the ad.

Orienting Material: The “Will Only Words Remain” campaign was a series of images, videos and other ads that the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the largest animal welfare and conservation charity, used to emphasize the urgency of species conservation. It was started in 2007, and included animals, such as polar bears, whales, tigers, lions and zebras. IFAW stated that the rate of animal extinction is equal to the growth rate of new charities, and pointed out that humans are largely responsible for this destruction. This specific ad focuses on elephants, but is similar to the other ads in the campaign and conveys the same message to the audience. IFAW was founded in 1969 and has projects in over 40 countries to help protect and save wildlife.

Preview: In this analysis of the ad, I will touch upon Aristotle’s three artistic proofs to show how IFAW combines them to create an effective ad. I will look at how juxtaposition and symbolism contribute to pathos, then proceed to consider the organization of the ad impacts the logos and finally discuss the use of ethos in a kairotic moment.

Body

1. The juxtaposition of natural and digital elements in the ad and the symbols within this juxtaposition parallel the endangerment of elephants to create a feeling of sympathy in the audience.
   1. Elephant made out of words using technology
      1. When originally looking at the image, the audience sees an elephant against a sunset background. After looking more closely, however, the public can more clearly see that the elephant is actually not real and is instead merely made out of words. The gaps in the elephant created by the letters represent the disappearance of the elephant population on Earth.
   2. The real background behind the digital elephant
      1. Color scheme: The colors of the sunset, yellow and orange, are usually considered happier tones. In this image, however, the sunset also has a red component to it that overshadows the orange and yellow. The red can be thought of as symbolizing bloodshed. The different colors are used to show that this beautiful place that is supposed to be the habitat of elephants is being destroyed because of the lack of animal protection.
      2. Sunset: Not only are the colors of the sunset important, but the sunset itself is a symbol. Sunsets occur at the end of the day when the day is winding down and almost over. In a similar way, the ad is showing that the period for elephant life is coming to an end if no action is taken to try to protect them.
      3. Elephant vs. background: The digital elephant against the natural background shows that in this real habitat that still exists, the elephants are starting to not exist and instead disappear. If things continue the way they are, the elephants will soon be completely gone, or close to it, and the habitats will be more empty.
2. The structure of the advertisement with the placement and organization of some of the elements creates a more thought-provoking scene.
   1. Elephant bigger and then words towards the bottom
      1. Elephant: The first element of the image that is clearly visible to the public is the elephant, as it is the biggest part of the ad and is placed in the center relative to the other parts. The elephant is the focus of the ad, so it makes sense that this is most likely the first element that pops out. The elephant gives off a reflection that leads to the words at the bottom of the ad.
      2. Words: At this point, the audience has seen the elephant and knows that the ad is about these animals. The words help to give context to the elephant picture and explain the message of the ad. These two elements put together convey the idea that IFAW is trying to get across regarding wildlife conservation.
   2. Line at bottom with main message
      1. Question: The message at the bottom of the ad starts off with a question. The question gets the audience thinking about the deeper meaning of the image and the possible negative effects of not taking into consideration the importance of animal protection.
      2. Exclamation: The question is followed by an exclamation to emphasize that action needs to be taken fast. The question has already gotten the audience thinking about the severe situation and the exclamation is making the point even more clear. The question and exclamation together demonstrate the urgency of the situation and make the audience think more about the protection of elephants.
      3. Command: At the end, there is a command to visit the IFAW website. After proving to the audience that action needs to be taken quickly, IFAW inserts a command to show the audience how they can start getting involved and save the elephants. This strategy of using syntax in a certain order is effective in getting the audience to understand the severity of the situation and then providing them a way to help out.
   3. “Will Only Words Remain?” and elephant made out of words
      1. The use of the slogan “Will Only Words Remain?” along with the elephant made out of words directly relates the image to the words. This connection makes the ad seem like one unit and the image visually portrays what the words are communicating, which creates a stronger impact than just using one technique.
3. IFAW uses its ethos in this kairotic moment to push the audience to support the dominant ideology of wildlife conservation.
   1. IFAW logo in bottom right
      1. The use of the IFAW logo in the bottom right hand corner of the image builds the credibility of the ad, as IFAW is a well-established charity. As stated earlier, the organization has projects running in over 40 countries. They are known in many areas, and this credibility gives the ad more value, as it is viewed as an image that is supported by a popular and trusted organization.
   2. Part of bigger campaign
      1. The “Will Only Words Remain?” campaign involves several ads that go beyond just this one elephant ad. By spreading the message with various ads, IFAW’s message becomes more prevalent and is therefore made more relevant. The bigger campaign spreads the significance of the ad and overall campaign to a broader audience, and makes IFAW more popular and well-known.

Conclusion

Summary Statement: The juxtaposition and symbolism in the image along with the structure and IFAW’s brand name create an effective ad through the use of Aristotle’s three means of persuasion to show the importance of species conservation.

Concluding Remark: The big picture – “Will Only Words Remain?” – is the main idea of IFAW’s overall campaign is a statement that will stick with the audience after viewing this elephant ad and others similar to it.

Possibly useful sites

• IFAW: Stopping Illegal Wildlife Trade
• IFAW: Will Only Words Remain

Reference Page(s)

Will Only Words Remain – Elephant. 2007, http://www.unep.fr/scp/communications/ad/details.asp?id=6684518&cat=7. Accessed 20 Sept 2019.