Wednesday 7 December 2016

How one organization reframes celebrity and a social issue




Unicef’s new film featuring David Beckham and his tattoos uniquely highlights child abuse and promotes the organization’s campaign to combat it. Beckham is not only a well-known soccer star, he’s also a Unicef goodwill Ambassador. Although his celebrity status may draw people to the video, the attention he would normally receive is deflected to the message he physically carries about the scars left on children who are victims of violence. In the film Beckham sits silent and still as his tattoos become animated while sounds of cries and sinister music play. Most of the colors in the film are black and grey reinforcing the somber message in this video. Beckham only speaks for a few seconds at the end with a forceful voice. He says, “Violence against children marks them forever. It’s wrong. End it.”

What stands out most about the film isn’t Beckham’s presence or the horrific imagery of animated children hurt, it’s the way these features come together to push the point of Unicef’s campaign, which is to stop violence against children. At the end of the video, there is a call to action, which people can answer by using the hash tag #ENDviolence , by visiting unicef.org/endviolence, and by sharing the video.

It’s clear that the video aims to trigger people’s emotions, but it also aims to change people’s thoughts on violence against children. Some of the animated characters in the film show violence between children and verbal abuse, which some people prior to watching the video may overlook. The way Unicef framed the stories of violence against children in this film seems profound. Although the video is short, it may leave a lasting impression on its viewers.

Also worth noting is the way Unicef frames Beckham, he is a vessel for the campaign not the driver of it. While other organizations might have video ads featuring a celebrity talking about issues (Jennifer Aniston’s St. Jude’s commercial), Unicef does not use Beckham as the reason people should care about its campaign. His body, which is usually sexualized and idolized, becomes a canvas and the significance of his tattoos is redefined as vivid examples of what real children go through, not body art or decoration.

In the book Communication Power by Manuel Castell, he asserts, “Alternative projects and values put forward by the social actors aiming to reprogram society must also go through the communication networks to transform consciousness and views in people’s minds in order to challenge the powers that be” (Castells, 2009, p53).

Castell’s quote captures what this film does. The alternative value put forward by this film is to pay attention to the messages people carry not the people carrying them. As a character living in the world full of tabloids and red carpets, Beckham has humbled himself to guide those who know him to issues that are more important like violence against children. Maybe after watching the film people will think twice when they see someone screaming at a child or when they see Beckham on the cover they’ll think about this video and the message it sent. This video is a chance to “reprogram society” and although when people see it they may consciously focus on Beckham and his physical features, subconsciously they may associate him with his stance against child abuse and support the stance too.

To further explain the potential impact this video might have on viewers, one can turn to Castell again. In Communication Power he states, “…When emotional mechanisms are triggered in the brain’s surveillance system, higher-level decision capacities are activated, leading to more attention to information and a more active information search. That is why deliberate frame is typically based on the arousal of emotions” (Castells, 2009, p156). The way that Unicef aims to stir emotions in this video seems strategic and more challenging than the routes other organizations addressing similar issues have gone. Unicef could have featured a child telling a story of violence or with bruises, but even without the use of real children the message film delivers is raw. The fact that the message about violence against children in this film isn’t theatrically done might trigger people’s emotions on a deeper level since they may have been desensitized to images of violence when it is prominent in the movies and ads. Once viewers get roped in to use the hash tag or visit the Unicef website, they’ll learn more about the realities of violence against children.

This film reinforces the importance of framing in regards to storytelling. Even though people are constantly overwhelmed by messages and adverts in their daily lives, it’s refreshing when an organization can reframe a social issue or how the deliver information about that issue.


Reference:

Castells, M. (2009) Communication Power. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.


Burns, J. (2016). David Beckham tattoos come to life for child abuse campaign. BBC. 5 December. Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38207684

8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. This video describes the abuse to children in a unique way - it is definitely a chilling campaign :'(

    I do appreciate that David Beckham is only a canvas for the animation and I don't doubt his dedication to Unicef's work, but he is also well-known for not only coming from a loving family, but being a great Father too. I do feel this story-telling would be stronger using the body of someone who has experienced violence either as a victim of abuse or someone who have adopted or counselled an abused child. Only those people truly appreciate the marks left by abuse and I think they should be telling these heartbreaking stories.

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  3. Celebrities endorsement is definitely an effective tool for campaigners.
    This post made me think about a video produced by Greenpeace we watched together during a lecture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLnhdnSUVs).
    In this video Ludovico Einaudi (a famous Italian composer) plays his piano in the Arctic.
    Even though he is more "active" than Beckham (he is playing, whereas Beckham sits still and lets his tattoos tell the story) he is not the protagonist of the video. The main character is the Arctic.
    Yet, the composer plays a pivotal role, as Beckham does, because as you said he can draw people (who perhaps are not interested in these issues) to the video. I think this is a practical mean to broaden their audience, but unfortunately not all NGOs can afford it.

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  4. Really interesting observation - I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the positive design of the campaign where Beckham is the 'vessel' and not the 'driver' of the campaign. So this campaign seems to handle the culture of celebrity well; it doesn't cloud the issue by giving the celebrity centre-stage, but equally, it acknowledges and exploits the power of celebrity really effectively. Thanks for the insight! =)

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  5. I too wrote a post about celebrity endorsement in regards to Shailene Woodley and the NoDAPL campaign. But her celebrity endorsement is very different to this. I also found it interesting how you described him as a vessel and not a driver of this campaign. I believe it was an effective use of his celebrity as it probably helped in brining attention to this campaign but it did not overpower the message.

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  6. I think this video is a really good example of celebrity endorsement. David Beckham is such a uncontentious, internationally renowned celebrity and arguably is a trust worthy ambassador for the cause. These elements bring a sense of legitimacy and justification to using a celebrity for a such a significant but often difficult subject in campaigning.

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  7. Great Blog. Thank you .I thought the artistic element of this film was a bit overwhelming and distracting from the message. Although I would never miss a moment to bask in Beckhams beauty no matter what he is saying I think I agree with Ellie's comment. Beckham appeals to men, his talent earns him a massive male demographic's respect and so him saying "End it" is very strong... definitely. I guess if I were UNICEF I would also fund the same kind thing with a prisoner (or ten) (tattooes galore) and do pretty much the same thing... with the one caveat of letting the audience know that the 'model' who says "end it" at the end ... is in fact a convicted prisoner doing so many years who suffered abuse as a child. In prison that personal history is as common as the tattoes.

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    Replies
    1. Very interesting post, thank you.

      I love the tattoos' animation, it is so well done! A very beautiful example of how to tell a story in a very creative and engaging way!

      I couldn’t help but to think if Beckham had been abused as a child (part of the message I got was that one), but then I looked for other articles about this campaign on the internet and it says “his real tattoos represented happy or important memories” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38207684

      Despite the campaign being so well done, and despite me agreeing with your interpretation and description of it, the ‘double message I got’ made me think of the importance of having a ‘suitable person supporting a campaign’.

      But then again, wasn’t Beckham suitable for this campaign? I think he was and ‘he was not’.

      Maybe the contrast between a ‘strong’ figure just as Beckham’s with the vulnerability of a child is what makes this campaign so powerful. Apart from other things.

      Thank you for providing interesting content to reflect on :)

      What do you think?

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