Media content is made for the particular purposes of promotion, profit, or public
service. In some content there may be one obvious purpose, however in other
content there may be several purposes.
Two pieces of media which have been made for particular purposes are Montana
Meth Project and Lynx’s “Spray More Get More” (2007). The Montana Meth
Project was a public service campaign that relied on media saturation to raise
awareness among their target audience of teenagers about the consequences of
using meth in the state of Montana. Therefore, the Montana Meth Project has one
very obvious purpose, public service. Lynx’s “Spray More, Get More” (2007) has
an obvious purpose of profiting by marketing and selling their product, but also
has a subtle purpose of promoting the brand itself.
The Montana Meth Project clearly serves the purpose of public service. This
campaign was a saturation effort aimed at decreasing meth use within Montana.
To accomplish this, it heavily emphasized the element of disgust and shock value
to deter teenagers from using the drug an to highlight its devastating effects. In
the advert titled, “Best Friends”, the statement “My friends and I share
everything. Now we share hepatitis and HIV,” directly refers to sharing needles
and communicates the risks involved. It strongly suggests that the girls have
inflicted this harm upon themselves. At the bottom of the poster, a red lipstick
image appears. While this is an innocent item that they are supposedly sharing,
the red lipstick in a silver container is a clear metaphor for the needle they are
sharing. The red represents the blood on the needle after injection. Against the
black background, the red stands out, potentially symbolizing the fatal
consequences of continued drug use, as black is commonly associated with
death. Although no needle is shown in the advertisement, the reference to
sexually transmitted diseases linked to meth injection supports the campaign’s
goal of warning its teenage audience by illustrating meth use and its
repercussions. The “Girlfriend” poster also reinforces this purpose by showing
that continued meth use can lead to legal consequences. The girl depicted
appears ashamed, evident from her downcast expression and slumped posture,
conveying her sense of powerlessness and the impact of her actions. The
poster’s dull, saturated colours reflect the severity and despair of her situation,
symbolizing how meth has overtaken and destroyed her life. These posters
effectively demonstrate meths consequences and fulfil the campaign’s purpose.
A survey conducted after the campaign revealed that teenagers’ awareness of
meth dangers rose from 25% to 93%, and Montana’s US state ranking for meth
abuse fell from 5th to 39th. Thus, it is evident that the campaign successfully met
its purpose of public service, though it did encounter some backlash, such as
teenagers turning the messaging into a global joke online after feeling offended.
The ads were also restricted to certain hours after a mass parental outrage at the
content and viewing times of the saturation campaign, complaining that
unintended audience members may be exposed to these distressing messages
and imagery, such as innocent children.
“Spray More, Get More” (2007) by Lynx has the obvious purpose of making a
profit. In order to do this, they make the trailer engaging for the male audience
by sexualizing women and making the man the centre of attention, attracting
their target audience of young men to buy their product. In the advert, there is a
service. In some content there may be one obvious purpose, however in other
content there may be several purposes.
Two pieces of media which have been made for particular purposes are Montana
Meth Project and Lynx’s “Spray More Get More” (2007). The Montana Meth
Project was a public service campaign that relied on media saturation to raise
awareness among their target audience of teenagers about the consequences of
using meth in the state of Montana. Therefore, the Montana Meth Project has one
very obvious purpose, public service. Lynx’s “Spray More, Get More” (2007) has
an obvious purpose of profiting by marketing and selling their product, but also
has a subtle purpose of promoting the brand itself.
The Montana Meth Project clearly serves the purpose of public service. This
campaign was a saturation effort aimed at decreasing meth use within Montana.
To accomplish this, it heavily emphasized the element of disgust and shock value
to deter teenagers from using the drug an to highlight its devastating effects. In
the advert titled, “Best Friends”, the statement “My friends and I share
everything. Now we share hepatitis and HIV,” directly refers to sharing needles
and communicates the risks involved. It strongly suggests that the girls have
inflicted this harm upon themselves. At the bottom of the poster, a red lipstick
image appears. While this is an innocent item that they are supposedly sharing,
the red lipstick in a silver container is a clear metaphor for the needle they are
sharing. The red represents the blood on the needle after injection. Against the
black background, the red stands out, potentially symbolizing the fatal
consequences of continued drug use, as black is commonly associated with
death. Although no needle is shown in the advertisement, the reference to
sexually transmitted diseases linked to meth injection supports the campaign’s
goal of warning its teenage audience by illustrating meth use and its
repercussions. The “Girlfriend” poster also reinforces this purpose by showing
that continued meth use can lead to legal consequences. The girl depicted
appears ashamed, evident from her downcast expression and slumped posture,
conveying her sense of powerlessness and the impact of her actions. The
poster’s dull, saturated colours reflect the severity and despair of her situation,
symbolizing how meth has overtaken and destroyed her life. These posters
effectively demonstrate meths consequences and fulfil the campaign’s purpose.
A survey conducted after the campaign revealed that teenagers’ awareness of
meth dangers rose from 25% to 93%, and Montana’s US state ranking for meth
abuse fell from 5th to 39th. Thus, it is evident that the campaign successfully met
its purpose of public service, though it did encounter some backlash, such as
teenagers turning the messaging into a global joke online after feeling offended.
The ads were also restricted to certain hours after a mass parental outrage at the
content and viewing times of the saturation campaign, complaining that
unintended audience members may be exposed to these distressing messages
and imagery, such as innocent children.
“Spray More, Get More” (2007) by Lynx has the obvious purpose of making a
profit. In order to do this, they make the trailer engaging for the male audience
by sexualizing women and making the man the centre of attention, attracting
their target audience of young men to buy their product. In the advert, there is a
