“Bucket List” by WaterIsLife was
the third advertisement I critiqued from the festival. This excellent
commercial is a prime example of storytelling in advertising. The commercial
follows the story of four-year-old Nkaitole in Kenya. To illustrate the fact
that 1 in 5 children die before the age of five in Kenya from unclean drinking
water, WaterIsLife fulfills Nkaitole’s bucket list. We watch him experience
these life wishes throughout the commercial.
The creators of this production beautifully capture the young boy as he lives
his dreams of leaving his village for the first time. We watch as he
experiences moments including riding his first boat, outrunning the world’s
fastest man, riding an airplane, seeing the ocean for the first time, getting a
massage, taking a hot air balloon ride, and even having his first kiss. The
commercial then closes with the statistics for young children in Kenya, asking
the audience to donate and help provide clean water to Nkaitole and children
like him.
“Bucket List” uses many factors to
produce a successful and very effective commercial. The creative angle that the
advertisers took in showing the bucket list of a four-year-old child
distinguishes this commercial from the many other “save the children” ads of
its kind. The creators took this dark and devastating concept and made it
lighter through upbeat music and a lovable story of Nkaitole. Instead of leaving
the audience in a sad and depressed state, the commercial creates an attachment
of the viewers to precious Nkaitole. I believe that touching the hearts of the
audience in an endearing way, such as making them fall in love with Nkaitole,
invokes a proactive and motivated spirit in the viewers, versus the depressing
emotions usually portrayed in this kind of ad. The videography and sound
techniques also distinguish the WaterIsLife commercial from its other
competitors. Stunning imagery is used in following Nkaitole in his journey, and
the audience is able to see the world through the young boy’s eyes. The sound
and audio is also brilliantly used in this advertisement. The viewers can feel
as if they are right next to Nkaitole, hearing the sounds of the ocean for the
first time with him. The creativity, emotion, and video skill that went into
the production of “Bucket List” all contribute to the beautiful advertisement
that won many awards this week at the festival.
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