2016

WRITING FOR THE CREATIVE

INDUSTRIES

MEDIA PACKAGE ASSIGNMENT

ONG HUI YING, NATHANAEL PHANG, CHUNG WOON SHYAN & ISABELLA
SARAH HOSSEIN ZADEH

T103

NGEE ANN POLYTECHNIC | SCHOOL OF FILM & MEDIA STUDIES

The Corporate Bio

General Background

Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) was formed in 2001
with the goal of creating a world that cared for animal welfare.

Started by Louis Ng, the Singaporean politician realised his affinity for animal welfare
at a young age. He used to visit the library after school and borrow animal themed
books. He has also previously volunteered with the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), at a veterinary clinic and at the zoo.

When Louis Ng discovered how baby chimpanzees were separated from their
mothers permanently for photography sessions, and were sometimes harshly
punished for not behaving, he became determined to end this cruelty.

Louis then realised that there was no group in Singapore tackling animal cruelty, and
so with the help of nine other Singaporeans, they founded ACRES.

Several studies have revealed that animals, just like human beings, have similar
needs and experience the same complex emotions. Animals who suffer from harsh
treatment and cruelty are unable to speak up for themselves, and ACRES is
determined to speak up for them.

Spurred on by their care for animals, ACRES does their utmost to protect them,
looking into the use of animals in various fields and encouraging the public to get
involved in the animal protection movement and effective partnerships with relevant
parties. They also seek to spread awareness on environmentally friendly habits
which exclude the involvement of animal cruelty.

Body Copy

In the long term, ACRES looks forward to a better Asia, equipped with a viable and
synergic system that helps to protect all animals. They want to create a culture of
compassion and respect for all animals, help better the lives of those in captivity, and
encourage environmentally-friendly and animal-cruelty free lifestyles.

In the short term, to achieve their long term goal, they run multiple campaigns, to
much success. Their campaign to improve the life of zoo animals has led to a higher
standard of living being upheld in many zoos across Asia. For example, in 2001,
ACRES campaigned for the betterment of chimpanzee enclosures in Indonesia upon
discovering the suboptimal conditions that the chimpanzees were living in. A report
was published detailing their discovery and presented to Singapore Zoological
Gardens (SZG), leading to an agreement for SZG to persuade other zoos to improve
the living conditions for the chimpanzees, as well as improve their animal exchange
protocols. In 2002, their combined group efforts with zoos resulted in great
improvements to the living conditions of chimpanzees at zoos in Malaysia, Indonesia
and China as well. These chimpanzees had been sent over from the Singapore Zoo
and this campaign also led to Singapore Zoo looking into and improving how their
exchange programmes were conducted. Their conducted surveys into the standards
of animal welfare at major zoos in Malaysia and Singapore lead to their
recommendations being implemented at Zoo Negara, including ending the elephant
shows and releasing the elephants from their chains. ACRES continues their efforts
to improve the animal welfare standards at Singapore Zoo.

ACRES has also campaigned for better wildlife protection laws in Singapore. Due to
existing loopholes in the 2005 Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act,
penalties for offenders were too lenient, with only the possibility of facing a maximum
fine of $5000 and/or a one year jail term. This meant that the benefits of smuggling
illegal specials outweighed any potential consequences. After their campaign, the
Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act was updated to better improve it.
Loopholes were closed, and punishments became more severe, with increased
power for the Agri-Food and Veterinary (AVA) so they could seize, detain, or
investigate transit cases and better uphold the law.

This is not to say ACRES hasnt met their fair share of challenges. In 2004, ACRES
managed to obtain a license to build an animal shelter to house the animals which
they rescue. However, due to the negligence of a construction company, the land
which ACRES had purchased to build their animal shelter was poisoned and grew
toxic. The damages to the land are valued at $20 million. The construction company
was sued for $26.5 million but have yet to pay the compensation. ACRES has yet to
find another company which is willing to help fix the poisoned grounds. For now,
ACRES has built modified enclosures for their rescued animals.

ACRES also had a donation page open for them to replace their van. After spending
8 hours on the road everyday for 5 years, their van has clocked in over 600,000 km,
which is three times more than the average 10 year old car. They had to request for
donations from the public, and they managed to raise $63,000. This was, however,
short of their goal of $90,000. Without their van, it becomes very difficult for them to
rescue animals. Until today, they are still open for donations.

In 2014, ACRES received the Singapore Advocacy Awards (SAA). The SAA
recognises and awards outstanding organisations and/or individuals for their
contributions to diversity, unity, tolerance and awareness in Singapore. In addition,
founder Louis Ng was also named one of the Advocates of the Year in recognition of
his efforts as an animal rights activist.
Statement of Purpose

ACRES continues to play an active role in improving the welfare of animals globally
and hope to reach greater heights with the help from Singaporean youth. By
reaching out to youths, they hope to spread greater awareness on the suffering of
animals, eventually creating a world where animals are no longer mistreated and are
free from cruelty.

The Copywriting Analysis

This advertisement from ACRES is an advertisement against animal cruelty. It

shares how bears are subjected to excruciating bile extractions and how they are
even locked up in small cages.

However, the ad is unable to send their intended message across effectively.

One reason is that the visuals in this advertisements are not appealing enough to the
viewers. For one, the photo of the bear is not clear, making it seem as though the
picture is not linked to the text. The entire picture is very dark, with no clear contrast
between the bear and its background or its font, making it even more difficult to focus
on the message. The font of the copy also too small and hard to read, especially
from a distance, making the ad less eye-catching. Therefore, less people will be
attracted to the advertisement, decreasing its effectiveness.

Also, the ad copy is not informative enough as there is no clear call to action, failing
to inform the audience of their main purpose. The ad also does not invoke a clear
desire for the audience to take action. There is also no reassurance for the audience
that the bears would be saved after their donations, making the ad less trustworthy
and causing the audience to doubt the organisation. The lack of information will
cause a lower percentage of the audience that reads the ad to take action, therefore
not receiving a productive outcome from the ad.

However, the ad used a very clever language play. Starting with the headline See
no evil, bear no evil, the wordplay on bear not only draws the audiences attention
to the advertisement, it also subtly introduces the topic of discussion to the readers.
This wordplay is further explored in you dont have to bear the consequences. This
pun helps to capture the audiences attention as it is very thought-provoking.

This helps the ad to still attract audiences attention despite the ad being ineffective
in sending their message across.

This advertisement from ACRES talks about the depression dolphins suffer from
when they are held captive and are used as props for entertainment.

The advertisement has used very attention grabbing photos to help convey their
message. The children in the advertisement are being perceived from the dolphin's
point of view. They are portrayed as monsters with distorted faces, smiling at the
dolphins inside the tank. This emphasises on how dolphins get very intimidated
when they are kept in captivity and under constant observation, consequently
leading them to suffer under large amounts of stress and develop depression.

The tagline of this ad, Your Pleasure. Their Pressure, is able to capture the
audiences attention because of its catchy and rhyming nature; this thus makes it
more memorable. The tagline also drives home the point that the pleasure we get
from watching the caged dolphins may result in their suffering.

However, the advertisement does not have a strong driving force to convince
viewers to participate in this campaign.

Firstly, the text below the tagline is very small and can be hard to read from a
distance. This failure to capture the audiences attention may result in lesser interest
in the campaign.

Secondly, there is no guarantee for the audience that the dolphins will benefit even
with their contributions. There is no clear evidence stating that their efforts will be
sufficient to set the dolphins free, affecting the audiences will to participate.

Lastly, this ad also lacks a clear call to action. By merely proving a link to ACRES
website, there is not a clear enough explanation of what the audience should do. The
details provided are also insufficient, with no indication as to how long the campaign
will last or the deadline for public contribution. ACRES does not indicate how the
audience can play a part and as a result, readers may lack the motivation to support
this campaign.

Therefore, this ad may not reach its full potential in reaching out to audience support.
This advertisement from ACRES was released in hopes of gaining audience support
to help be the voices of animals. As animals do not have the ability to speak for
themselves, humans need to give animals the voices they do not have, and speak
up against their ill treatments.

This ads visuals show hands controlling a group of animal puppet toys gathered
around a microphone, an alternative way to demonstrate how humans need to guide
the conversation against animal cruelty. The header, Speak Up For Animals further
helps to capture the audiences attention as they ponder upon the link between the
visuals and the text, therefore increasing their time span on the ad.
However, this ad fails to impress upon people the importance of helping animals in
need.
Firstly, the advertisement does not convey the intended message clearly. The
message is hard to interpret due to the little information given. Although it is
attention grabbing, the visuals are misleading. The visuals make it seem like the
animals are being controlled; this may send a misleading message to the audience.

Secondly, the text is not persuasive enough. There is no clear call to action, which
may indicate a lack of goal from the audience's point of view. They may not feel a
sense of urgency to donate, and might end up not taking action.

Additionally, no information is given as to how the audience can donate. They do not
list the steps that should be taken and audiences are left to figure it out by
themselves. By only having a link on the advertisement, the audience is expected to
do their own research into donating. This may result in a lack of concern from the
audience, who may feel like it is a hassle to donate and cause the organisation to
receive lesser donations.

Re-write the copy of one of the ads to show how it can be better focused to grab and
hold the attention of your target audience (Singapore Youth).

SEE NO EVIL BEAR NO EVIL

Across multiple Asian countries, torturous bile extractions are performed on bears for
medicinal purposes. They spend 10 unbearable years in tiny cages before death
relieves them of their suffering.

We can end this with your help. Avoid buying products containing wild animal parts.
Support ACRES & STOC Endangered Species-Friendly Label endorsed TCM shops
and encourage people around you to do likewise. Encourage TCM shops to sign up
for the ACRES & STOC Endangered Species-Friendly Labelling Scheme.

If you notice anyone selling illegal animal parts and their byproducts, contact the
ACRES Wildlife Crime Hotline at 97837782 immediately.
 Works Cited

ACRES. A Better Life For Asias Zoo Animals. ACRES,

acres.org.sg/campaigns/current-campaigns/improving-zoo-animal-welfare/.
Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

ACRES. Bear pile 2. Adwright Communications, June 2012,

www.advertolog.com/animal-concerns-research-education-acres/print-
outdoor/bear-pile-2-16050655/. Accessed 14 Dec. 2016

ACRES. Does Wildlife Get Enough Legal Protection In Singapore? ACRES,

acres.org.sg/campaigns/past-campaigns/past-campaigns-campaigning-for-
better-wildlife-protection-laws-in-singapore/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

ACRES. Help Get A Rescue Van For Our Wildlife. ACRES,

www.simplygiving.com/appeal/keepthedrivealive. Accessed 14 Dec. 2016

ACRES. Keep Endangered Species Out Of TCM. ACRES,

acres.org.sg/campaigns/current-campaigns/keep-endangered-species-out-of-
tcm-cuurent-campaign/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

ACRES. Where Are The Zoos Surplus Chimps? ACRES,

acres.org.sg/campaigns/past-campaigns/past-campaigns-where-are-the-
zoos-surplus-chimps/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

Case Studies . ACRES. Adwright Communications, January 2012,

http://www.adwright.com/case-studies/acres. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

Lee, Vanessa. Raising an animal activist son: Acres founder Louis Ng and his
family. Asiaone, 2014, news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/raising-animal-
activist-son-acres-founder-louis-ng-and-his-family. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016.

Ng, Louis. ACRES | How It All Began. ACRES,

acres.org.sg/about-acres/how-it-all-began/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

Singapore Advocacy Awards. About. Singapore Advocacy Awards,

singaporeadvocacyawards.org/about/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

Singapore Animal Welfare Symposium and Public Forum, 25 Feb (Sat), 8am-5pm,
@ Chong Pang Community Centre. NUS PEACE, February 2012,
http://blog.nus.edu.sg/nuspeace/2012/02/11/singapore-animal-welfare-
symposium-and-public-forum-25-feb-sat-8am-5pm-chong-pang-community-
centre/.
Accessed 13 Dec. 2016