"It was actually quite a clever script that big issue girl had. It didn't really make sense. I should have said to her 'I'll give you £20 and you can take me to show me where you're sleeping tonight'. I suppose we did our bit though".
These two women were speaking very eloquently and had a few shopping bags with them, one of which was a Harvey Nichols bag. I would estimate that the woman that said the above words was about 60, and the woman she was with was about 55. Obviously she leads a vastly different lifestyle to the big issue girl.
After later reading the following quote from Advertising As Communication on the Socially-Mediated model of sociological research, and getting over the ridiculously useful and coincidental situation I'd found myself in, I decided to talk to her.
"A member of the audience, some research has shown, cannon be affected by the media if they do not fulfil or gratify a need. For instance, if a person leads an active, varied life, and is secure and stable, no amount of advertising which appeals to fears of loneliness or being a social outcast, or to social snobbery will succeed"
I got up and sat in the seat infront of me (directly across the isle from her) with the 2 books and explained that I was a student writing an essay on ethics in charity advertising, showing them the books as proof that I wasn't just being nosey. I explained that I'd overheard her say that the big issue girl had a "clever script" (which was understandable as we were on a quiet coach) and asked if she minded answering a few short questions for me. She said she didn't mind. I didn't type it up then and there as I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Below is a brief recollection of the conversation I had with her.
I tried to avoid asking her what the girl actually said, as I didn't this to affect my thoughts on weather it was a "script" or not. I wanted to take this womans word for it.
Me: What makes you call what she said a script?
Woman: It was very stereotypical of how you would imagine a homeless person would ask for money using the generic excuses of I've got no-one to turn to and no-where to go and it's cold and unsafe.
Me: Do you feel that she conned you into buying it?
Woman: No
Me: Why not? If what she said didn't really make sense?
Woman: (Somewhat angrily) Because I know I've helped her find somewhere safe to stay tonight and she's not going to freeze or get stabbed or raped.
Me: So do you think if a man had used the same script as this girl, you'd have been less likely to buy it?
Woman: (Very abruptly) No
Me: When the girl was talking to you did you think about what life as a homeless person must be like?
Woman: No, I was just feeling upset for her and wanted to help.
Me: Do you think you felt more sorry for her because she was a woman?
Woman: (Very Abruptly again) I don't know, I've never spoke to a homeless man before.
At this point I felt like it was getting a bit intense and the woman was getting a bit annoyed with me, so I apologised and thanked her and went back to my seat.
Going back to the quote from the book, it sounds like she bought the magazine on the basis of what the seller said to her, which sounds like it was playing at the idea of being scared and alone. Given that this woman was on the train with a person I presume was a friend and was clearly financially secure enough to not have a need to be afraid of any of the things a homeless person would be. If the socially-mediated model is to followed, she wouldn't have bought it.
The fact that she'd never spoken to a homeless man before would suggest that her only opinions of a homeless mans worries would be the ones that have been portrayed to her by the media, which is why she hasn't spoke to them. The Socially-Mediated model of sociological research would suggest she has no reason too.
But as soon as an actual person spoke to her she decided that she was going to help. The fact that the person who spoke to her was also a woman can only have made her feel more sympathetic due to being a woman herself, and this is a good example of how the barriers between a message and an audience can be broke down through the use of a presenter, like the Bob Hoskins example in Celebrity Sells.
"Bob Hoskins was chosen to be the celebrity presenter to lead the 'It's Good to Talk' (for BT in 1995) campaign and he was a great piece of casting. At that time Hoskins was riding high on his performances as a gangster in films such as 'The Long Good Friday' and had great credibility with the male audience. Thus he was able to take the essentially instructional scripts and educate men as to the benefits of allowing women to talk for longer on the phone and further, how they too might improve their key relationships by doing a little of the same."
It shows how easily it can be for a 'regular' person to have an influence on the thoughts of an individual in a personal interaction. Yet alone how effective a trusted famous person could do this in an advert that portrays a 1-to-1 scenario like the BT Advert did (below).
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