One World. Social advertising in the age of a pandemic

Abstract

The article is an excerpt from a wider research project carried out by the author in October– December 2020, concerning advertising materials used by WHO and selected countries (Poland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa) in social campaigns during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This text presents one case study – a campaign used in Poland, comparing its messages with WHO advertising materials. The main thesis was taken from the thought of Ivan Krastev, who claims that the pandemic made everyone realize that all people are inhabitants of “One World” in the face of a global threat. The entire study used the triangulation of two research methods – case study and compositional interpretation by Gillian Rose. Roman Jakobson’s model of linguistic communication was used to examine the verbal layer of messages. In the linguistic layer of the messages, their considerable persuasiveness was assumed. In the visual layer, due to the simplicity of the form, it is limited to the compositional modality, with particular emphasis on colors and iconic signs. The text shows how important a role in communication, especially in times of a pandemic, is played by social advertising campaigns. Paradoxically, a pandemic that threatens humanity may also open up new, comparative areas of research on the effectiveness of mass communication means used in some countries, which can be successfully used in others.