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Can a Picture Be Worth a Thousand Words?

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Submitted By criscalderon17
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Can a Picture Be Worth a Thousand Words? The Smile Train: Changing The World One Smile at a Time advertisement and photo is a sure way to tug at the emotions and empathy of the reader; forcing them to contribute to their cause. The photo alone makes your heart ache for the little girl who is in need of cleft surgery. The little girl appears to be no older than 2 years old and of a Hispanic or Middle Eastern decent. Her small face and the area around her mouth is all you see. Big brown eyes staring back at you pleading for help. The use of her handicap in the photo makes the reader feel sorry for the child. There is nothing in the background to indicate her location or where she could be from. The area behind the little girl is fuzzy or clouded proving to be non-important. The photo is only her face, large enough to get the full effect of her handicap. The lower section of the ad is set aside for donation information and statistics of cleft and palate defects. The advertisement was published in the January 23, 2012 issue of News Week. In choosing an audience, Smile Train chose a well-known magazine that is typically read by educated, middle to upper class people. The audience is one that would have the means or funds to make a contribution. Most of the folks who read News Week are concerned with current events and what is going on in the world around us. Seeing this photo and advertisement informs the audience of the growing need for cleft lip and palate surgery. As with any photo, you have to ask yourself, what is really being said? When looking at the photo, the message I received is “Help me!” I see a little girl with glassy eyes, as if she were about to cry. She seems to be looking right at you. Smile Train is trying to send the message that not only is this little girl in need of surgery but hundreds, if not thousands, are also in need. The ad states twice that the fee is only $250.00 per child to repair the cleft making it seem cheap and inexpensive for the reader. Smile Train states the surgery takes a mere 45 minutes to complete, allowing a new life for those affected by abnormal clefts and palates. Thus, the importance of the message is clear. As an adult, we have learned that children are innocent and need to be cared for and protected. They are unable to act and defend themselves. That is where we come in. Smile Train reaches out and asks the questions, “Are you willing to help?” or “What will you do?” At the top of the page, the ad states in bold, capital letters, “HAVE YOU EVER SAVED A CHILD’S LIFE?” That statement alone causes you to question yourself and what you should do. You begin to feel sorry for all the children with the handicap, not just the little girl in the photo. After looking at the photo many times, I believe Smile Train was spot on with communicating their message. The photo is very effective at tugging at your emotions. As I turned the page to the ad the very first time, my heart reached out to the little girl. I thought of my daughter and what if she had that same problem when she was born. I felt sorry that the little girl had to endure the life she has had already in her short amount of time on earth. The ad forced me to read everything on the page including the fine print on the bottom with statistics and causes of cleft lip and palate. I began to question if I could monetarily help out, even if only a few dollars. I ended up writing a check for $50.00 to Smile Train. Typically, I would not have looked twice at the ad and continued to turn the page, but the big brown eyes grabbed me and sucked me in. You could say the advertisement was very effective. It worked on my emotions and forced a donation out of me. Can a picture be worth a thousand words? Absolutely; in this case, it’s worth a thousand dollars as well. Many people are sure to have the same reaction as I did and send in a donation. Smile Train hit the nail on the head when coming up with a photo that would cause a reaction out of the readers to produce donations.

Works Cited
Smile Train: Changing the World One Smile at a Time. Advertisement. News Week. 23 Jan.
2012: 56. Print.

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