Task: Mark the given sample response (Criterion A, B, C, D)

Sample Response:
The given text is a pair of adverts from Uniqlo, a clothing and lifestyle company
originally from Japan. The origins of the company can be detected in the logo, which
is presented in both English and Japanese, and the word ‘LifeWear’ that is
positioned underneath the logo. ‘LifeWear’ is a neologism, a new word that the
company has invented to differentiate it from other similar companies (Zara, H&M) in
a crowded market. The text was produced in 2014, at the height of the selfie
phenomenon. A selfie is a picture the photographer takes of themselves, usually
their own face, in a variety of settings. Selfies are commonly uploaded onto social
media and can themselves be interpreted as a kind of advertising by which the user
creates a ‘brand’ for their own identity. Uniqlo is piggybacking on the selfie craze
and hoping to associate their own company with a popular social phenomenon: the
word ‘selfie’ is repeated FOURTEEN times in the two texts, sometimes by itself and
sometimes as part of the phrase ‘#3DSelfie.’ Given that Selfies are a social media
craze the text should particularly appeal to younger people. Colloquialisms such as
‘snap’ can be understood by a wide range of readers; but the concept of a ‘selfie’
may exclude some older people from this text. The ads are eye-catching in terms of
design and it is likely that they would grab attention and create interest in the
marketing campaign. However, on closer inspection, the adverts contain many
examples of vague language and the advertising claim – that by taking a selfie we
are ‘solving homelessness’ – is particularly weak.

Firstly, the ads are extremely well designed in terms of visuals and layout. The
designers have chosen a red-on-white colour scheme. The contrast makes the logo,
model and graphics stand out, immediately catching the eye of someone who might
be flicking through a magazine or scrolling online. Red is a powerful colour and is
also the primary colour of the Uniqlo brand. It might be hoped that shoppers
recognise the logo in the high street or in online marketplaces through association
with the colour red. The slogan is powerfully presented in bold, red, capitalised font
that is certain to catch the eye. A clever pun (‘selfless selfie’) contains alliteration,
which is catchy, and the campaign might appeal in terms of humour and irony – the
whole point of a selfie is to position yourself in the centre of an image. Uniqlo hope
to ‘rebrand’ what is basically a selfish act as something that can lead to a wider
social benefit.

The second part of the slogan switches to the first person, as if it’s the model herself
speaking: “I give my #3DSelfie to… solving homelessness”. The first half of this
sentence is presented using standard black font. After the ellipsis the ad uses italic
font. The two different fonts suggest that everybody who gets involved can ‘give’ and
this particular person chose ‘solving homelessness’ as their pledge. The italic font is
supposed to be handwriting; if you enter the competition you can dedicate your own
pledge in place. Underneath this is a tagline (‘Give your selfie, impact lives & you
could get a #3DSelfie’) containing standard features of persuasive language; for
example, the use of imperative tense and the pattern of verbs is a tricolon: ‘give,’
‘impact’ and ‘get.’

The top advert depicts a model (smiling happily and also wearing red) holding a
small replica of herself which is intriguing. The photo is taken from a high angle,
emphasising both the red colour and drawing attention to the 3D printed replica of
herself that she is holding in front of her. She represents an ordinary person, one of
the ‘lucky participants’ who posted a selfie to #UniqloCity and became ‘part of our
3D Selfless Selfie Exhibition in Berlin, New York, Paris, San Francisco and London.’
The top advert lists cities of global importance and renown in order to make the
reader feel they too could be part of this special experience. Furthermore, the
names of these cities are in bold and underlined, which draws attention in a printed
text and signals a hyperlink in a digital text – no doubt viewers of this ad online can
find images of the exhibitions should they wish to ‘click through’ the text.

The bottom advert features graphics which summarise the process of the
competition: ‘snap, pledge, post, get, celebrate.’ The emphasis on single verbs
encourages quick and simple actions that, when joined in a chain, can easily
produce results. The process begins with taking a photo (‘snap’) and ends with
‘celebrate’ accompanied by the graphic of a cocktail glass complete with a tiny paper
umbrella. The graphic is certainly designed to represent a common way of gaining
satisfaction, kicking back at the end of the day with a drink – although the promised
graphical reward is a long way from the suggestion in the top text that the activity
can end with ‘solving homelessness.’ In fact, the design of the graphics and use of
five single words reflects a common occurrence in mass media texts, which is the
simplification of complex processes. In this case, the idea of a ‘pledge’ is
represented by the symbol of a heart, suggesting devotion to a cause or an
emotional investment in something. The problem of ‘solving homelessness’ is not
really elaborated on or explained by the adverts; rather it is simplified into a heart
symbol, as if homelessness can be simply wished away.

This tendency becomes even more apparent when aspects of the copy are
analysed. The adverts are full of typical empty phrases, vague language and weasel
words. An example from the top ad is: ‘aims to support everyday life in a positive
way’. ‘Aims’ is a weasel words; the company is merely ‘aiming’ to act, not actually
acting. ‘Everyday life’ and ‘positive way’ are both vague. In fact, after closely reading
both texts, it is hard to discover how Uniqlo are possibly supporting a given charity in
a meaningful way. The language of the bottom advert backs up this assertion. More
vague language can be found in ‘Donate to your favourite cause’ and ‘you’ll do a
little good.’ Both these phrases place the reader at the centre (‘your’) and it’s hard
to escape the impression that the company doesn’t care what you do, even if your
action is ultimately meaningless in terms of social benefit – ‘for whatever or
whomever you want’ is the probably the most egregious example of vague
language in this regard.
In conclusion, there is a huge contradiction in the text between the ideas of
selflessness and selfishness. The whole point of the campaign seems to be to
elevate the individual and the essential concept of the competition – getting a 3D
printed model of yourself on display in a public exhibition – is self-centred. The
actions the text encourages you to take are examples of false empowerment:
‘pledge, post, get, celebrate’ encourage actions that are ultimately meaningless and
don’t really go beyond what people do anyway when they are taking selfies. The
claims to uniqueness (‘one-of-a-kind’ and ‘make it unique’) are the real point of the
text, designed to promote the Uniqlo brand above and beyond any other concern;
but they seriously undermine the message of ‘selflessness’ that the advert hoped to
convey. Therefore, while the advert is extremely successful at catching my attention,
it is much less successful at keeping it.