The purpose of the advert is to attract any adult, who would be willing to adopt a litter of puppies and contribute towards putting them through a training course that lasts eighteen months. However, the target audience for the advert could be practically anyone, as the advert has been designed to “capture the heart” of whoever reads it. The ways in which the advertisers have managed to encourage people to take part in the programme are anything from tactful adjectives such as cuddly and cute, to large illustrations of doe-eyed puppies that the reader is drawn to.
On quick examination of the advert, your attention is instantaneously taken to the eyes of the puppy featured in the large photo. Above the photo of the puppy in large plain text are two words, “Star Pupil”. The choice of “Star Pupil” has many connotations, with many hidden meanings: “Star Pupils” could mean that the puppies are bright and behave flawlessly, just like “Star Pupils” at school. “Star Pupils” could also be emphasising the “cute” eyes of the puppy.
The star in “Star Pupils” could also be referring to the mariners, who used the stars to guide them, much like the blind people who would be using the skills of the puppies to guide them. The first piece of text following “Star Pupils” “is “Adopt a Litter” which, is in bold font. The reason for this is so that the reader understands the purpose of the advert without having to read too much. The “help teach new dogs old tricks” is an ironic reversal of the saying “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks”. Using the word “teach” also fits in with the idea of the puppies being “pupils.”
The next few sentences and single words are very effective, with minimum effort. The words play off of each other, “Cuddly”, “Cute”, “Playful” these make out that the puppies are great fun, very much like children.. “Indispensable” means that you cannot do without them. The advert goes on to tell you why you must assist and adopt a puppy. It talks about how “one day Polly, and the rest of her litter, will become guide dogs.” Giving the dog a name personalises the advert, making you feel that you are really needed. The narrative uses the word “helping” to emphasise the dogs assisting and being part of a partnership with the blind or partially sighted person.
To reassure the reader that it will not be very expensive they use the word “just” when writing about the price, this gives the impression that it is very cheap to adopt a litter of puppies. “You can help” personalises the advert in the same way that naming the dog did. Describing the training programme as “challenging” means that the dogs will get to work hard, using the sentence “right up to their graduation” is very similar to our progress through education. Seeing the dogs’ graduate will enable people to see how their money has helped the dogs complete the training.
“To adopt your star pupil” has been personalised, and the sentence “to receive your quarterly pupdates” is a play on the word update. “Just call” makes it seem like it is so simple, and you may as well go through with it, having the telephone number in large, bold font makes it easy to read and noticeable. The language sets the tone of opting in when you come to the send of slip, “Yes, I would like to Adopt a Litter for 6 a month”. Overall the advert is very successful in outlining the needs of the organisation with simple, yet effective single words and short sentences. The large eyes play upon the real and perceived British love of all things furry and cuddly, the end result is the hopeful contributions to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted people with the assistance of a trained guide dog.
