TOW #5 - WWF Ad (Visual)

This is an ad by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) about the tsunami that occurred in Japan in 2011 and the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. It makes an interesting comparison between the two and shows the twin towers with many planes heading towards them, rather than the two that actually hit the buildings in the attack. In the top right corner, the ad says that the tsunami killed 100 times more people than the 9/11 attack. I think the ad is pretty effective because it definitely attracts the viewer's attention with all the planes headed towards the towers, and it makes the viewer want to know what's going on, so they'll read the caption on the right, which explains the purpose of the ad and also the organization that created it. The ad is telling the viewer that they need to preserve the environment, and from this ad, because of its power. But while I do think the ad grabs the viewer's attention, it might be going a little too far, because I don't think comparing the tsunami to terrorist attacks is entirely necessary or appropriate, and definitely is not necessary for the purpose of promoting wildlife and preservation of nature. The ad attempts to appeal to the audience's pathos with the reference to the attacks and all the people who died. Some people might find this ad offensive, because it could be considered almost disrespectful to those who died in the attack, especially when it has more planes pointing towards the towers, as if the actual attack was not bad enough. The tsunami and the attacks were both tragedies, and there is no purpose in juxtaposing them together in this way. The ad could also be considered as appealing to logos with the statistic that was used in order to emphasize the power of nature, and that the natural world must be protected. It does seem slightly counterintuitive however, seeing as if natural phenomena like tsunamis can cause this much damage, it doesn't necessarily seem like nature is something that needs to be defended.