The victims’ rights in APAV’s advertising campaigns: a rhetorical analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14198/hexis.29621Palavras-chave:
communication, domestic violence, MELCA model, non-governmental organization (NGO), Portugal, rhetorical analysis, social advertising, victims’ rights, visual communicationResumo
This paper examines the rhetorical strategies employed in social advertising campaigns by APAV («Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima») to communicate victims’ rights and raise awareness about violence. The study analyzes thirty-seven advertisements published between 1993 and 2020 using the MELCA rhetorical analysis model—Motivação, Exposição, Leitor, Constrangimento, Autor (Motivation, Exposition, Reader, Constraints, Author)—to understand how this NGO persuasively conveys its message and positions itself as both victim representative and social actor. Methodologically, the research employs a mixed-methods approach combining content and discourse analysis of multimodal elements in the advertisements, focusing on the relationship between pictorial and written components. Results reveal that APAV’s campaigns consistently employ shock tactics and dramatic representations of physical and mental violence to change public perceptions about domestic violence and raise awareness of human rights issues. The rhetorical discourse primarily employs pathos through provocative stances in both slogans and depicted situations, with consistent visual patterns including close-up shots, direct gazes, and symbolic use of color (particularly black and red) to represent violence and victimization. The study concludes that while APAV’s advertising campaigns have evolved across various agencies and creative approaches over twenty-seven years, they maintain a coherent identity and consistent rhetorical strategy aimed at humanizing victims and compelling audience action through emotional appeals.
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Direitos de Autor (c) 2025 Samuel Mateus, Ivone Ferreira
Este trabalho encontra-se publicado com a Licença Internacional Creative Commons Atribuição-NãoComercial-CompartilhaIgual 4.0.
