Target Audience in Advertisements

Based on the use of oxymoronic imagery, logos and and appeal to nurture, the advertisement is prompting the audience to reconsider their values surrounding gun laws in the United States, an audience which in this case is moms. The target audience is not only mirrored in how the organization is called "Moms Demand Action" but also through the appeal to nurture which is seen in how an innocent child is juxtaposed with a gun, something symbolic for dead, loss of innocence, murder and violence The direct contrast of the two create a need to protect their innocent children from danger, and consequently, lead to questioning why a deadly weapon is allowed but not a children's candy. The target audience is also prompted to arrive at this message due to the large size difference between the Kinder egg and the gun, suggesting a relationship between size and danger. Because the gun is larger in proportion to the child, it can cause more harm than a small seemingly harmless kinder egg. This causes the audience to visually conclude that guns are a major and more logical nuisance to society and therefore, that they should be banned. It communicates that banning priorities are wrong. The need to nurture is furthered in the place where the children are shown in a school which could allude to school shootings, like those of Sandy Hook. The relationship of the school, the gun and the children prompt the audience to feel a need to protect their children by banning guns. Lastly, the use of logos is seen slightly in the quote that states "we won't sell Kinder chocolate eggs in the interest of child safety. Why not assault weapons?" which causes the audience to question societal logic and prioritizing when it comes to assuring children's safety. The logic paired with the imagery causes the audience to feel a need to nurture and protect their children, and consequently, to feel a moral duty to push for the banning of guns.