L to R: Gabriella Fisher, Flora Searle and Beth Harries by their ad on displayA group of students from Bournemouth have had their designs accepted to an art exhibition which will explore how the advertising industry can change our perceptions of what makes a 鈥済ood life.鈥�
The "Good Life 2030 Exhibition" was launched by advertising reformers, Purpose Disruptors, at their on 25th April at the Tate Modern in London.
200 groups and individuals created 鈥榓ds for the future鈥� for Purpose Disruptors' fictional client - 鈥楾he year 2030鈥�. The brief was to help people connect with what matters most in life - a deeper connection to themselves, to others and to nature.
Purpose Disruptors designed the campaign as an antithesis to the current focus of the advertising industry which they say fuels consumption driven,聽unsustainable lifestyles.
Five works designed by students on BU鈥檚 Marketing Communications with Advertising course are amongst the final 22 chosen for the exhibition. Students from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) helped to bring three of their works to life.
Ellie and Charlie's work "From have it all to do more with less"BU Student Ellie Wheel worked with Charlie Coughtrey from AUB on her design which featured a charity shop window, designed to impress passers-by who may not usually think of shopping second hand.
鈥淚 chose the theme 鈥楩rom have it all to do聽more with less鈥� because I was thinking about how much potential charity shops have,鈥� said Ellie. 鈥淥ften charity shop windows are not styled or do not display their stock in the best light, so I created a poster to highlight how they could appear more enticing,鈥� she added.
When asked about the role the advertising industry can play in shaping a new version of a good life, Ellie said, 鈥淎dvertising has typically encouraged people to consume more, but the public also wants to do more with less. I believe the advertising industry can effectively depict that a sustainable and healthy lifestyle does not have to imply a reduced quality of life and that we can still enjoy life in a sustainable manner.
鈥淓arth Day is an excellent example of how advertising can give positive messages to the public through its communications and, rather than selling more, teach the public how to become more sustainable by making simple but effective adjustments to our lifestyles.鈥�
Emma, Charlie and Vanya's work "Turning nature from a distant relative to a close family member"Emma Dodds and Charlotte Hardy chose the theme of turning nature from a distant relative to a close family member. They showed this through the motif of a family tree with the help of AUB student Vanya Vasileva who created and sourced the visuals for their poster.
鈥淎s a team we were inspired by the naturalistic vocabulary often used when talking about family like 鈥榦ur roots鈥� and 鈥榝amily trees鈥�, said Emma. 鈥淏ut were saddened when reflecting on how removed society has become from nature. We wanted to inspire people to cherish nature as they do their family,鈥� she continued.
Reflecting on the fact she will have her work on display in one of the country鈥檚 most popular art institutions, Emma said, 鈥淚've had a passion for art from a young age and to be displayed in my favourite gallery feels like a dream. It's amazing that we have worked on a live brief that has the potential to create real change for the better of our planet.鈥�
Gabriella, Beth and Flora's work - from loose ties to close knitFor their work, Gabriella Fisher and Beth Harris from BU and Flora Searle from AUB, depicted a world that promotes living in the present and appreciating the things that add genuine value to our lives.聽
鈥淲e want people to step out of the confines of their digital image and step towards a safe, secure, connected 2030,鈥� Gabriella explained. 鈥淪ometimes social media can be a lonely place. People can get wrapped up in their idealised self that they want to portray to the world for artificial likes and comments. Especially young people are easily influenced by what they see social media, which promotes unhealthy self-comparison, taking a toll on their mental health.聽We need to remember that our true selves, true friends, and true lives exist in the real world.鈥�
Gabriella also agreed that the advertising industry has an important role to play in helping people live healthier and sustainable lives. 鈥淎dvertising has the capacity to change way people think, feel and act.聽Whilst advertisers may have their own KPIs to meet, we need to remember that advertising also has the power聽to create small positive behavioural changes, that could have a substantial impact on what our 2030 will look like,鈥� she said.
