Visual Analysis: “Baby Can Wait” advertisement
RWS 1301 (Online)
University of Texas El Paso
Carmen A. Lozano
April 28, 2018
Purpose of the Image and Its Message
The humorous imagery of a 14-16 year old year teenager seated in a baby’s car seat
(Figure 1) or in a baby’s high chair (Figure 2) with an undeterminable, yet impatient facial
expression of used in these visual messages, helps to break the ice, the awkwardness parents
may feel about addressing how a child grows into a teenager, with an incredibly curiosity with
many adult and mature questions as they transition to adults; yet many parental units are
mentally fixated that their “baby will always be a baby”. The term “parental unit” originated
with the characters, the “Coneheads” from NBC’s long running late night show, “Saturday Night
Live” and has become a part of common language referring to those who take care of children,
whether they are theirs biologically, by guardianship, fostering, or adoption.
There are multiple purposes of this image, and variations in the messages sent because
it varies from whom is looking upon it. The old adage of “a picture is worth a thousand words”
rings loud, clear and true with the “Baby Can Wait” campaign that began in March 2006 (and
currently operating) with the help from Serve, a non-profit marketing and advertising services.
This style of advertising is meant to strike up dialogue, as it’s images demand attention to a
multi-faceted issue that requires the consideration of all who are involved. “You are either part
of the problem, or you are part of the solution.”
This mental fixation pokes fun at multiple issues that needs to be addressed. These
issues include: acknowledgement that one’s child is developing into a teenager and young
adult; this transition brings upon many questions about their body, concerns about intimate
relationships, their sexual health and sexual curiosity. These images also bring to light how
many young teens may feel how they are being treated, as a baby, with no freedom, no say, no
way to express themselves that they would be understood as a fellow human, through their
thoughts, and their emotions.
Audience Description
According to the site, BabyCanWait.com, the advertisements are directed to “parents to
talk with their kids about sex” with their assistance. These ads were put on billboards,
“postcard versions were printed and distributed in the community at key locations, such as
libraries, barbershops and beauty salons” and throughout many social media outlets according
to BabyCanWait.com. They canvassed their area of operations within the Milwaukee and
Waukesha Counties in Wisconsin.
When I reviewed these advertisements, I think otherwise, that there are four audiences.
There are two primary audiences, the teenager and their parental unit; then there are the two
secondary audiences, the other relatives of the teenager and their parental unit, then the
community at large.
Ethos - credibility
Teenage pregnancy brings many challenges to the mothers, the children they bear and
the fathers, these cumulative effects continue to cascade into the family, community and
economy; through a multitude of facets: physical, mental and emotional health, continuing and
acquiring education, finding suitable child care, while obtaining employment, securing financial
stability and so much more. Of high concern, are the “psychological well-being for parents for
effective parenting and ensuring healthy child development” (Biello, 2010); without the
parents’ good health in order, the child may be directly affected, unless there is a support
system in place. Teen mothers are “more at risk for postnatal depression, being a school
dropout, and a bad socioeconomic status” (Goossens, Kadji, Delvenne, 2015). Hence, the
importance to educate our teenagers, as they are our future.
Regarding my professional experience being a medic and giving sexual health education
and “safe sex” briefings to our most junior soldiers, who are often young adults in their late
teens and early twenties, it was all too easy to see how uncomfortable they were in getting this
information and that they were highly uncomfortable about the sexual education subjects.
Pathos
From my personal experience of being an unaware teen and young adult, as I have
obtained the services for abortions twice in my early adulthood. Each abortion broke my heart
and I mourned each life that I ended. Other personal experiences come from seeing teen
pregnancies in junior high and high school. In junior high, the girl was a classmate acquaintance,
after she started to show her pregnant belly, she did not return to school, and I did not see her
again. I do not know what became of her. During high school, I saw a couple of girls go through
their pregnancy, one did not finish their education in a traditional manner; but did so in a
separate program to obtain their GED, the other girl did not finish, and I do not know what
became of them. Who do you know who has gone through this - was it you or a friend? What
would you do if your child experienced this?
Logos
The “Baby can wait” campaign is a “long running teen pregnancy prevention effort” of
the United Way of Greater Milwaukee; as spearheaded by the creators of their advertisements,
Serve, “which is the country’s only all-volunteer, non-profit advertising agency, whose mission
is to give underserved charitable causes a stronger voice in the community”, according to their
site, servemarketing.org ; which falls under the parent company of “BVK”. In aggressively
pushing the importance of parents communicating with their teens, these ads were placed
within the areas where they had historically high teen pregnancy rates and where they would
be seen by their primary audiences – the teens and parents – at cleverly located bus shelters
within the areas of historically high teen pregnancies according to Serve.
“The birth rate for teenagers has declined by more than half since 2000”, according to
the 2015 Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report (page 5). Also, within the
Wisconsin city of Milwaukee, their teen birth rate has reached a historic low in 2015, according
to the Journal Sentinel (Spicuzza, 2017). These undeniably “in your face” advertisements have
stirred up what the creators wanted – a drop in teenage pregnancies. According to United Way,
teen birth rates have dropped 65% since 2006, and they continue with ambitious goals with
their “all hand on deck approach”.
Conclusion
The blatant refusal to address these curiosities of sex, sexual relationships, as a natural
part of growing up and learning about oneself has resulted in Wisconsin having some of the
highest teen birth rates in the nation. With the highly aggressive and intelligently placed
advertisement campaign across different media outlets from print on billboards to cards
distributed throughout the community at key locations, social media outlets, radio air time,
false movie trailers, fake music artists, United Way with the help of Serve have accomplished
multiple tasks and reached many goals, while inspiring similar campaigns nationally and
internationally. This successful campaign is currently working toward to continuing this trend of
educating teenagers, “empowering them to make good choices” (Angresano, 2017).
Reference:
Biello, Katie; Sipsma, Heather; Kershaw, Trace. “Effects of Teenage Parenthood on Mental Health
Trajectories: Does Sex Matter?”, American Journal of Epidemiology. June 24, 2010. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917053/
“The Coneheads at Home.” Saturday Night Live, written by Tom David, Al Franken, Bonnie Turner,
directed by Christopher Guest, NBC 1977. www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-coneheads-at-home/3006757
Corpus, Maria. Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Teen pregnancy campaign turns heads, resonates with youth. January 29, 2015. milwaukeenns.org/2015/01/29/teen-pregnancy-campaign-turns-heads-resonates-with-youth/
Daily Mail Reporter [na]. New billboard campaign launched in Chicago features images of pregnant boys to remind them that a baby isn’t just the girl’s responsibility. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325100/New-billboard-campaign-launched-Chicago-features-images-pregnant-boys-remind-baby-isnt-just-girls-responsibility.html
Goossens, Gwendoline; Kadja, Caroline ; Delvenne, Veronique. Teenage pregnancy: a psychopathological risk for mothers and babies? Psychiatria Danubina. September 2015.
www.hdbp.org/psychiatria_danubina/pdf/dnb_vol27_sup1/dnb_vol27_sup1_499.pdf
Herzog, Karen. Journal Sentinel, United Way launches ‘Your baby’s not a baby anymore’ ad campaign. archive.jsonline.com/newswatch/172492311.html
“Milwaukee teen birth rate reaches all-time low.” Today’s TMJ4, WTMJ, NBC November 2017 www.tmj4.com/on-air/milwaukee-teen-birth-rate-reaches-all-time-low
Pregnant boys (April 2007) [Advertisement campaign] www.unitedwaygmwc.org/TPP-Campaigns/Pregnant-Boys
Spicuzza, Mary. Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee’s teen birth rate reaches historic low. November 1,2017. www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2017/11/01/milwaukees-teen-birth-rate-reaches-historic-low/821112001/
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Health Informatics,
Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report 2015, released August 2016. www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p01161-16.pdf
United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, Wisconsin [Organization],
www.babycanwait.com/home.htm
United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, Wisconsin [Organization], Teen Pregnancy Prevention. www.unitedwaygmwc.org/Teen-Pregnancy-Prevention
Your Baby’s Not A Baby (October 2012) [Advertisement]. www.babycanwait.com/etc/In-the-Community/Your-Babys-Not--A-Baby.htm
Serve, An all-volunteer, non-profit advertising agency, servemarketing.org/about/ ; www.unitedwaygmwc.org/Teen-Pregnancy-Prevention-Campaigns
Appendix
Figure 1: Image one of three used in the October 2012 campaign.
Figure 2: Image two of three used in the October 2012 campaign.