When Punchlines fall short

I found this video interesting but ultimately unsuccessful. Watching the girl go through her life was heartbreaking, made more so, by her narration. The repetition of the line "I didn't cry" is really effective at punctuating her pain but also reminding us of her pride and resilience in the face of the horrors she faces.  I felt the punchline which is really the call to action just falls flat. After all she's gone through, is her biggest problem really she doesn't have water? I guess maybe..., I don't know, but it moves the video from an emotional appeal to a rational one, suddenly I'm thrust into the position of having to judge whether water is at the level of child marriage or your mother is a prostitute, that's not really the level Water is Life wants to be operating.

Frankly I'm not sure if this ad is motivating at all. There's so much wrong with the poor girl's life, how is fixing one thing going to make it right, it feels so daunting, that you just want to give up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOXMKEnra8w

This video from Save the Children takes another tact. It tried to use humor and surprise to get your attention (as opposed to Water is Life which just uses shock value).  The punchline here is more effective, but I found myself distracted because I was feeling sorry for the models. It felt like they were being punked, and I shared their discomfort rather than engaging with their message.  That's where this video falls short, I can't transfer my discomfort with the execution to being upset about the facts they're presenting. The message is clear, but the emotions are muddied.

I think something both these videos show is the importance of the punchline. Both these videos depend on their punchline to deliver their message and their emotion, but they both fall short because the punchline doesn't connect with what came before either emotionally or in terms of message.