How do charity advertisements and those for social causes differ from those for consumer products?

wysiwyg:

I'm not sure what you're asking. Are you asking if there's a difference between an advertiser's approach/appeal for money and the way a charity/social cause is handled?

In the US, I've seen rather slickly produced ads for charity/social causes - some appeal on a purely emotional level; some a little less "gut-wrenching" in their appeal for funds. However, I don't think I've found humor used in any charitable/social ads that I can recall. A sober subject matter, handled humorously, might tend to alienate most viewers. You'd tend to find more humor attached to products/services that are soliciting for customers.

The goal of sales ads are to sell a product.
The goal of ads that solicit donations is to sell the charity or generate interest in the project (for instance to recruit volunteers).

I don't see a lot of differences.

Both want to sell a product.
Both will target a specific audience.
Both will judge their success based on the cost of the ad vs the return on the investment for the most effective advertising strategy.