Evaluation Question 2

The products we have created for our coursework have been designed to appeal to a specific target market, that of a relatively young and hip demographic, but not exclusive to these people. This has been achieved by the artwork and the video all being quirky, which takes inspiration from other indie bands, such as the Automatic’s monster video, and the Foals album artwork.

Our band fits the indie genre and their music is quite upbeat and quirky. We have taken inspiration from the Foals as shown above when creating our promotional content, the digipak and the magazine advert. We have created these elements to be traditional media, things that can be produced physically and exist in real life, in the magazines or when you purchase the pack. We have created these elements to be applicable to real life however; in this day and age new media is becoming more and more prominent.  The adverts have the ability to be shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites because of the way they have been created digitally. This sort of versatility is a must have in the modern world and by having these elements created digitally means they can be distributed digitally for a lower cost, and also can be shown to a wider audience, including people who may not look in music magazines. The actual magazine advert being placed in indie music magazines mean they can be directly shown to the target audience.

I have chosen these publications to show the magazine advert as they cover a wide range of music, so lots of different people can be exposed to the advert. Also because the magazines have a significant indie following, people who are interested in the genre will be able to see the advert as well, maximising potential buyers.

 

 

I have chosen these publications to show the magazine advert as they cover a wide range of music, so lots of different people can be exposed to the advert. Also because the magazines have a significant indie following, people who are interested in the genre will be able to see the advert as well, maximising potential buyers.

The music video will be shown on music channels and on the internet. The promo video has been made to sell the song, and the video will be present on iTunes, Youtube and other music websites. This shows that new media can chare information everywhere. The use of these mediums allows a huge audience to see the promo video. The promo will be also present on music channels such as MTV which will allow the video to be shown to a mainstream audience. The magazine advert will be shown as both an online advert and as a magazine advert in magazines like Q and NME. The fact it has been made as a digital file means it can be placed on webpages and social networking sites and by targeting both conventional and new media, lots of different people can be advertised the same thing because of the similar products they use creating synergetic links between the different companies and the band.

The digipak will be distributed through retail shops and through online sites such as Amazon and Play.com as well as iTunes. Giving people the choice to either download the music digitally or buy the digipak will help to appeal to people who prefer their music on disc or have it on their computers. By maximising this, the overall profit from the music track will increase.

Imagery:
We have decided to use certain imagery throughout the texts to help create a band identity. Some recurring themes throughout all of our texts are help to create links between the advertising and the promo. The space helmet has been used as it helps to realise the idea of space exploration. The car is iconic and has been used throughout as that is something physial and ralistic which can tie the elements together. The colours use in the ancillary tasks are very similar to that used by the Foals in some of their artwork, and that helps to create the idea of The Smiling Lies being an indie band. All of the images created for the texts are also different for each element. This helps to create a familiar theme running throughout the different texts yet each one is unique, helping to enhance the originality. This is how we chose to brand the set of texts and it creates a sense of identity which can be easilyidentified  as belonging to the band.

Digipak: Pros and Cons

+ Utilises imagery from the promo.
+ Creates a link between the texts and helps to enforce a band image
+ Stylistic and iconic
+ Follows conventions
+ Adds something new on top of the existing themes, unique.
- Some of the imagery is completely unrelated, however, this could be viewed as a good thing.

Magazine Advert: Pros and Cons

+ Simplistic
+ Morris Minor is iconic
+ Helps to enforce band image
+ Similar in style to the digipak
+ Uses an original image