Social Media: Facebook

Social Media: Facebook

Facebook is a social media platform that is used frequently and is popular for my music video’s target audience. The platform is well-known and easy to use for both the companies and the consumers, and it is popular in the media world for promoting new products (including films, songs, albums and artistes). I created a social media account for my ‘Try Everything’ music video in hope to reach my target audience to promote all products within my project. I have regularly posted about new products available that relate to my music video; the website, the album and the magazine advertisement among others. These regular updates ensure that my audience is well-informed about the music video and ancillary tasks, which should increase the profits and success of the overall product. Posts mainly consist of photos and videos, along with website links so that any products can be accessed with ease. 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/TRY-Everything-149752889074061/posts/

Merchandise

Merchandise

For modern day artistes, there is no question that most of the profits from their career are in fact raised from sources other than their music; with the introduction of streaming services and downloadable music files (legal and illegal), the source of their profits has shifted from the traditional 'music and album'. Merchandise is a way in which the artiste's fans can feel more involved and connected with the creators of their favourite music, and can give them a sense of unity, belonging or identification (especially in regards to apparel). Branding and authenticity can add to this feeling of collective identity. Merchandise can also be bought as a souvenir when sold at concerts. Today, it is a vital aspect of the music industry. 

I have created some examples of how I think the merchandise for my music video should look...

The very first example of merchandise which I would produce is the standard t-shirt design. After researching current pop artiste's merchandise homepages, it was clear that t-shirts are the most popular and successful items since on every site (Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa) a t-shirt was the first featured product. 

My first design is unisex, as to not lean towards one particular demographic of my audience, and is a simple white t-shirt with the same picture featured consistently throughout the branding of the music video. The iconic image is easy to recognize thanks to this consistency and it is a clear representation of the product itself. On the back of the t-shirt, there is a list of the tour dates. This element of the design is popular among the souvenirs and merchandise of contemporary pop musicians. It could also be perceived as an additional method of advertising! 

On the website, the t-shirt is featured towards the top of the 'SHOP' page and has a simple description alongside, along with the price displayed clearly. The 'Buy Now!' button is easy to spot, making the whole buying process simple for the buyer, and size information will be available after the decision has been made to invest in the product. Making the buying process as easy and frustration-free as possible will encourage the investor to go through with their action. 

The second example of the music video's merchandise is very similar to the first, however it is a t-shirt designed for babies and children. This ensures that my whole audience is facilitated for. The yellow colour of the design was chosen specifically in order to differentiate it from the first adult design. This reduces the risk of the visitor buying the wrong product (which would result in a great deal of disappointment and frustration). 

To keep the merchandise relevant to the contemporary audience, I have designed a phone case as the third merchandise example. The consistent branded design is featured again. 

My last example of merchandise is a sports shirt which is available in both men and women styles. Unlike the other examples, it is not themed around the main branding design. Instead, it features some key lyrics to the song. Since the song focuses on positivity and encourages its listeners to 'Try Everything' (an empowering message), I thought that a sports shirt was a product that would be appropriate considering this message. The alternative, subtle design also gives an example of how the merchandise for my product will vary in styles and cater for a wider audience, thus hopefully improving sales. 

Website Analysis - Coldplay

Website Analysis - Coldplay

The home page of Coldplay's website uses mainly a dark grey/black colour in order for the rainbow colour scheme to look visually effective. Without this monochrome background, the page would appear cluttered and confusing. The spirograph-style logo for their new album "A Head Full Of Dreams" is a colourful design which also acts as a portal to the amazon site where the album can be purchased. Placing the logo in the centre of the screen, and using such eye-catching colours, draws the visitor's attention to the band's main sales focus. The logo's interactivity - the colour is constantly changing and some text pops up when the cursor is hovering over the logo - is an attractive feature which encourages the site's visitor to click on the portal. 

The most easily accessible information on the page is the band's most current news, including information about the next venue that they will be singing at. The fact that the band is encouraging their audience to follow them on their most recent activities and get involved suggests that it is something they find particularly valuable to keep a strong fanbase. 

The access panel is at the left hand side of the screen, quite small and hidden compared to other sites. The layout of the tabs remains very simple and the tabs themselves are quite spread out, making reading easy regardless of the small font. The colourful icons which appear next to the tab names also act as a method of visual differentiation which also add colour to the page and draw the visitor's eye to them. The use of space and colour on the whole page is important, since the eye is naturally drawn to the cluster of colour of the tabs - the access point for the website. 

To fill large spaces on the page, little sketches and moving images have been placed to make the space seem a bit busier - the choice of images do not seem to have any direct relevance to the band, but the colours of the images match the theme and portrays them as having an eccentric and popularly unconventional image. In the top right corner of the site there is a diagram which represents the different moon phases. The infographic is designed to light up according to the current phase of the moon cycle (in the band's home country - UK). This feature is unique and interesting, matching the band's well-known quirkiness. To add to this, it has become a popular discussion for fans on online forums and social media; the discussion consisting of several theories which have been produced as a result of the seemingly random website feature. 

The two fonts 

Only two fonts are used throughout the website, thus keeping it simple and not overcrowded. The fonts are also very easy to read, making the information clear and easy to access. The main colour choice for the font is white, which is a suitable and attractive colour against the dark grey background. The texts which may be considered as more important (such as the band's name, the title of their new album and the portal to their merchandise store) is multicoloured gradient coloured. This highlights, again, where the band want their visitors to be drawn to - where they can make their most money! This marketing technique is subtle but effective. The only issue with the font may be its size. For the most part, font sizes are very small considering the space on the homepage which may make the website more difficult to navigate and access for some users. 

Overall, it is safe to say that the design of the website is very effective, especially since the whole website is easy to access and right at your fingertips thanks to the basic yet effectual layout of the access panel, which provides easy entry to the desired information whoever the visitor. The colour choice covers that of the colour spectrum, yet the page is not overwhelming enough to confuse the visitor or be difficult to look at. The website's interactivity keeps it interesting and unique, as something is going on all the time but it is not overpowering. Every visitor is naturally guided towards the elements which earn the band money - it is a well designed website which coincides with the band's image and meets their requirements. 

Website Analysis - Drake

Website Analysis - Drake 

Unlike many websites, Drake's whole homepage is displayed on the whole screen. This particular feature makes the website extremely accessible, unlike homepages where it is necessary to scroll in order to view the page's content. The mot prominent feature of the website is the video which is placed in the centre of the screen. This has been done to showcase the artiste's most recent video, the music video which he is currently focusing on in order to gain more record sales or video views. Placing the video in plain and obvious sight entices the site's visitors to watch it. It cold even be said that the visitors are 'forced' to watch the video, since it automatically starts playing when the site is entered. 

Straight below the prominent video is the Apple Music link and logo. Again, its prevalence on the screen allows the visitors to purchase the song featured above in a fast and efficient manner. Making this logo recognisable and clear is likely to help raise record sales too.

The access panel is featured down the right hand side of the page, similar to other websites, and each tab turns from regular text to bold text when the cursor is hovered over it. This feature is extremely simplistic, however effective because it relates to the rest of the theme of the website and also makes it very easy to understand for all types of visitor. Unlike most websites, the portals to the artiste's social media is found by clicking on one of the tabs instead of being explicit on the homepage. This could be a disadvantage of the website, since essentially it would be more difficult for casual visitors to become followers; there is nothing on the homepage to inspire the visitor to do so. 

The autograph of the artiste is featured as the logo of the page. This could be acting as a symbol of authenticity for the website however it does not relate to the  actual known logo of Drake, which is an owl. Its design is simple, however, meaning it keeps the page looking spacious and simplistic. 

The colour scheme is a very basic black and white. This allows the artiste to make certain things more prominent on the webpage by adding more colour to the elements that he wants the visitors to focus on (his video for instance). The black and white colour scheme also creates the illusion of more space of the page, thus making it a lot easier to navigate due to the simple looking layout. Despite the age demographic being around 15-30, the website is easy to use and therefore appropriate for all ages. 

Overall this website is very simple, yet its simplicity in this situation makes it incredibly easy to navigate and efficient. The colour scheme is easy on the eye and the page has clearly been designed mainly to encourage the sales of the latest music and merchandise. The artiste's brand is being sold (hence the autograph) and it is clear that Drake values his image by the layout of his page and primary access to his biography; appearing as the topmost tab of the access panel. 

Website Analysis - Ed Sheeran

Website Analysis - Ed Sheeran

The first page that comes up supplies the audience with a list of dates for Ed Sheeran's upcoming tour. His tour is clearly what the artiste holds most central to his success, since every website visitor is presented with his tour dates before they can even access the official artiste site. In fact, the user physically has to scroll to the bottom of the list of tour dates in order to click to the official site, which could possibly entice them to buy tickets. For fans and listeners of Ed Sheeran, it is likely that their main reason for visiting his site is to buy tickets straightaway. In terms of webpage design, this is a useful technique at meeting the visitors' requirements in a simple and direct manner; with merely two clicks, a fan or listener can book tickets (the easiest and most effective way for a band or artiste to earn money). 

The colour scheme of the tour dates page is the same as Ed Sheeran's branding for his album, 'Divide'. The continued use of branding helps people to identify the page and information with the artiste himself, reassuring that they have reached the right site and can buy tickets from the page knowing that it is trusted. The use of space on this page is also effective, since the information presented is much easier to comprehend without it looking cluttered. The colours are simple and not overwhelming, making the official site easy to navigate to.  

The official website's main colours, unlike the tour dates page, is much simpler with the use of plain white for the background and black for the text and tabs. Again, this keeps the page from appearing overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Its easy navigation means that the website is appropriate and easy to use for the whole of Ed Sheeran's demographic (presumably younger children through to middle-aged adults, but mostly for young adults). The font chosen for the artiste's name, tabs and buttons is all the same, which again adds to the website's simplicity (which is aesthetically pleasing nonetheless). The artiste's name copies its international branding, giving the page instant identity. 
The centre of the page features the most recent addition to the artiste's music videos, keeping the visitors updated to what is being promoted most currently (this is particularly important in order to help raise record sales for the new song). It is also likely that a visitor has come to the site to watch the new video only; in which case their requirements are quick and simple to get access to. 

Everything that the viewer may want access to is presented right at the top of the webpage with the tabs, which are centralised and equally spaced. This efficient organisation is essential for easy navigation for visitors. While hovering the cursor over the tab titles, the writing fades into the blue theme colour featured as an accent throughout the webpage design. This simple feature makes the website more interactive and modern, thus keeping a contemporary feel to the website and keeping it more interesting for its visitors. 

Just underneath the featured music video is a section for social media. All types of social media that the artiste can be followed on are available to click on, using icons instead of text. The use of icons is a lot more aesthetic, especially since the icons are used widely on the internet nowadays. They retain their interactivity (as seen above) such as in the tab titles; an attractive feature for the site's visitors. 

Magazine Choice

Magazine Choice

Choosing the right magazine for a music advert is essential; a product's target market must correspond to some extent with the readership of the magazine in which it features, otherwise the advertisement would not be effective. The advertisement should also look like it 'belongs' in the magazine in regards to its style and genre. The artwork of the advert should connote a mood which somewhat matches the moods created by other articles and adverts of the magazine. 

I started with the genre of my music video - pop music. I found three popular magazines which appeared to feature pop music advertisements by bands and artistes who were similar to my own. Choosing a popular magazine to feature an advert is no doubt costly, however it ensures that a wide audience will receive the product which is being promoted. It is worthwhile mentioning that having an advertisement in a popular magazine would not be possible on a small budget. 

Billboard

Billboard magazine is exclusively a music magazine, featuring a variety of music genres and artistes. It is regarded as a global magazine, since it can be found in North America, Brazil, Greece, Japan, Korea and Russia (among other countries), and online too. It is well known for its charts (such as the Billboard Hot 100) and prides itself as "the world's most influential music media brand reaching key executives and tastemakers in and around the music business". 

Its readership is very broad, and in terms of music genre the target audience is not completely specific. Articles involve pop, latin, rock, indie and others. For my own magazine advert, the broad audience of Billboard magazine could be beneficial because it enhances the possibility that other demographics can explore and enjoy my product, rather than my own niche demographic exclusively. 

The example front cover of this magazine happens to be the singer of 'Try Everything', Shakira. Shakira's songs in the English language often fit into the same pop genre as 'Try Everything', suggesting that this particular magazine would in fact be ideal for my magazine advertisement.

Entertainment Weekly 

The Entertainment Weekly magazine is a lot more broad in the content which it supplies; not only does it feature articles about music, it also mentions the events in the film, TV and literature industries. More often than not, the cover of the magazine displays an upcoming film or a recent popular TV series. Even on the example cover given above, it can be seen that this particular issue is a 'special music issue', meaning the star of the front would have to be an artiste anyway. 

This magazine has a broad audience in another sense to the broad audience of the Billboard magazine. The fact that the product which I am trying to promote is an album (with a relatively niche target audience) suggests that the readership of this particular magazine may be too diverse to make my promotion a success. The vast amount of money that it would cost to have an advert feature in the Entertainment Weekly may not be worthwhile, since the target audience may not be reached and this risks ineffectiveness. In spite of this, the main coverage of music that the magazine does feature is music of my music video's genre (pop, and famous artistes like Shakira). In this way, the music edition of the Entertainment Weekly magazine would be an ideal place for my magazine advert to be shown. 

NME

NME, 'New Music Express' is a magazine which is well established, having been first released in 1952. One of its main advantages in regards to my own music video project is that it is exclusively a music magazine, ensuring that its readership is likely to be interested in the purchase of new albums. NME features the most recent artistes and new music (hence the magazine company name). The music genres which it features are varied, including articles on older pop/rock bands such as The Beatles, hip-hop artistes, rock bands and some more contemporary pop. In terms of genre, my magazine advertisement would fit somewhat comfortably in this magazine. 

Upon conducting further research, I found that the demographic of this magazine is not that similar to the demographic for my own music video and advertisement - the lack of correlation between these two demographics runs the risk of the expensive advertisement being ineffective. According to statista, a statistics website, 676,000 of the 971,000 adults (15 years and above) who read the magazine in 2016-17 were in fact male. Considering that a large portion of my own music video's target audience is younger females, these statistics suggest that NME is not the best magazine to feature my advertisement. 


Overall, I would choose to feature my album advertisement in the Billboard magazine, since it is the magazine which correlates the most accurately with the target audience for my own music video. This is an essential element of the choosing process because it ensures that the advertisement reaches the right people - the people who are most likely to invest in the product which I am promoting with my advertisement. 

My Magazine Advert Analysis

My Magazine Advert Analysis

For my music video magazine advertisement, I decided on a pastel pink background. The pink colour would stereotypically appeal to younger females, who happen to be a large part of the music video's demographic thanks to the young female actresses involved and the nature of pop music as a genre. The pink colour for the background matches the same pink that can be found within the 'try everything' photo, and also happens to be a modern craze popular for the music video's target audience: "millennial pink". The use of colour alone is appealing on many levels. 

I wanted the overall design to be simple and soft to the eye, so paler colours were implemented and were never matched with a contrasting colour which could be harsh to the eye. The pink-purple colour palette is consistent throughout the design. 

The record label is displayed at the top of the page, and is displayed in a more creative manner as part of the border of the advertisement. I originally drew inspiration from George Ezra's album advert - I think it is a professional and creative way to inform the consumers about the record label. The use of a wispy line makes the advert look more casual, which would appeal to my target audience. 

The name of the artiste is in large letters at the top of the advert, since one of the unique selling points of my music video is the fact that it is performed by Shakira and featured in the Walt Disney Motion Picture, Zootropolis. Shakira as a well known artiste also has a specific style of music attached to her name, so having her name in such a prominent position on my magazine advertisement should help the product reach out to another branch of the demographic, or explore a new branch of the demographic of the music video.

This piece of information is perhaps less important than the artiste's name and the release date of the product, so it has not been written in the same bold font, rather the second font used in the advertisement design. Nevertheless, the information is still important enough to be featured on the magazine advertisement; supplying the consumer with the essential knowledge of what the product being marketed is. This particular font has been used throughout the design of the music video and the products affiliated with it, ensuring a professional consistency. The font is also soft and 'girly', which is relevant to my target demographic. 

The picture which I have chosen to feature on the magazine advertisement is the same image which is used throughout the branding of my music video: the silhouette of the running character against the cloud with the silver lining. The image matches the image used for the album cover, making the product easier to find for the consumer looking to purchase the product. The consistent use of the image should also enable the product to be well recognised in terms of marketing. 

The same font has been used again to emphasise the release date for my music video (or the fact that it is 'out now'). This information is naturally crucial for the magazine readers to know so that they can be reminded to buy the currently available material. I chose to have 'out now' instead of a specific date so that the consumable products are available when the advertisement would be received, thus enabling them to respond instantly to the advert (which in turn improves the advert's efficiency). The same wispy lines have been used wither side of the release information, which not only draws readership attention towards the release date, but also frames the important information that features above. 

The 'girly' font is used once more to provide the readers with another reason to invest in the music video and album. Mentioning on the advert a song that the readers may already be familiar with is likely to further encourage the reader to consider purchasing the product. The use of the phrase 'no.1' implies that the consumers would be investing their money in a product of the best quality. 

At the bottom of the magazine advertisement, the link to the product's website can be found, thus leading the readership to a portal where the music video and album can be further promoted and in more detail. This is efficient and easy for the consumers to understand. The bold, capitalised lettering aids clarity as well. 

All in all, the pink and white theme creates a satisfying product (leaning more towards the feminine demographic, but relevant nonetheless) which promotes the music video and album in a simplistic and clear way. The effective use of space and the organised framing of the design means that the readers of the magazine would not be overwhelmed by busyness. Only the bare essential information is displayed on the design, meaning the consumers do not get overwhelmed with excessive confusing information (which should therefore increase the likelihood of the product being invested in; there are no distractions). I think that the overall product is simple, informative, professionally organised and efficient.