The first advertisement I looked at was for Sleigh Bells’ new album Reign Of Terror. There is minimal language in this advertisement with the most emphasis on the band name and the place where it can be purchased which are both in large font. Although the large picture of the band takes up the majority of space, there is a small text box towards the bottom of the page which contains basic information about their new album. The price is displayed at the top of the text box is an enticement to purchase the album. As the product is aimed at late teens to early twenties the majority of these are mainly students therefore a cheap price will draw potential customers in. By including a short paragraph about the band, the advertisement introduces any people who are not familiar with the band and persuades fans of the indie rock genre to purchase the CD.
The only institution shown within the advertisement is HMV. However, this is not the record label the band belongs to, it is the name of the company that stocks the CD. This could be a mistake on behalf of the record company as by not including their logo or some indicator to say which record company the band belongs to, the consumer is not able to identify with the record label so they may lose potential consumers who are not aware of the band but fans of the music the label produces so may have chosen to purchase the CD because of the labels reputation. However, by including the logo and name of the institution that stocks the product, the advertisement makes it easy for the consumer to purchase the product as they do not have to worry about searching for somewhere that stocks it. HMV and the band use synergy to advertise each other through their own advertisements, in this advertisement, HMV are given a reputable image as a shop that sells good quality music that is written and played by the same artist. Similarly, it is helpful for the band to be stocked in such a well-known music shop as it suggests to the consumer that they must be producing good music to be popular enough to be stocked in such a mainstream store whilst still being an indie rock band that tend to be less popular with the mainstream consumer so would be less likely to be stocked in a mainstream store.
The ideology behind the advertisement follows the house style of a hedonistic lifestyle that is common throughout the indie rock genre. The two member of the band are shown in a close up image at sunset with a grunge style outfit and styling. The image itself is slightly blurred and fuzzy giving an aged effect and suggesting it isn’t a professionally done picture connoting anti-establishment which is another common convention of the indie genre. The album cover itself is shown as an image next to the text box in the bottom left hand corner of the advertisement. It is an image of two scruffy shoes, again connoting a lifestyle where materialism doesn’t matter. This ideology is a common convention of the indie genre and when creating images for my advertisement I would like to give them an element of nostalgic look or a shabby feel to them.
The audience is made clear through a combination of the ideology behind the design of the advertisement and the institutions it represents. As the ideology has clear indications towards a hedonistic, carefree lifestyle; this could suggest a reflection of this in the audience. The bands image is well thought out, as the grunge look is very popular within the indie genre, making the band aspirational figures for their fans.
Overall, I think this advertisement could use some extra features to make it a more successful selling pitch. Although I think it is a good idea to feature the price and where it is available to be purchased from, I felt there was not enough information about the band and its label and that the image combined with the image of the CD cover and the text box made the advertisement look very busy. It did not follow the house style of other adverts for this genre I have seen and therefore I will not be using it for much inspiration when considering my own designs.
The first advertisement I looked at was for Tribes debut album. The advertisement doesn’t feature much language however the little it does is blunt and straight to the point. It uses sans serif font which connotes informality, reflecting the conventions of the target audience of the indie genre. The main information of the advertisement is in large bold font. The band name is in large at the top of the advertisement, grabbing the audience’s attention and ensuring any fans of the band will be able to recognise that this is an advertisement for their favoured band straight away. The other main piece of information in bold is the release date of the CD. Although I think it is a good idea to display the release date, it is not very clear when the release date actually is as it simply says “out Monday”. This could cause problems with selling the CD as if the advertisements are left up after the release date then potential customers may not go purchase the CD as they may think that the release date is the following Monday and that it is not available yet.
The institution of the band is made clear by the Island logo at the bottom of the advertisement. By using the institutions logo it is made clear that the band are an indie alternative band as Island is renowned for signing independent artists therefore if fans of Island records realised the band where
signed to this label they may choose to purchase the album due to the reputation of the label, appealing to yet another sector of the market.
The ideology of the advertisement is a clear indicator to a hedonistic lifestyle; the band are featured sat on an old bench in scruffy attire looking detached and uninterested. This appearance connotes a carefree lifestyle and portrays the band as “cool” with a carefree attitude, appealing to the audience who also aspire towards this lifestyle. The image of the band provides an aspirational image for the consumer, persuading them to buy the bands album as they see them as role models and by listening to their music it will give them an insight into their lives. Also, by using an image of the band and not just relying on the music to sell the album, it is made clear that appearance is a crucial part sales and the bands reputation. This reflects on the audience and it could be suggested that fans of music from this genre also span out their admiration of the music to other sectors of their life such as fashion. Therefore it is important to sell a reputable style for the band aswell as producing good music for them to be successful.
The audience is made clear through the several elements of the advertisement. The image of the band reflects the aspirations of the target audience who are late teens to early twenties and fans of the indie alternative music genre. Conventionally, fans of this genre tend to have a care free attitude to life and enjoy meaningful songs who are written by the band themselves and not by other people. This ideology is reflected in the bands image as they are clearly not made up to be something they are not and appear as themselves and are not moulded to the mainstream preference.
Overall, I think this advertisement portrays the audience well. I like the basic layout of the advertisement that gives the feel that the band are confident that their image alone will be enough to entice the audience, suggesting that this album is simply for fans of their music, and not for fans of popular music that has lots of good reviews.
Another advertisement I looked at was for Lana Del Rey’s debut album Born To Die. The language in this advertisement is similar to the others in that it is simplistic and only gives brief details, enough to ensure the consumer can purchase the album without any trouble but not too much information to make the advertisement too busy. The largest text on the article text the form of a masthead at the top of the advertisement, this displays Lana Del Rey’s name; ensuring that the advertisement will catch the eye of any fans of her music straight away. the name of the album and it’s release date are also in large, bold, sans serif font so all the main information needed is easy to read. Unlike Tribes’ advertisement, this one has a clear release date signified with a numbered date so it is clear when the album is available. I think this is a good idea as there is then no confusion as to when the album is released and no customers will be lost due to misinformation. Unlike other advertisements I have looked at, this features quotations from recognisable sources who have given their opinion on the album. This is beneficial as it means that anyone who is not familiar with Lana Del Rey’s music may be persuaded to purchase the album as they are fans of the institutions that have complemented it and therefore may feel that the music will suit them. The institutions Q and The Independent are both companies that can be associated with more liberal thinkers who also tend to be fans of the alternative/indie music genre. Fans of the music magazine Q are conventionally fans of musicians who create their own music and take music as a lifestyle and not just a way of making money. Whereas The Independent boasts a fan base of liberal thinkers who tend to be more left wing and again are also fans of alternative music that is not mass made for the soul purpose of selling albums. By including the phrase “Includes ‘video games’ and ‘born to die’” the advertisement relates to those who may not be a fan of Lana’s music but have heard of one of her hit songs. This could then potentially persuade them to purchase the album therefore I may use this technique in my own advertisement as I think it is a good way to widen the market to those who may enjoy the music but may not know of or be a fan of the musician.
The ideology in this advertisement is juxtaposed with two contrasting ideologies fighting for attention. Primarily we have the “American dream” idea with Lana wearing a buttoned up blouse with perfect hair and makeup, stood against a sunny sky and a well-kept garden background. However, with this perfect image there is the juxtaposition of the album name “born to die” which has very ominous connotations and rejects the idea of the American lifestyle. Unlike the other two advertisements I have looked at, Lana does not appear to be aware of her aspirational value; she does not try to be a member of the indie genre by dressing in the conventional grunge way, her style is also juxtaposed against the genre she belongs too as she is dressed impeccably with her hair and make-up done. This suggests that Lana is rejecting the conventions of her genre whilst in turn accepting the conventions of postmodernism in which she also belongs to and which boundaries are meant to be broken and conventions rejected.
The audience for the advertisement is not as clear as the other advertisements I have looked at. As it does not have aspirational “grunge” figures often associated with the indie genre, it is hard to immediately tell what kind of music Lana produces. Although the institutions The Independent and Q give some clue as to who the audience would be, it takes a little research on behalf of the consumer to fully understand what type of music Del Rey produces. In my advertisement I will make it more clear who the audience is by dressing my models in appropriate clothes and using effects suitable for the indie genre such as fading to give a nostalgic feel.
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