My name is Juliette Wileman (0875), and this is my A2 Media Studies Coursework blog. I am working in Group 3 along with Audrey King Lassman (0397), Brandon Poonwasie (0660), and Chrystal Li (0470).
To navigate around my blog, use the labels on the left side, below the Labels heading.
Thank you!

Website

Album Art Digipack

Album Art Digipack

Music Video

Sunday 21 December 2014

2) How Effective Is The Combination Of Your Main Product And Ancillary Texts?

We tried to use our main product and ancillary texts to create a strong sense of brand and band identity through the use of synergy and a cross-platform marketing campaign.

BAND IDENTITY
We had a consistent band identity conveyed across all three products, portrayed in a number of ways:
- Firstly, it is conveyed through the costumes in the music video:

This is similar to bands such as The 1975, who also connote band identity through costumes in their music videos:

- We also convey the band identity through the images on and style of album art:
The front and back cover appear to be more serious and mysterious than the inside cover.
The style of the album art is very minimalist on the front, giving the impression that the band itself is very mysterious and cool, as there is only the band name and logo (anchoring the brand). The images on the back further imply this as the facial expressions and poses are serious, although the bright colours to suggest some playfulness.
The costumes used on the inside panel are the same as the music video, which is both synergistic and anchoring the band image portrayed in the music video.
This hint at playfulness is then confirmed on the inside panels, where the band are pictured messing around - this conveys their more quirky and upbeat side.
This is similar to The 1975, as they also convey their band image through their album art - the image above is the inside cover of their album art. This image connotes their cool, indie image through the use of no direct address to the audience and lack of colour. This image is also synergistic with their band image portrayed in their music videos, such as Girls or Chocolate (pictured above).
- The website also conveys the band identity:
  
We referenced Richard Dyer's Star Theory that "a star is an image that is constructed" - we created personas for each individual band member, as well as for the band as a whole. We decided that it was better for our band to appear 'real' and 'authentic' rather than formulaic; we packaged them to be this way through the fact that they played their own instruments, for example, much like San Cisco and A Great Big World:
We also wanted to have the band convey a more innocent, upbeat lifestyle, such as through their costumes and the clichéd, fun music video.

BRANDING
Across the three platforms, although mainly the website and album art, we tried to maintain a consistent brand through use of synergy and symbiosis.

We have a consistent band logo across all three platforms - this anchors the band effectively, as the logo is easily recognisable for fans. The logo is on every page on the website:

This is similar to artists such as One Direction and The 1975, who also have their band logo on every page of the website. This effectively anchors the brand logo for the fans:


The logo is also the front panel of the album art, and is on the bass drum in the music video. This not only anchors the brand and the logo, but it also creates synergy across the three platforms.
We also put the logo on all of the band merchandise - this is effective as it not only remains synergistic, but it also means that if fans wear or use the merchandise in public places, other members of the public will see the logo and potentially become a fan of the band.

This is similar to The 1975 store, as they also have merchandise that all feature the band logo.
We have a synergistic colour scheme across our ancillary texts and the music video - dark grey with neon and white lettering is used for both ancillary texts, and the dark grey/black with colour was used for the band scenes, whilst the bright colours of the narrative background are similar to the neon colours used for the band logo.
This is effective as it creates a clear link between the three products, so the fans will associate them with the brand and the band.

Chrystal's bright red shirt contrasts with the white background as well as the amp and her jeans (which are both black) - this is similar to the red in the band logo contrasting with the white text and dark grey background.
 Having a consistent colour scheme is common between artist websites and album art - The 1975, for example, have a black and white theme, which not only connotes their band image, but also connotes their alternative/indie genre. Their debut album The 1975 is also entirely in greyscale to match the website.

We also have a consistent motif of the 'sticky tape' effect - on the website and the album art, we used the 'stuck on' effect, where images look like they have been stuck on with tape. We felt like this effect fit with our quirky band image, and we felt that using it for our website and album art would again help to effectively create synergy between platforms. 
We didn't, however, have this effect in the music video, which may mean it loses some of the effectiveness. On the other hand, it could be argued that the 'homemade' look of the sets links in with the 'stuck on' effect, and is therefore part of the consistent motif - for example, the disco floor in the 70s narrative scene was hand-made.

THE WEBSITE
We also took advantage of the way in which the website could incorporate technological convergence and social media links to market our band and the debut album.

We included symbiosis on our website - this was to link Sticky & The Melonheads to other institutions, in order to widen the reach and appeal to our audience. For example, we linked the band to XFM, an indie and alternative radio station, effectively appealing to our target audience of any indie fans. This is seen on other artist websites, such as The 1975, for the same reasons.:

There is a link to follow the band on Spotify, which will appeal to fans who prefer to use Spotify over iTunes for example.

 There are also links to iTunes and Soundcloud, which appeals to fans who would rather use these sites over Spotify for example.

We included interactivity throughout the website - this is effective as it appeals to fans as they use the website; it makes it more interesting and fun to use, gratifying their entertainment needs. Firstly, we included videos on the website, taking advantage of the technological convergence - this means the fans can access content and remain on the website:

We drew inspiration from websites like One Direction, George Ezra and The 1975
We also included a live feed from the band's social networking sites, which is effective in keeping the fans informed about the band whilst keeping them on the band's website - it also means the fans are encouraged to follow and like the band's social networking profiles. This is similar to websites like One Direction, who include links at the bottom of every page, as well as a live feed on the home page (both picture below).
Whilst The 1975 don't have a live-feed, they do have a link to follow the band Twitter page:


 We also integrated social networking sites into the competition, again encouraging fans to be connected to the band - the competition required a tweet from the fans with a link to a video - this is again taking advantage of technological convergence. Fans are also encouraged to like and share the music video on Twitter and Facebook.

We included multiple purchasing opportunities - we encouraged fans to buy the album, both with the scrolling advert at the top of the page, and with the link on the home page, that also linked the fans to the shop. Along with this, fans are also encouraged to buy tour tickets;
Whilst we have promotion on the website itself, we also used the social media pages to promote the new album, as this would reach fans who don't regularly check the website but who may follow the band on social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook:
 This is similar to The 1975, who use their Facebook page to keep fans updated with recent releases, along with other information such as interviews or tours.


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