Magazine Adverts and Digipak analysis’…

What is the purpose of a magazine advert for a new album?

Magazine adverts are useful because they cause promotion. This is towards both the album advertised but also the artist in general – a direction towards their other platforms. Visual adverts allow people to see aspects such as a logo or face which helps people remember the advert to. Another benefit of magazine adverts is that it can act as a persuasion method towards audiences meaning they may well buy the album. The adverts also build hype and buzz because people note there is a new album coming out which they may be interested in, this may be particularly relevant to existing audiences. But more over, adverts can attract new audiences too.

What are conventions of a magazine advert in the music industry?

• Name of artist – to create a distinguish of the particular artist easily and quickly

• Name of album – allows a direct search to be easier• Main Image - Catches the audiences attention• Logo – easily recognisable to audiences• Release Date- informs and creates anticipation• “Includes the single…” – well known single to broaden audience• Record Label Logo – informs the audience (Blumler & Katz, Uses

and gratification theory is fulfilled)• Artist and Label Websites – gives the audience a place to buy

the artists work• Social Media Links – provides the audience with a place to find

out more and to talk about albums thus creating a wider potential audience

• QR Code – windows of exhibition for the audience to use• Reviews – creates a heavier persuasion for one to buy an album

Broods – Digipak analysis:

Broods’ digipak is fairly simple. It features the duo’s portraits as a side portrait in black and

white against a plain white background. There is also a

reflection effect used to reflect the top of his head below.

Rhodes’ digipak gives me the idea to use a portrait image

and maybe experiment editing with it in simplistic ways as

this would mean I was following the conventions of

the genre too.

This digipak follows some normal traits – social norms.

For example, the cover features an image of the

artist along with their name and the album name too.

This suggests that the artist will probably follow a typical indie pop style throughout

his music, like he has followed a conventional

digipak.

There is no parental advisory stamp which suggests the music is

not explicit. This is true to the genre

which tends to avoid explicit language in

the majority of songs.

The use of black on grey creates a feeling of calmness

because the contrast sharpness isn’t as strong as it

would be if the text was on white. This is an accurate

representation of the music Rhodes has presented on this

album.

The lighting on the digipak is quite low brightness and the contrast on the face is very low too which reduces the feature differentiation. This

makes him seem like his music will be more to himself and deep. The location is also

not shown on this cover.

Rhodes digipak features his name and his album name in the top corners. They are both in the same font and have the same

font size. Therefore this could suggest that Rhodes is not particularly well known

because his name is not the “attraction” or focus point of the album.

The genre – alternative, suggests that the audience would fit in a more alternative

audience group based on the four C’s theory – by Young and Rubicam. Therefore the

audience may be reformers or aspirers but it is lot more unlikely for the audience to be

mainstreamers.

“Broods” - Advert Analysis:Typography: Broods’ advert features their name very

clearly at the top. The artist name is in their signatory font with the linked “O’s”. It is in white to show up against the grey background and is the

largest word on the advert. The connotative effect, link to

audience

The advert does not feature an album name. This is not

common within music adverts, however, I believe it is quite

common within the alternative genre, therefore making the

advert conventional. As a result the advert advertises

the duo as a whole as opposed to advertising individual and specific albums. Furthermore

this expands the potential audience because the name of

the duo is what stands out which would make the artist

name more memorable.

Visual: The main image is a glass

version of the duo. It keeps the theme very

secretive and therefore follows a typical alternative

indie pop convention.

Written: This advert doesn’t feature a release date because it

is advertising for ‘now’. This suggests that the duo are not well enough known to create a

‘hype and buzz’ and instead need to be available to an audience there and then.

Written: This advert doesn’t use the typical phrase “includes the

single…”. I think this is again because the

songs and artist isn’t well known enough.

Written: Broods’ advert provides information to tell one where to follow

them. Despite this being quite conventional there is no web link which prevents a clear link to an

audience to purchase their music. This is not conventional.

Design: This advert has been interestingly structured. This is

because the advert design challenges the rule of thirds. This is shown

because the text is in the left hand side whilst the right hand side is filled with an image of the duo. The use of composition makes Broods appear as

a star in reach because the glass structure of them is created at eye

level. However the glass makes them seem more angelic and special

meaning they are out of reach from the audience. This is relevant to Richard Dyers theory about Stars

where he says that a star should be both achievable and inspirable. Also in this advert there is use of a gradient

fading into white around the duo. This creates a halo feeling around them which in turn connotes them to be

angelic figures. The advert also considers the text design, where by

the text is informal because it is in the format of sans serif. However, the text is also in capitals. This is a formal text design. Therefore there is an element of binary oppositions which is a theory

by Levi Strauss.

Oh Wonder – Digipak analysis:Oh Wonder’s digipak is extremely

simple. It features a simple black border slightly indented from the digipak rim.

The centre is filled with the duo identification stamp of ‘OW’ with ‘Oh

Wonder’ written underneath in sequence (lines up with the initials) in

block black font. The rear of the digipak features the same border as the front, along with the same font and colour

used for the text which says ‘Oh Wonder’ written in block at the top

centre; along with the album song list is completely centred (centre alignment as well as centred in position of the

digipak). There is the producer’s name “Caroline” and the logo centred below the album list. There is credits featured at the bottom in a small font, which is also grey to ensure it doesn’t distract

from the duo’s song list and name. There is a barcode in the bottom left

hand corner and a identification sticker too.

This digipak is quite unique and therefore doesn’t follow ‘normal’ traits – social norms. For example, the cover features initials and the duo’s name which is unusual from other alternative artists

digipaks. Furthermore the album doesn’t have a name either. The digipak doesn’t display any information which causes a feeling of

mystery and makes the feeling of the album feel entirely individual.

There is no parental advisory stamp which suggests the music is

not explicit. This is true to the genre

which tends to avoid explicit language in

the majority of songs.The use of black on

white creates a feeling of boldness because the contrast is quite strong and very bold

which makes an impact.

The lighting on the digipak is bright

through the white background editing (no

images used).

The genre – alternative, suggests that the audience would fit in a more alternative audience group based on the four C’s theory –

by Young and Rubicam. Therefore the audience may be reformers or aspirers but it is lot more unlikely for the audience to be

mainstreamers. This is relevant to the Album where there is no bold mainstream features in which pop artists may follow.

Interestingly, the inside of the digipak is extremely bold and bright with lots of colours and block shapes used. This creates a feeling of opening out within a safe and known environment. The contrast is so great that it makes me feel as though the duo feel

the security of their audience being individual.

Oh Wonder AdvertsDesign – This advert has been well structured. This is because the advert design considers the rule

of thirds. This is shown because the text is in the top third and the image fills the middle vertical third. This emphasis’ the image of Oh Wonder which makes them seem like a bigger “star”. Richard Dyer’s theory suggests a star should be both achievable and out of reach. The camera angle, which

is eye level, makes them appear as a star one can reach and therefore aspire to be. Also in this advert there is use of rectangular shapes which create quite a stable vibe which would make the duo quite inspirational. The advert also considers the text design, where by the text is informal

because it is in the format of sans serif. However, the text is also in capitals. This is a formal text design. Therefore there is an element of binary oppositions which is a theory by Levi Strauss.

Visual –The advert contains an image of Oh Wonder. This image has quite bright and therefore high key lighting. The expression is very relaxed and happy on both the individuals faces and

the proxemics of the two are very close which makes the atmosphere less formal. The expressions and proxemics them to be less threatening towards the audience. This is a benefit because based on Young and Rubicam’s theory of the audience groups, the likely audience of Oh Wonder’s work would be aspirers or reformers and these would benefit from Oh Wonder

being less intimidating because the two groups are less dominating social groups. The setting is on a so

Mise en scene lighting setting expressions costumes hair and make up postureConnotations – implied meanings

Link to audienceWritten – The copy in this advert address the audience in quite a precise and therefore formal

manner. This is because the advert states facts as single words/short strings. This form of address therefore has no expressive language or adjectives. This is good within an advert because it is easy to read quickly and furthermore allows one to pick out the key facts and

details such as location and date. The text contains no personal identity or entertainment. This is relevant to Blumler and Katz theory where by they talk about the uses and gratifications

within media products (involving information, personal identification, integration and entertainment).

RHODES – Digipak analysis:Rhodes’ digipak for wishes is very simple. It features his

head as a side portrait in black and white against a plain white

background. There is also a reflection effect used to reflect

the top of his head below. Rhodes’ digipak gives me the idea to use a portrait image

and maybe experiment editing with it in simplistic ways as

this would mean I was following the conventions of

the genre too.

This digipak follows some normal traits – social norms.

For example, the cover features an image of the

artist along with their name and the album name too.

This suggests that the artist will probably follow a typical indie pop style throughout

his music, like he has followed a conventional

digipak.

There is no parental advisory stamp which suggests the music is

not explicit. This is true to the genre

which tends to avoid explicit language in

the majority of songs.

The use of black on grey creates a feeling of calmness

because the contrast sharpness isn’t as strong as it

would be if the text was on white. This is an accurate

representation of the music Rhodes has presented on this

album.

The lighting on the digipak is quite low brightness and the contrast on the face is very low too which reduces the feature differentiation. This

makes him seem like his music will be more to himself and deep. The location is also

not shown on this cover.

Rhodes digipak features his name and his album name in the top corners. They are both in the same font and have the same

font size. Therefore this could suggest that Rhodes is not particularly well known

because his name is not the “attraction” or focus point of the album.

The genre – alternative, suggests that the audience would fit in a more alternative

audience group based on the four C’s theory – by Young and Rubicam. Therefore the

audience may be reformers or aspirers but it is lot more unlikely for the audience to be

mainstreamers.

Design – This advert has been well structured. This is because the advert design considers the rule of thirds. This is shown because the text is in the top third and the image fills the middle vertical third. This emphasis’ the image of Rhodes which makes him seem like a bigger “star”. Richard

Dyer’s theory suggests a star should be both achievable and out of reach. The use of composition and the camera angle, which is slightly worm eye view, makes Rhodes appear as a star out of reach

that one can aspire to be. Also in this advert there is use of a semi circle. This is above Rhodes head. This creates a halo feeling around him which in turn connotes him as an angelic figure. The advert also considers the text design, where by the text is informal because it is in the format of sans serif. However, the text is also in capitals. This is a formal text design. Therefore there is an

element of binary oppositions which is a theory by Levi Strauss.

Visual – image and coloursThe advert contains an image of Rhodes. This image has strong lighting from the right hand side. The expression is quite content but Rhodes’ eyes are closed. This allows him to be less threatening towards the audience. This is a benefit because based on Young and Rubicam’s

theory of the audience groups, the likely audience of Rhodes’ work would be aspirers or reformers and these would benefit from Rhodes being less intimidating because they are a

less dominating social group. This advert uses a plain and simple background behind Rhodes. This reduces the distractions aside from Rhodes himself.

Written – The copy in this advert address the audience in quite a precise and therefore formal manner. This is because there are no adjectives used to describe the relevant information and nor is there any expressive language throughout. This advert presents information as opposed to entertainment or personal identity or integration. Blumler and Katz suggest media products will contain either of these four topics within the media text. An advert specifically would be

thought to contain information because this allows it to serve its purpose.

RHODES – Advert analysis: