My music video artist

Artist development

Luna Judge (known as/stage name 'Luna') will be an up and coming solo artist, the track itself being release as a single but also featuring in her new album. Luna will be very current and ‘now’, appealing to mid-teens to early twenties-being interested/involved in current fashion and very on trend. Being a dance artist she is very quirky and ‘stylized’ as an artist, being known for her big personality and expressive taste in fashion.

The back story of the artist is that she is nineteen, being brought up and living in central London she has always been inspired by current fashion trends and music, always enjoying the dance-music and house genre from an early teen. Luna was found from doing local open-mics, gigs and doing an un-signed tour when being signed up to a major record label. She is mainly ‘known’/idolised by fans for her influence on the fashion industry and her expressive style in both her ‘take’ on the dance-music genre and her explorative, stylized music videos. 

^The mood board above reflects the artist’s image as a brand (within the dance music industry). She will have a strong ‘look’ through both her clothing and makeup and be a key aspect of this part of the music industry. She will do so by having her own ‘take’ on the genre, almost stylizing it to become more ‘her own’-she will do this through her expressive music (lyrics-Wilkinson-Afterglow) and creative, concept-based//performance music videos. As the images above reflect, her strong look will be a major part of promoting herself as an artist, a large majority of female solo artist’s being involved in the fashion industry as an almost ‘second’ way of promoting themselves as a artist/brand. Luna being a very creative and expressive artist means she uses fashion/her clothing as a way of reflecting this and showing off her strong sense of personality/her music in general.

^I have included this mood-board in order to re-enforce my artist’s image as her ‘brand’. The current ‘alternative’ trend in both the fashion and music industry means that my artist (Luna) will appeal to both, the trend itself being a ‘craze’ for late teens (possibly early twenties) means that Luna will become very ‘now’ and ‘on trend’, with a significant influence of the ‘alternative’ fashion industry as well as the dance music industry. Having a strong sense of brand means that her music will have more ‘depth’, her fans knowing more about her (or as it seems to them) through her influences on their other interests meaning as a whole her strong image as an artist will appeal to a wider range of teens, people being more likely to want to watch her music videos because of this. This is because they will presume that there will be aspects of her fashion sense, creativity and stylized ‘take’ on the dance genre within the video and therefore will be more keen to watch it. 

This is a key way to ‘sell’ Luna as an artist//brand as all these aspects almost ‘synergise’ together in order to create a very strong way of promoting herself as an artist. Influencing more than one industry at once (predominantly dance-music) means that music and fashion as two aspects come together (synergise), meaning that as an artist she has more sense of a personality (depth), meaning she is more likely to become ‘known’ through both sources such as the internet-e.g. tumblr, only fashion sites, YouTube and other devices such as the radio, music channels (TVS etc.) as an up and coming artist. 

^When looking at other artist’s it is clear that the form of promotion//’selling’ Luna Judge (my artist) that I have previously discussed will be very effective. A large amount of ‘current’ female music artists within the dance/pop genre promoting themselves through fashion meaning that their music influences become more ‘enhanced’, the fashion industry for female artists being very important when promoting themselves as individuals/their brand. 

Arina Grande and Foxes are very good examples of the type of image my artist will have. Having a very large influence/’say’ in the current fashion trends; Foxes has got clothing lines in many teen-targeted fashion retailors (a prime example of this being her ‘Falling For Foxes’ Topshop line). Designing for major fashion lines (companies) like Topshop means that not only is she promoting her style to a very large range of potential fans (purchasers) but also towards the target audience of the track/video. When looking into Foxes and Arina Grande’s fan bases it is clear they are idolise for both their music and fashion/image equally (both adding towards their strong brand image), which is something that would be a good way of ‘selling’ my artist (Luna). I would do this by including a strong sense of style (personality) in the video-where shots of her performing (lip-singing) are used and also in the digipak and promotional advertisement. 

Note: Earlier on in my blog/research I looked at Foxes as an artist and got a large amount of inspiration from her identity as a artist (her strong brand image) and also her music video 'Let Go For Tonight'. This shows how as a similar artist to my own (Luna), Foxes' music video/idea for it (powder paint/paint throwing) works well for her image as an artist-reflecting how it could do the same for my own.

Target audience for my song//video

Target audience 

My main target audience will be teenagers (15+) to early twenties as I believe that this age group will find my video most interesting, as well as the track (appealing to this age range). The track appeals to this age range mainly because it is within the dance/pop music genre.

Conducting audience research into this age range I found that:

Ø Many people of this age range enjoy going to large music festivals such as Reading, a few of them never attending festivals but instead attending smaller gigs on a regular (often monthly basis).  The individuals that attended the festivals said that this song gave off a ‘festival feel’, when explain my music video Idea several of them said that the track went very well with it

Ø All the people I asked said they used the internet regularly and that it is often how they access/discovered new music/artists, specifically through YouTube  and 8Track. Others said they sourced new music either socially or through Itunes

Ø Most people I asked wanted a music video to be creative and ‘different’, becoming interesting to encourage them to either listen or buy the song. A lot of people said they preferred more concept based videos than narrative, often finding them to be ‘boring’. This shows how the age range I am targeting will be likely to be interested/enjoy my music video

Ø iPods were the main source people used to watch music videos/listen to music, laptops being a very close second

Ø A lot of people said the worst thing a music video can be is ‘boring’ (most linking romance themed videos to this)

àThese answers both reflect/give a sense of my target audience and will also help me to create a effective music video that my target audience will both enjoy and want to watch (whether through an Ipod or on their laptop), hopefully having a great enough impact that they will tell people of it socially (etc.)

This mood board reflects my target audience, my track/video appealing to individuals that enjoy partying/festivals with a ‘care-free’, fun feel (wanting to have fun/enjoys listening and appreciating music with others). The mood board also reflects that the target audience will enjoy being creative and expressive either through their personality of clothing (through fashion trends). The typical watcher/listener of my music video will enjoy socialising and spend time having fun with friends, sharing their music taste/finds (either online or verbally). I have found with my target audience research that  this is the common way that individuals of the age range I would like to target find out music, meaning that by targeting this specific type of individual(s) my music video/track is likely to be promoted/shared both online (Facebook, Twitter etc.) and through word-of-mouth to friends. Being expressive//creative means that these individuals will be attracted to my video, being a very stylized and ‘feel good’ video with an abstract aspect to it will mean that individuals such as this will find that they can both relate and visually enjoy the style of my video as well as the content. The song itself being fairly expressive and up-beat meaning that the song itself will be likely to attract individuals such as this as well.

The current ‘individual’ (indie) trend through both clothing and personality means that the style of my music video will appeal to this target audience (the majority of teens that are interested in reflecting their personality through fashion being part of the ‘indie trend’). The use of powder paint and stylized editing within my video will be sure to appeal to individuals that follow this trend, vibrant colours and expressiveness being very ‘on trend’ meaning that the video/track will become the same.

^When looking at Disclosure’s existing fan base (the producers of the track) it gives a clear idea of who the track attracts and therefore who my target audience should consist of. Attracting a large amount of late teens and early twenties, the duo have a very large fan base and stand as key artists in the drum and base/dance music industry. As the images above reflect, they attract mass fans to gigs and in general, their music appealing to fans that enjoy to be part of the ‘feel good’ atmosphere and enjoy expressing themselves (can be seen by the dancers/crowed in the images above). My target audience will be very similar as the track itself is very dance-based, with a very up-beat/fast feel to it that will attract my target audience very well-therefore meaning the same for the video. 

Example target audience profile

·       Age:18

·       In sixth form studying Art, Media and English Literature

·       Favourite bands/artists: Foxes, Flume, Disclosure, Awolnation

·       Personality traits: sociable, on trend, fashion conscious, artistic (explorative)

·       Spends their time mostly: on tumblr, instagram, attending gigs/festivals, shopping, spending time with friends 

·       Hobbies outside of school: Photography, dance, fashion blogging

·       Appearance/most likes to wear: has a selection of gig tees (likes to show her music tastes/be expressive through her clothing), on trend-ripped jeans and Jersey tops (print)

Analysis of magazine advert (Coldplay-Mylo Xyloto)

Analysis Coldplay-Mylo Xyloto

This advert is very effective in promoting the release of the Coldplay album as well as giving a sense (idea) of what the album will be like/its content:

Ø The very brightly coloured background of the advert will immediately grab the audiences (potential target audience/buyers) attention, having no image of the band meaning that the background and the adverts content is working alone to promote the album

Ø Having no image of the band (or indication that its their album-other than their name) means that an established feel comes about the advert, Coldplay having a very large fan base meaning they are likely to already know the album name and not having a predominant image not mattering a large amount

Ø The use of bright colours and absurdness means the album gets promoted as very artistic and gives a sense that the band want to have fun and explore more abstract/expressive music/themes within the album- breaking from their previous concept album 'Viva la Vida'.

Ø The main visual aspect of the poster being the very large, bold font (almost having a stylised, futuristic feel) means the band and album name becomes the central focus of the advert, as well as the release date
à’Coldplay’ and the release date being the same font size means that the album name becomes the predominant font/focal point of the advert. Including these main three parts of information on the advert means the viewer instantly knows the name of the album and release date-becoming very effective in this sense (with no main image or large text/text boxes to distract from this)

Ø The use of a graffiti style background gives off a sense of ‘freedom’ and creativity, something that the content of the album explores very much (lyrically and through the music videos). This means the audience gets a sense of the album content as well as the ‘themes’ running through it

Ø  Including ‘The album’ in a fairly large text on top of ‘pre-order the album or iTunes and get the new single ‘Paradise immediately’ gives an almost sense of urgency for the viewer/fans to purchase both the single as well as the album when it becomes available. This means that not only does the advert let the viewer know when the album is released but also of the single that can be purchased ‘now’ and where.

Analysis of the original and deluxe edition of ‘Mylo Xyloto’ and looking at how they synergise with the advert for the album:

Ø The albums differ in that the deluxe edition (right) has a more ‘formal’ feel to it, the graffiti/artistic background becoming almost ‘controlled’ with the abbreviated album name ‘MX’. This sense of formality comes with the album being deluxe-having a more ‘uniformed’ feel (more upper-class, wealthy fans being likely to prefer/be attracted this presentation of the front cover). Whereas the original would appeal to the younger range of the bands target audience-being a lot more stylistic and expressive appealing more to the younger audience that idolise the band for this aspect of their music/as a band.

Ø Having an abbreviated version of the album name (‘MX’) on the deluxe edition reflects how the bands ‘keen’ fans will know the album title and therefore understand this abbreviation and be able to spot it/identify it through the brightly coloured background (lettering)-suggesting they may have found out about the album from part of the promotional campaign/the advert I have analysed previously.

Ø Both albums have the graffiti/artistic background featured-meaning that Coldplay as a band’s image is reflected from both, this shows how their very wide range of target audience/fans like them for this aspect of their music, being very ‘individual’ within the music industry.
Ø These albums are similar/synergise with the advert through both the same bright/grafittied background and the use of bold/stylised font for the name of the album (and abbreviation ‘MX’). This means that the promotional advertisement for the album is very effective in that it will allow fans/potential buyers to be able to clearly find/’spot’ the album when purchasing it (either online or in-store). 

When looking back at Coldplay’s previous albums you can see that not even all of the include the band’s name, instead featuring a very old styled war photo with ‘Viva La Vida’ almost graffitited on top of it, giving off a sense of the very abstract, artistic aspect of the band (linking to Mylo Xyloto very well-through the use of graffitti and abstract feel). These past albums being from 2000-2008 shows how the bands image has stayed very similar-having very artistic, almost strange album covers throughout their career-reflecting the bands brand image (the lead singer in particular being very ‘strange’ and almost abstract himself as an individual).

The style of 'Mylo Xyloto' is slight different from these past albums released by the band. ‘Parachutes’, ‘X&Y’and ‘A rush of blood to the head’ all feature a predominant image that takes up the album with a solid base colour as the background, whereas both the album cover as well as the advert have a more solid/abstract background as their previous album-‘Viva La Vida’ does-with the theme of graffiti/expressiveness being ‘carried through’ the artwork/promoting the brands image (style of music) in a very similar way.

When analysing the album DigiPak for how it synergises with the advert I decided to include the analysis/comparison with the inside pull-out of the album (applying to the overall effect of the album):

Ø One of the key aspects of the digipak that stands out is the pop up included in the pull-out, this brings the graffiti/artwork to ‘life’, the art almost popping out to the viewer/purchaser of the album (reflecting the playfulness/expressiveness of the album). This links well to the advert as it has a very abstract/’Coldplay’ feel to it (being known as slightly ‘strange’ but also very ‘expressive’ throughout their music).

Ø The pull out being the same/similar background to the advert means that they both synergise in a very effective way, both expressing the content of the album very well-being very expressive/abstract through both the overall ‘sound’ of the album as well as a ‘feel’ for the band members themselves. Synergising together in this way means that the promotional campaign ‘comes together’ very well with the actual product (the album)-this synergy both meaning that the album itself is easily ‘sourced’ for fans/potential purchasers

Ø The original and deluxe album having the same digipak/content (and pull out etc. within the digipak) means that both are aimed to the wide range of Coldplay fans. Their fan base ranging from late teens to early forties means that both the advert and the album/digipak need to appeal to this wide range of individuals. Both do this very effectively as they reflect the artistic/’individual’ side of the band that the younger fans idolise the band for (most enjoy) but also the maturity of the music (its content) that the older fans enjoy-shown through the deluxe album cover and the regularity of the layout of the digipak (being consistent throughout). 

Ø  The digipak itself is very similar to the advert in that the font type is carried on throughout (being used for the front cover, track list etc.) and the very memorable design becomes the predominant ‘image’ of both (not including an artist image in both-reflecting their strong established brand/image)

Ø The font being very minimal within both texts/artworks means that there is a particular focus on the graffiti/artwork within both-reflecting how the band use their music as a key attraction/promotion to the album and not themselves (showing how the band use their talent as a way to attract/gain fans-not themselves). This is one of the key attractions to the band for the fans (predominantly the older fans) the band being about the ‘music’ not the people singing it (their brand image etc.).
àBy using/reflecting this part of the band through the advert/digipak means they work together to use one of their key ‘attractions’ of the band/their fans to promote the album successfully.

Audience research on 'Mylo Xyloto'

I really liked the advert for ‘Mylo Xyloto’ as well as the digipak, wanting to look further into what an audience of my age (late teens) think as I would like to create a similar advert (in particular) for my music video once produced.

When showing the people the image above (the advert, digipak) I asked what they most liked and found most effective, wanting to do some research into what people of my age range thought of the album and advertisement from a teen prospective.

What do you like most about the advertisement and DigiPak and what they would say is the most effective aspect of both?

>      The range of people I asked said that one of their favourite aspects of the overall designs were the use of bright colours/the creative artwork (describing them as ‘exciting’), one person saying that they ‘pop’ and becomes very appealing/draws attention to both the advert and the album (whether looking through a magazine or online/looking in store)

>      A lot of people said that the album is very ‘different’ (not seen anything like it before) as it didn’t feature any predominant image of the artist on the front cover or the advert-which they then said was one of the most effective aspects of both designs (‘stands out’/’strong image’)

>      A large amount of people that I showed the advert/digipak too knew it was Coldplay, saying that ‘when seeing it once, it is very memorable and stands out from other albums very well’

>      A large amount of people I asked said they preferred the deluxe album cover and liked how the graffiti letters almost contrast with the off-white background, someone saying that the abbreviated letters ‘pop out’. The same individual also said that the shortened lettering becomes more memorable (adding to the effectiveness of the deluxe album cover).

>      The majority of people said they would definitely purchase the album as it would grab their attention and believe that the album and advert make the content feel as if it will be ‘exciting’ and ‘expressive/artistic’

When researching online, it is clear that the album 'Mylo Xyloto' was very popular and attracted a very large range of fans. This screen grab being taken from ‘Pitchfork’ a very popular and established teen based (and early twenties) online review/news page reflects how the album is very successfully with the teen audience. The article including 'If you cannot get enough of Coldplay's 2011 album Mylo Xyloto, you're in luck. On November 20, they'll put out a Mylo Xyloto live album and tour film simply titled Live 2012, recorded during Coldplay's extensive tour in support of the record' gives a sense of the mass target audience that the band attracts within my age range.

I have decided to look into this as I believe that this secondary research as well as primary means that I have been able to be sure that the promotional campaign and ‘feel’ of the album is popular with my age range-wanting to target my music video towards individuals my age to late twenties. 

Analysis of magazine advertisement (Mumford And Sons-Sigh No More)

Analysis Mumford And Sons-Sigh No More

This advert has several key aspects to it that both effectively inform the viewer of the album as well as promoting it well:

Ø The band’s name being the predominant font (text) within the advert means it stands as one of the main visual aspects of the advert-effectively grabbing the viewers’ attention. The style of the ‘and’ sign gives off a sense of the eccentric/country feel of the album (band) straight away, meaning both the band name and style (genre etc) are straight away given off

Ø The album name being positioned centrally at the top of the advert below the band name means it becomes the second main text within the advert, linking with the title through the same use of font, colour and also its predominant size on the advert. This means that when looking at the advert, the viewer straight away knows the name of the band’s new album name and that it exists.

Ø ‘A band who now they’re onto something not just good, but spectacular’, being a new and up and coming band, this advert’s use of an NME quote means very effective promotion for the band’s first album. NME being a very well established music magazine means that featuring this quote will be sure to grab a wide range of viewers’ attention-suggesting the album will be ‘spectacular’ meaning potential fans will be persuaded further to purchase/listen to the album

Ø The use of a border around the ‘including’ aspect of the advert means visually highlighting specific tracks from the album persuades people to either listen to these tracks before purchasing the album (the most popular tracks within the album)-leading to the high chance of them purchasing the album (if being within the target audience of the band).

Ø Including that the band belongs to ‘island records’ at the bottom of the advert (the logo being clearly visible) allows the viewer to get a sense of what the content of the album will be like/the band themselves (being new to the country scene)-island records being a well-established record label giving off a sense of almost ‘trust’ that the band is worth listening too etc.

Ø Including individual images of the band members centrally to the advert means each stands as important (the lead singer isn’t the main focus). This gives off a sense of equal importance, whether this is because they’re a new band or because they all serve as key parts to the album. The images having a faded/vintage effect (partnered with the vintage style text font and ‘worn’ background of the advert) gives off a sense of the ‘country’ genre of the album/the band. The almost modernised feel coming through (from both costume, photo-editing) reflecting how they differ from different country bands

How the advert appeals to the brand’s target audience-

Ø The main target audience for the band being aged from early twenties to early thirties is clearly target well within this advert due to the elements of formality in the structure/layout (colour scheme) paired with the ‘younger’ feel given off by the photo editing/positioning and almost ‘flamboyant’ (vintage) styled text.

Ø The country feel given off in the advert presents the band well-the mise-en-scene of the images of the band members and colour scheme giving off a country feel to the album (the band), however the bands body language, appearance and aspects of their costume give off the sense that they are ‘now’ and modern, straying from the typical conventions of country groups.

Ø Wanting to attract country fans (as a genre), the poster succeeds this well, the vintage colours used throughout as the main colour scheme gives off a strong sense of country and the band’s ‘take’ on the country genre. 

Ø NME attracting a large range of individuals interested in a large range of music genres of a similar age range the band targets means that the quote used on the advert will be sure to attract a very large amount of people within the age being targeted

Ø By including three tracks that are on the album on the advert, the advert promotes single tracks that people are likely to listen to before purchasing the album-selecting the three most popular tracks meaning they are likely to be interested/enjoy the tracks (album)-get a sense of Mumford And Sons ‘take’ on the country genre

How the advert synergises with the album digipak:

Ø The representation of the band is similar within the front cover of the album and the advert, having a strong country ‘look’ (through costume, props and mise-en-scene)  as well as a sense of being a quirky, ‘now’ band (individuals) within this music genre. This can be seen through the body language of the band and how they are ‘interacting’ within the album cover-almost becoming ‘comical’ as if they are ‘inviting’ the viewer/purchaser of the album to ‘join in’ (gives a personal feel to the viewer)

Ø The country styled design featured on the inside of the album and on the CD is similar to the one featured on the advert, below and above the images of the band members means that they synergise in this way-both giving off a sense of their individuality as a country band, something that makes them stand out as a band in the current music industry (what their fans most idolise them for)

Ø The album artwork being predominantly white (light pastel colours) with the block colour of black for the CD allows the CD itself to stand out from the artwork, whereas in the advert the images stand out visually against the black background (almost reversing the colour schemes and therefore allowing them to synergise) 

DigiPak analysis

Analysis of Mumford And Sons- Sigh No More album
Mumford And Sons- Sigh No More album cover analysis 

This album cover is both well targeted to the target audience of Mumford And Sons but also conveys the genre and album content very well-

Ø The genre of the music is shown through the representation of the band, particularly through the use of costume (clothing). This is because key parts of the costume such as a checked shirt and waist-coat reflect the country (rustic) side of the band and their style of music. The use of prop-various guitars and a cello instantly lets the audience know the style of the music and also the content of the album, paired with the band members holding them also gives off a sense of their personalities (characteristics within the content).

Ø Being ‘displayed’ in a shop window shows the band as a group of individual’s humorous and ‘playful’ side which can be seen slightly in the content of the album. The use of a display also gives off a sense of the seriousness of some of the content (e.g. Thistle & Weeds and I Gave You All), both dealing with religion and love-reflecting the genre (country music being associated widely with Christianity and love).

Ø The main target audience for the country band being early twenties to early thirties means that the use of the above (what the album reflects) shows this very effective, the subtle use of colour and the almost vintage looking/style of shops in which the main image is set reflects the almost ‘maturity’ of the album content and the audience their targeting. Furthermore, the use of expensive looking clothing (instruments, props/costume) used on the band members (can be seen in the enlarged image) suggests the target audience/wealth/maturity of the target audience as well as content further. 

Ø The album cover becomes effective in design as the predominant use of neutral colours (e.g. white, grey) means that the use of bright colours in the bands costume (the window there in) allows them to stand out as the main focus of the album, paired with the contrasting colour of the album and band name at the bottom centrally. This means that even though the image gives off a vintage/country feel, the band still become the main focus over the setting (shop/street their placed within)

Mumford And Sons- back cover analysis 

Ø The back cover of the album is fairly basic with a main focus on the track listing and a window (centrally within the image as a key aspect visually) and the text/font of the track list standing out due to its size and colour (also being in capitals). This means a focus on the music other than the band, both suggesting that the album itself is focusing on the music/content more than the artists producing it. This suggests the track list/content is a large enough persuader to purchase the album (suggesting existing fans are more ‘keen’ for the content).

Ø The cover itself being predominantly white (due to the white brick building image set as the background) meaning that the subtle colour scheme is carried on from the front cover, keeping up the more ‘mature’ feel of the album (country/vintage feel)

Ø The use of the window as a main visual aspect of the back cover could suggest either new possibilities (for the content or band) or even a ‘window of opportunities’-for both fans and potential target audiences, looking at the tracks and the window at the same time (both the main visual aspects of the cover) meaning the suggestion of possibly a new ‘sound’ or content to the last album 

Mumford And Sons- inside album artwork analysis

The inside of the album (artwork) is a similar basic, subtle colour scheme as the front and back cover, the use of off white (cream) paired with the vintage shop setting (front cover and image inside) means that the county, 'mature' feel is carried throughout.

The CD itself being the darkest block colour (black) throughout the album artwork allows it to become somewhat a main 'focus', standing out. Being fairly basic with a focus on the band and album name in a vintage styled text follows on the theme from the front and back cover. The vintage/country styled design placed at the bottom of the CD centrally both gives off that 'country' feel of the album/genre/band as well as a sense of the bands 'individuality' as a country band (straying slightly  from the typical stereotype-being more individual as a band-through personality and their music).  A similar design is on the far left cover of the inside artwork, meaning a link to the album as well as reinforcing the individuality of the country band. 

This image being central to the inside artwork (in layout and visual interest) means that a focus is forced onto the band members other than the music (as it is on the back cover). This means that when opening the artwork once purchasing it-the audience is 'reminded' of who has produced the content. The use of the vintage store (street) windows both links back to the front and back cover and reinforces the vintage/country feel. Not only does the use of setting do this in the image but also the bands costume and props, looking rather relaxed reflecting both them as individuals as well as the content (in the sense that it is mostly written about love and religion-meaning very personal to the band members). This also gives an almost 'inviting' feel to the purchaser, as if the band members are welcoming them to listen to the content, the body language and positioning of the members giving this off. This image linking back to the outside artwork of the album means that the country, yet individual feel is carried out throughout, the individual aspect of the band being shown in this image through the use of 'indie' costume and the bands setting/positions. 

Analysis of magazine advertisement (Rihanna-Loud)

Analysis Rihanna-'Loud' album advertisement 

Ø The artist’s name being centrally at the top of the advert means that the viewer is immediately drawn to the artist (being the predominant font other than the album name). Being spaced across the top of the advert reinforces the importance of it (the artist) and links well to the album name-being the same font style/same importance. The use of white font means it stands out well from the background and visually grasps the viewers’ attention.

Ø The use of a rose becomes a key aspect to the main image/background of the advert. Roses being almost a ‘motif’ throughout the ‘Loud’ advertisement campaign and album in general (throughout the artwork and even music videos) means the poster gets a sense of femininity and also rebellion (connotations closely related to roses/their hidden thorns etc.)-therefore reflecting the artist’s slight change of image/brand

Ø The main image of Rihanna being used as the advert background means that it becomes the central focus of the advert (therefore the same happening towards the artist). The image itself being very striking (both sexualising and feminising the artist), the use of bright yet pastel themed colours throughout meaning the poster itself stands out very well visually. The image itself setting the ‘tone’ for the advert (also the album/its artwork)-the use of feminine/pastel based colours being a theme throughout.

Ø ‘Loud’ becomes the predominant text of the advert (other than/is partnered with the artist’s name), being spaced across the advert both adds to the importance of the text/album name and also means that when looking at the poster the viewer instantly reads ‘Rihanna-Louds’, meaning this advert effectively promotes the album and also becomes memorable to the viewer. Being in a large yet ‘simple’ text adds to the femininity of the advert (the text itself being fairly thin and subtle).

Ø ‘New album out now’ gives off a sense of urgency as if the viewer needs to buy the album ‘now’. This also lets the viewer know clearly when/that they can buy the album. Being put in a contrasting text box to the image means that it stands out visually and gives it a sense of importance (meaning the viewer is likely to read it). 

Ø  Including the main (most popular) tracks that are within the album means that individuals that have herd the songs will now know who they are by and what album they ‘belong to’. Meaning they will potentially be more drawn towards buying the album. Including the image of the album means that people will have a memorable image of what they are looking for when purchasing/looking for the album. The image being placed on top of the text box meaning it likes to the information within it and also stands out as important

This advert appeals to Rihanna’s target audience mainly due to the image used as the background (predominant image):

Ø The image itself sexualises Rihanna as a female through both her body language as well as costume. Wearing what looks like only a fur coat-with an explosion of her shoulder (including a tattoo) reflects her sexuality and also objectifies her body as the female form (with the suggestion of nudity). This will appeal to the broad amount of her male fans, looking at her as a modern day sex-icon, the suggestion of this aspect of her star image/brand being reflected here.

Ø Her nails, the rose, sunglasses and fur coat reflect Rihanna’s beauty and femininity, these aspects of the main image bringing forward these connotations of the elements (costume, props) within it. This aspect of the image/Rihanna’s brand appeal to her female audience, the fur coat and sunglasses appalling to the older fans (18-24), being a lot more style conscious and aware of current trends they will be more likely to idolise Rihanna for this aspect of her brand rather than the sexualisation

Ø The use of various rings, her exposed tattoo and professionally done makeup reflects her wealth, a majority of her fans idolising her for her role within the industry (place as a female) is reflected well through the mise-en-scene within this image-attracting her fans that admire her wealth within the music industry as a female.

Ø The use of predominant pastel colours as an overall colour scheme gives off the feminine feel of the artist (suggestion of a slight image change), appealing to mostly her female fans but also male; the subtle suggestion of a change of brand image interesting a broad range of her target audience (therefore making them more interested into the album)

The advert synergises well with the digipak artwork (a large range of the promotional campaign for the album) in several key ways:

•     The colour scheme of the advert and album artwork are very similar, with colours of mainly pink, red and shades of blue-Rihanna is presented as feminine but also with sense of her rebellious/’bad girl’ side (her previous album being ‘good girl gone bad’). The use of the colour scheme giving off a sense of femininity and innocence, contrasting to both her past album and her previous identity as an artist /brand

•     The shot itself from the main cover of the album in comparison to the image taken for the advert is very similar, both sexualising her due to her body language (with a focus on her mouth and eyes), with the similar use of red running throughout her hair and makeup.

•     The almost ‘motif’ of the rose running throughout the digipak and featuring predominantly on the advert reflects both Rihanna’s image change within this album as well as her brand/identity as an individual and artist and also sets the tone for the album/its content (being based around love frequently)

•     The explosion of skin (particularly her shoulders/upper chest’ is frequent throughout both pieces of artwork

•     Both the advert and the digipak give off a sense of maturity (and of high class), through both the costume and contrast to her previous albums (e.g. Good Girl Gone Bad and Russian Roulette). This strong sense of image change through both her sexuality (maturity) and image (clothing, makeup etc.) means that both artworks are very similar in portraying this strong message/image.

When looking further into the promotional campaign (advertisement) for Rihanna’s ‘Loud’ album I found that a single from the album was released separately before the full album-‘Only Girl In The World’. Not only does this mean that the up-coming album good very good promotion but also Rihanna’s new image change (enticing people further to find out more about her new album). 

The single cover links very well in with the advert I have analysed and the digipak in several ways:

Ø The colour scheme is very much the same-with key colours such as red, pink and blue  running throughout (reflecting the sense of femininity and rebellion)

Ø The cover features the Rihanna ‘logo’ in the same place (top left corner of the album)-meaning both existing fans and potential fans will instantly know the identity/artist the single belongs too.

Ø Rihanna is very much sexualised within this image, the costume (blanket) she is holding over herself exposing her naked form as well as several tattoos-meaning she becomes both very sexualised and also has a sense of the rebellious aspect of her previous brand/identity (due to the explosion of her body art)

Ø The same font type is used within this single as it is on the advert-with ‘thin’ yet bold lettering giving off a sense of femininity but also strong personality (her more edgy side that she is well known/idolised for)