Question 2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Script for our presentation:

For further information about the combination of our three products:

Our three promotional materials work together mainly because of the themes that are seen running throughout the three of them. The unique selling point of the video is the use of paint. This is the main theme in the video which we created from using the lyrics of the song. Because this is the main points of interest in the video, we thought it would combine the main product and ancillaries well using synergy. People would remember seeing the paint in the video and make the connection when they see the digipak and magazine advert. This is what makes a successful promotional package because there is a clear image that connects the three.

We also made sure that the image of the artist stayed consistent as well. In all three materials she is wearing the same dress and has the same hairstyle. This is another way we connected the promotional package, because it makes the artist recognisable. It is also good to promote the artist with one image because it highlights what sort of artist she is and what to expect when watching her video or listening to her music. The designs of the digipak, magazine advert and video tied in nicely together, especially with the use of colours. We made sure that the paint colours were pastel colours because this would be more feminine and overall more attractive than bright saturated colours. In the two ancillary texts we stuck to the four colours teal, blue, pink and purple. These colours looked very pleasant together and they matched some of the paint colours used in the video. I also think the fact we used the design of the advert for the front cover of the digipak was a good technique because it connects the two products and shows a well thought out promotion package.

The designs of the three products represent our performer in quite a unique way. The dramatic photographs in black and white with a serious expression show her as quite an artistic and creative way. It gives the impression that her music is more thoughtful and has meaning to it, rather than a typical pop star whose image has bright colours and fun materialistic images. This artist is concerned about her music and the messages she tries to convey through it. The way we reference the Marilyn Monroe artwork through the ancillary tasks suggests that this singer knows a lot about art, and has a lot of different inspiration. 

Obviously the magazine advert will be displayed in a magazine, but it is important to make a good choice in exhibition so it is a magazine that will be read by the target audience. Magazines like Kerrang may be a successful music magazine, but it is specifically for the rock genre. The advert would not be seen by our target audience – young females- in a magazine like this. It would probably make more sense for our artist to be promoted in magazine like Shout! Which – although they are not specifically for music- they will be read by the target audience. With the bright feminine design of our advert it would suit a teen magazine such as this, because it obviously has the right target audience. In magazines like Shout! There are interviews with pop stars and celebrities, so even if this isn’t specifically a music magazine it will be relevant to a lot of the content. This is the sort of magazine that may have an interview with a singer like Andrea Storm Kaden so it would work well with the whole image of the artist. 

Because our artist is up-to-date and relatable for young people, it is important for her promotion to use new technologies. The digipak has a stylish design so it would be important for it to be promoted in stores like HMV, so it can actually be bought as a physical album. However we would promote it on iTunes as well because this is how a lot of music is bought nowadays. It is crucial that we make her music available to download because it is such a simple method for people to buy music, and people are more likely to buy music from the internet which they can do at home than going to a shop to buy an album. We would want to use both these mediums because – as seen through the intertextuality of our ancillary task designs- we want Andrea to be represented as retro and value traditional things like having meaningful music and not selling out by adhering to the ‘Male gaze’, but we want her to be up to date as well by using the current technologies to reach the audience.

We must also consider where the music video itself will be exhibited. Until recently they were only viewed on music channels on television. However with the proliferation of smart phones and tablets people can watch them wherever they are. They can be found on websites like YouTube but they can also be shared through social media like Facebook and Twitter. This is an incredibly effective way of sharing videos, because people can send it to their friends, share it and discuss it. It is a very good way to get buzz going, for example we could create a Facebook page for Andrea Storm Kaden and we could promote the video through this. In addition, this is a medium popularly used by teenagers and this is our target audience. The positives of this method is that the video can be watched anywhere at any time, it is becoming increasingly popular, people can get talking about the video and it will reach more people. The problem with putting it only onto the music channel is that they are becoming less popular. People do not need to wait for the video to come on television anymore; they can watch it whenever they want on the internet.