Evaluation Question 2

How Effective is my promotional package?

The Promotion of a music video is rarely all about the music, but uses a range of products.  The music industry uses visual images as a key part of its marketing strategies. Kieth Negus argues that the "music video is used as a promotional tool" in order to help attract the star image. The star image is used to brand the product. Branding is then used by the music industry to create a range of products for audiences across a range of genres and music styles.

CD digipak design is crucial as it helps market the artist/band. This is due to the fact that the digipak design is the first thing they will see when buying or listening to the album. Due to this the artwork needs to attract the target audience using the conventions associated with that genre. Band's websites are   a common part of any marketing strategy, especially in the on line age as the band's star image can be promoted through the use of images, videos and social media.

According to Dyer, the visual 'star image' communicates important messages to the audience. Audiences  often associate the look and styling of an artists to a style of music and a specific genre. Some audiences idolise bands and singers and see them as sex symbols, fashion icons and celebrities. A look of a band's image can become iconic and then represent that artist. An example of this is the "black and white make up" which is associated with KISS' star image.

Band's websites contain information which publicises and promotes the artist's image and a range of information to an audience- or its fan base. Often this is organised into what Boyd has termed co-option.  All musicians websites are about promotion and information provided to the audience. All websites fit into three main categories:

Promotion of single or album release

Promotion of a tour or live appearances 

Merchandising- posters of the artist or band, sales of T-shirts etc

Musicians' websites contains information and media which helps promote and advertises the star image of the band to the target audience. Websites also offer other types of information for the target audience such as tour information, band news, biography information along side images, videos and merchandising this helps promote the band as it allows the target audience to follow the bands movement online. The point of a website is also to promote the albums and single of a musical act, especially if the content is new or near release. If this is the case, information about the album/single will be featured on the homepage of the website. An example of this is You Me At Six. Doing this helps convince the audience to buy the music subconsciously as they keep seeing "buy me".

In order to create the most effective, cohesive package of my products I analysed several websites and digipaks of artists who were in the Post-Hardcore genre. From this I found that the information featured on these websites included tour dates, latest news, music, videos and merchandising. Due to this I have featured all these pages on my band's website. From reviewing these websites I also realised that the majority of bands in this genre used graphics as there artwork for the digipak. As a result of this I designed and edited my own artwork to fit the conventions of the Post-Hardcore genre. Due to the ongoing theme of anti-authoritarianism and rebellion, I included objects burning as it portrayed anger and rage which fitted the band's star image and the Post-Hardcore genre. To help keep a running theme I also had graffiti behind the band members in the inside of my band. I did this as as it continued the theme of rebellion.

The star image I tried to create for The `Perfect Fall' is rebellious, anti-authoritarian, 'emo' and slightly anarchistic.   As this image fit the Post-Hardcore genre we branded our products to appeal to the Post-Hardcore audience, which also fitted my bands star image, appealing to my audience. Bands who have a similar star image are You Me At Six, Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens and My Chemical Romance. By reviewing these bands I was able to brand my star image in a similar way, in order to make sure it would appeal to my target audience. In order to promote my rebellious, anti-authoritarian, 'emo' and slightly anarchistic star image we used graffiti, piercings, dark lighting and the typical 'emo hair'. I created this star image so audiences would be able to know what genre the band is through the image which is created in the website, music video and digipak. I found from my research that the target audience from similar bands was the 'emo' subculture of rebellious, anti-authoritarian, 'emo' and slightly anarchistic teenagers who believe that "no one gets me" and uses music as a way to escape this reality. I have chosen to adopt this target audience for my band, The Perfect Fall. The VALS of my band's target audience is Rebellion which is inherent of the 'Emo' subculture. Throughout my media products I have  fit the image of rebellion anti-authoritarian, 'emo' and slightly anarchistic in order to appeal to this audience. I think in all three of my media products I have successfully and effectively promoted the band image to the audience as there is a constant theme of rebellious through the use of images such as fire and graffiti.

Philip Kotler defines marketing as a "Human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes". This can be simplified to mean the selling of products and services. Marketing consists of four variables, the four P's of marketing are:

1. Price- How much the product will cost/ consumers will pay
2. Place- How is the product distributed and marketed to the target audience
3. Product- What is being branded- the star image
4. Promotion- How it will be advertised, where and publicised

Price

As the typical price of a CD is between £7-8, I have priced my album at £7.99, however songs will be able to get purchased for £0.99 online. The price of the vinyl album will be £9.99 as they are typically slightly more expensive.

Place

The album, "Innocence" will be distributes online to services such as iTunes, Spotify, Google Music and Amazon Music. There will also be a physical copy which can be purchased from the band's website, HMV, Amazon and BM Soho. International purchases will be available from Amazon. The music Video will be released on YouTube, The band's website and Fearless Records' website. The music will appear on various music programs such as Kerrang!TV and MTV Rock. The songs will also be heard on several radio stations such as Kerrang! radio.

Product

The bands star image is rebellious, anti-authoritarian, 'emo' and slightly anarchistic which will be portrayed through all of their media products.

Promotion

The bands album will be advertised on The Perfect Fall's website as well as Fearless Records' website, who promotes all of their signed artists. As well as this the album will also make appearances in magazines such as Kerrang! Promotion will also take place on social media such as Twitter and Facebook where the band will post links to the album and people will comment what they think of it, making the album a hot topic.

My group and I employed a drama teacher to read the questions for us, which we wrote ourselves:

1. Where did you draw influence from and how did you develop the star image?
2. What are the key meanings you put on your artist and what did those meanings stand for?
3. How did your music video, digipak and website work together to reinforce the star image and create a cohesive package?
4. Who is your target audience and what is the genre?
5. Do you think your products are available to your target audience
6. Which label did you choose and why?
7. Why do you think the meanings of your star image will appeal to your target audience.

Unfortunately I was ill the day of filming, however I helped created the questions and the answers beforehand.