Evaluation Task 2

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


The main aim of the product is to contribute to creating a star image. According to Dyer, a star is a commodity, not a real person.

The star image we were aiming to create is a band that appeals to and embodies the values of its target audience:
Rebellion
Anti-authoritarian attitude
Hedonism
Originality
Non mainstream


In terms of our main product, I feel that the video alone gives an accurate representation of the image we are striving to create. Combined with the ancillary texts, I feel the overall image is strong and an accurate representation of the values the band stands for.


In our video, there are many things which contribute to creating the star image. The location and setting show an urban, hard, industrialised backdrop which could be a warehouse signifying a grimy, urban setting. 

The key point about our band image is that they are rebellious. They do not conform to society and are also not afraid to embody social taboos. This rebellious nature is captured in all three media texts we have created – the urban, spray-painted style text on the digipak and advert looks like graffiti – a symbol of rebellion and anarchy.  

The lead singer in our video fits in with the image being created by our digipak and advert – the clothing and red lighting compliments the grey, black and red hues of the digipak and advert, and the behaviour of our lead singer is very rebellious and slightly intimidating – which is good because the bands image is not sugary sweet like a pop band, but rather it is a bit threatening to society because they are behaving as they want and break rules within society.  Many of our shots show our lead singer snarling into the camera, with a lot of emphasis on her mouth. On our digipak and advert, the graphic design on the front is a mouth – with a tongue piercing (another sign of rebellion), and slightly pointed teeth, making it look slightly sinister, like the narrative of our video.

The fact she is often seen leaning into the camera, or looking straight at it, makes her appear present within the video, and makes the viewer feel like they really know her. This relates to Dyer’s theory of a star being simultaneously present and absent from the consumer – she appears present because she is making intense eye contact with the camera, and it is very much focused on her face, but yet she is also obviously absent. She is also ordinary because she is a real girl and a normal person, but extraordinary because she is being presented in a goddess-like way. She is also extraordinary because she has the mosty screen time in the video, indicating that she is special. The rest of the video and the action within the narrative is also extraordinary - the wierd creatures are definitely not something you would see normally - they have been created specifically for the product too add emphasis to the idea of that the band is sinister. The setting is ordinary - the club/warehouse type of atmosphere is a setting which is familiar with the target audience, and the focus on the DJ's electrical equipment, such as an Apple Mac laptop and an iPod will also seem ordinary and recognizable. However, it is the activity in the setting which makes it seem extraordinary - the lead singer is swinging on a rope and the innocent girl being attacked by the strange creatures is clearly something which is extraordinary, creating a sense of drama. The paradox between the ordinary and extraordinary will increase sales, because the band is extraordinary enough in the video to seem special, appealing and desirable, yet still keeps ordinary elements which the target audience can relate to.

The logo on our advert and digipak is also quite similar to that of The Rolling Stones iconic logo from the 60s - a band who's style is musically different from ours, but stood for similar values such as anarachy and freedom. We decided to make sure that our advert did not differ too much from the look of our digipak - this is so that once the poster is released, it is easily recognizable, and the bold, definite logo is eye-catching.

Our track lists on our digipack also reflect the style created in the video. The track names such as ‘acid drop’, ‘opium’, ‘another line’, ‘sinful’ and ‘sleepless nights’ are all suggestive of a wild party lifestyle, hedonism and drug culture.

The shots of our DJ hyping up the crowd is a classic convention within our genre of music. His body language is a bit aggressive, and shows he is totally immersed in the music. This hardcore partying style is reflected in the bold logo and colours of our digipack and advert.

In terms of releasing our promo products, our strategy will be to release our advert poster two weeks before the album is released, then the album, and then our video and singles. Before releasing the video, however, we will re-release the advert with an amended date (out now) to sell the album to people who missed the build up adverts. We will advertise these posters in places where our target audience are likely to hang around or be: train stations, clubs, buses or concert venues. The channels we will put our video on will be less mainstream, so probably not MTV, but channels like NME and possibly Kerrang. These again will be channels which our target audience are likely to watch. These channels also have magazines and we chose to feature reveiws from Kerrang and Rolling Stone on our advert, to really re-inforce the type of audience member we are aiming to target. The five star reviews on the advert help to promote both the video and digipak, because it is showing that the band is good.

Online, we will not advertise our product via pop up advertising, as it would be an annoyance to our target audience. Instead, we will advertise on social networking sites such as Facebook, will link to the video via banner ads, and also use pre-rolls on Youtube videos under the same record label, ‘Cooking Vinyl’ from artists such City and Colour and Groove Armada.