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Context & Research

For our Final Major Project, we have been given 5 choices and routes to go down. Them being: a music video, a short film, a short documentary, a cross media marketing campaign for a new film or a cross media promotional campaign for a new magazine. After reading the briefs, I have decided to commit to the 5th task - a cross media promotional campaign for a new magazine.

Mood Board

I have gathered a collection of magazine covers with the purpose of researching the conventions of my desired genre, conventions in general, and also to provide inspiration when creating my own product. I have made sure to collect not only rock/pop-punk magazines, but also other categories of interest to really get an understanding of what it is i am trying to create.

General conventions of a magazine cover include the brand name as a large title, and various subheaders that give an insight on what can be found in the magazine. More anticipated additions inside the magazine can be found in larger font on the cover as this will be what grabs the audiences attention. These magazine are also very loud and busy with the images. The famous faces are cramped into the cover so that the audience recognises the stars and is more inclined to pick up the magazine to read. Another typical element in magazine is to have a tutorial advertised on the cover. "147 ways to look like a total rock star". This is a good marketing technique as many readers will pick up the magazine just for this tutorial page.

This magazine cover in specific shows these aspects. The brand name is the largest piece of text on the cover to  put emphasis to the creator and who is responsible for the product. Although the star of the edition is blocking the brands logo, this doesnt stop it from being extremely recognisable to the audience. It still leaves its mark, and will be easy for the reader to find more magazines that are a-like.

On this cover, we can see MGK on the centre of the page, with nothing obstructing his face. This is to attract fans that are already familiar with this rockstar. His pose is very on brand as sticking your tongue out, being weird, and having a razor blade in a vulnerable place is very punk and will attract the desired target audience. This pose can also have connotations to an illegal subtance, and users frequently use this pose to show off their rebellious ways with the drug. This is relevant as a stereotype with listening to this genre of music includes the usage of different drugs. The photographer of this image made sure to showcase MGK's tattoos which are very popular with the demographic this magazine is aimed at.

Just in case the reader was not familiar with this star, in very clear, large font is his full on-stage name and a quote that tells a little about himself. In MGK's name, the 'A' has stylistic similarities to a hexagram which has connotations with hell, satan and demons. This specific 'A' with a circle around it is known as a symbol of anarchism through history. This is a very attentive attempt to appeal to the demographic as the target audience are stereotyped to flout government and higher power. In a stylistic manner, there is also a section of information that quickly tells the audience what is inside the magazine. Claiming that MGK is the cover story, and this edition will shed insight on his evolution from 'Rap Devil' to becoming a 'Pop-Punk God'.

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Analysis
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Showing even more evidence of magazine conventions, this magazine has an abundance of large texts in very clear, recognisable font. I assume that the font used is a staple for this brand of magazine to make their product recognisable and memorable. It features sharp edges and doesnt flow eloquantly like something from a more conservative print product. This is to appeal to the more 'edgy' target audience. This font is also perfect for giving information. The largest text tells the brand name, followed by the subject topic of the magazine with "POP PUNK'S BACK!". This exciting statement will appeal to those who read the print regularly and this also will attract new members to the community who are interested by this genre of music. To further pull the reader in, listed on the front is a plethora of bands. Including popular names like 'Blink-182, Paramore, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, We The Kings' and other alternative groups. Doing this not only grips the reader and attracts fans of these artists, it also gives an insight into what and who the magazine is about on the inside. 

Visually, the first thing people will see on this magazine is the face of Hayley Williams, the lead singer of the rock band, Paramore. In the centre of the page, with maximum attention to, this aims to grab the attention of supporters and enthusiasts of their work. Behind her, we also see other well-known stars, such as Travis Barker who is famous for his drumming work with Blink-182, but more recently with artists such as MGK, Halsey, Yungblud, and Poorstacy. Having such influential stars on the front page will always pull in the desired demographic and is a very good way to create an eye-catching magazine to passers-by. This is also succeeded by the use of colours. The colour pallet of this front cover is simple, yet effective. I like this magazine cover as it enforces 'less is more' and isn’t too much to take in at first look.

Specialist Magazines

A specialist magazine is a print product that offer a diverse range about a certain topic. This could be fashion, music, knitting, gardening and many more. An example of a specialist magazine is 'Vogue' and 'Garden News'. These products tend to have very intense competition as there are so many brands trying to prosper in this genre of print. 

Consumer Magazines

A consumer magazine is a publication intended for the general public, not a particular trade or industry. These can be community magazines, or discussion magazines as a result of this. They cover a wide range of viewpoints and because of this, have a wide target audience. An example of a consumer magazine is 'Good Housekeeping' and 'People Magazine'. Consumer magazines are also known to cross paths with specialist products occasionally.

Trade Magazines

A trade magazine is a product that is aimed towards a particular trade or industry. Typically, these often focus on professional skillsindustry news, and trends. Therefore, authors may be reporters or field experts These trade publications keep industry members abreast of new developments, by showcasing them in a glamourous fashion. An example of a trade magazine is 

From this research into the main three types of magazine, I have come to the conclusion that my magazine campaign will follow the conventions of Specialist and Consumer magazines. I have decided this as I will be focusing my product with rock music being the specialist subject. I will also make sure to add elements and overlap the conventions of Consumer magazines so that I can widen my target audience by taking on multiple viewpoints and generally being more on the vague side when compares to Trade magazines - not limiting myself or the magazine to a specific trade.

Jim Bilton, Specialist magazines: do they have a newstrade future? (2005) <https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/specialist-magazines-do-they-have-a-newstrade-future-2210> [accessed 10 March 2021]

Allena Tapia, The Difference Between Consumer and Trade Magazines (2018) <tinyurl.com/ps7jcbbr> [accessed 10 March 2021].

Online Presence
Online Presence - Kerrang
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As well as their print product, magazines also have a large online presence to assist in marketing and making their brand accessible to everyone. Kerrang, for example, has had a large audience in radio since their first digital air in 2002, and first FM air in 2004, playing rock music and including advertisements to assist in their financial success. In 2015, they were awarded the 'best radio show' award for their triumphs. Not only did this broaden their target audience by implementing a new platform, but it also brought their existing fan base from the magazines to their station. As well as this platform, Kerrang are also known for their tour sponsorship. From 2006 to 2017, Kerrang sponsored their own Kerrang tour which featured bands like Sum 41, Black Veil Brides, All Time Low and many more. Targeting the rock and alternative subcultures specifically was perfect to engage their existing audience into new ventures. This acted as a form of publicity for Kerrang also as ticket sales would be sold out fast and the featured artists would have promoted their appearance on their social media. This introduced fans of specific bands to the Kerrang brand and was a large factor in their growth. And Kerrang aren’t the only ones to do this! Another example of this marketing technique is from NME and their stage during festivals like Reading, Leeds, and Glastonbury. In conclusion, having a magazine that broadens their horizons onto other platforms and targets a larger fanbase will have a higher chance of success in reaching their desired demographic.

To make their work accessible to everybody, websites are created for these products to share news and updates about the iconic bands, and artists that are on the rise. The Kerrang website features a very simplistic appearance, using the iconic colour palette of the brand, as well as memorable fonts used on the magazines. They have made their online documents have a similar stylistic approach to their magazines so that the audience correlate these conventions with the brand. This keeps the product memorable and relevant in the reader’s mind. This website’s easy-to-use interface makes it so that all members of the target age range can use it and find the information they desire - it doesn’t feel like a chore to navigate the site. The front page of the site features the most important recent news so that regular viewers can see the newest developments in the community. As well as this, it is possible to filter the results to specific bands or artists to see the most recent news that features them. This is perfect for the readers that only want information about a specific group or music genre. We can see the 'KERRANG!' logo featured on every page and every article. This is to ensure the reader knows from what source their information is coming from and correlates a sense of memorability with the brand and the article. For example. if the reader enjoyed the article they read, by having the logo as bold as Kerrang has featured it, the reader has a higher probability of remembering the brand and coming back to read more. This is a very effective method of keeping audience retention with the product and grips them in for future articles.

Audience Profile
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Here I have analysed my target demographic. Due to the fact that the rock genre has been present for many generations and bands like AC/DC and Metallica are still influential in today’s society, I have decided the age range for this target audience to be anywhere from 14-60 year olds. Following this, I found from many sources that explain that the gender ratio for this genre is around 77.5% male dominated and 22.5% female. (Statista Research Department, 2021). This will influence the creation of my magazine and will make it easier to reach my demographic. A common job title for my audience is an artist. Many rockers create artwork in the forms of paintings, sculptures, costume/fashion, and many more. Because of this, I will make sure that my magazine is visually appealing for the artists of the community to appreciate. A common element that the fans of this genre share is the ability to play an instrument. This has sparked an idea to have a tutorial-type aspect in my magazine spread for these readers. A challenge that my target audience face is finding gigs and concerts to attend. Tickets for these are also difficult to find too. I have an idea to write a mini article about this in my double page spread to further grip my reader in. I will advertise both of these ideas on my front cover so that the reader will know exactly what is inside the magazine before purchasing. This will encourage them to buy the magazine further too.

Statista Research Department, Share of female popular music artists in the U.S. 2019 (2021) <https://www.statista.com/statistics/801059/share-of-females-popular-music/> [accessed 10 March 2021].

Religion has a large influence onto marketing and how to market a product to an audience. For example, you wouldnt advertise a Buddhist way of prayer in a Christian magazine as this knowledge wouldnt reach the market the creator is hoping for. My target audience, rockers - varying from all ages, is mostly Atheist or Agnostic. I can infer this from the stereotypes of this genre. That being the rebellious attitudes, the exessive drug use and the desire to stand out and be different amongst a crowd. A lot of what this genre entails goes against religion. For example, in this culture we see a lot of "I Love Satan" merchandise and other memorbilia that follows a similar message. Although there are exceptions and some artists are a part of a religious group, I believe the general stereotype is that rockers are mostly Atheist or Agnostic. I am unable to find any statistics that are specific enough to support this claim, however I am using knowledge inferenced from past scandals. Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC, has been caught blasting religion. Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, had been known to exclaim anti-god rants and Billie Joe, lead singer of Green Day claiming that "religion is a bunch of bulls**t" on Bill Maher's live show. This will change the way I will create and market my magazine as I will make sure to remove any religious contexts, and add rebellious, satantic stylisations to further engage my target audience.

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Bill Maher (kishore kumar), billie joe armstrong about religion on real time with bill maher (2018) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sarjud3rFP4&ab_channel=kishorekumar> [accessed 11 March 2021].

Spencer Kaufman, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson Takes Heat After Blasting Religion (2018) <https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ac-dc-brian-johnson-religous-controvers/> [accessed 11 March 2021].

Audio Advert
Audio Advertisement

Before I begin to write a script for my audio advertisement, I have decided to research similar existing products to ensure that I stay on the right track, to gather inspiration and to learn techniques that I can incorporate in my own ad.

The style of advert that I am going for is one inspired by what it heard on SoundCloud. After listening to a certain amount of songs on this platform, a 15-30 second non-skippable advert is featured. This is how SoundCloud makes a portion of their revenue. Companies like Audible, Square and Capital One all feature ads on this platform. The pattern here is that a lot of these companies feature in either music or an audio experience. Which is very fitting for the average SoundCloud user. It is important to note that these types of adverts do not feature a video to accompany the audio. So having an intricate script and engaging sound effects is very important.

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Conventions I Frequently Hear
  • Loud, Clear and Welcoming Narration

  • Fade in so that the sudden ad doesn't scare the listener

  • Background Sound Effects Match Narration

  • Vocal Effects that Match Topic (reverb)

  • Clearly State Brand Name

  • Clearly State Brand's Slogan

  • 30 Second Limit

  • Grip Audience in first unskippable 5 seconds

  • Short and Sweet

This is an Audible Advertisement that I have heard countless times when browsing this website. It features a clear, calm and gentle narrated voice which is dramatic when needed to be. The cadence of the voiceover matches the sound effects in the background as they change to adhere for the topic that is spoken about. As there is no visual logo able to be featured on this type of product, it is very important to state the company's brand name and rememberable slogan. This is so the listener will be reminded of the product and the brand will stay stuck in their head. This is vital as many customers of my target audience have an attitude of 'i'll do that tomorrow'. If my audio ad is forgettable, they will not engage with my brand the following day. This is why it is imperitive that my brand has a catchy advert or jingle to stick in my listeners head.

Green Screen Practical

Although I may not find use in a green screen over the duration of my FMP, I have taken advantage of a practice session to develop my skills. I was able to set up effective lighting for the green screen, operate the video cameras and key out the background in After Effects so that my protagonist in the scene was left with a transparent backdrop. 

The next time I use a green screen, I will change the way I set up the lighting as I now have developed knowledge of what to look for. I will also spend less time getting the tripod and camera ready as I am a lot more comfortable using the equipment. I will note that when using a green screen, the background has to be stretched out so that there are no creases to be found, as the shadows will mess up the keying process in After Effects.

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