Magazine Ad (First Draft)

This is the first draft of my magazine advert, kept in sync with the music video and digipak in terms of colour, font, style and aesthetics.

I plan to play with the design further, such as the main image that attracts the audience's attention, add more minor details for a touch of realism to the piece and play with the positioning to make it aesthetically pleasing but, overall, I am pleased with the result.

Digipaks vs CD cases

Differences between Digipaks and CD cases:

• A digipak essentially consists of a plastic disc placement that has been placed inside a folded cardboard case with the design digitally imprinted on the card. They are made of paper and were once considered the environmentally friendly version of CD cases, however, they have remained less common due to them not being able to survive wear and tear as well as jewel cases and have a higher manufacturing cost.

• A jewel (CD) case consists of pieces of plastic put together that act as a protective layer for the disc.The plastic pinner is the same as in the digipak but the information about the CD is kept to the front of the case and printed out on separate paper and act as a booklet. The back artwork is kept in place between the CD and plastic.

Why is there more value on a Digipak?

A digipak has 6 sides, 5 that are taken up by the design, that creates more opportunity for artwork, information, promotion, creativity, etc. Through this, the artist is not creatively restricted and can reach out to their target audience through the design. Additionally, the digipak becomes more than just protection for the disc but a collectable item as well. Comparing this to the CD case, the information has easier access and there is more availability to be creatively free with the digipak's design due to the make and layout.

What am I going to include on my Digipak?

Artist's Name

Album Title

Tracklist

Barcode

Album Credits (Producers, Writers, etc)

Copyright Label

Record Company

Album Artwork

Images of Artist (?)

Lyrics (?)

Disc Placement

Usage of Star Image

I have been looking at star image for the digipak in relation to the music video so I can continue having a consistent brand for the artist and provide a link between the video and the ancillary tasks. Below is a list of 'rules' I plan to use when photographing my star:

Quality

Image quality is very important as the star needs to be seen clearly in order for the audience to recognise her and become familiar with her image i.e. her blue hair. Additionally,  I want the artist's surroundings to be included within the frame as it enhances the star's over representation and portrays the genre she is a part of.

-Imperfections such as spots and bruises are expected to be removed via Photoshop unless they are meant to be a part of the theme.

-Lighting is very important as it determines the overall success of the image taken so making sure the lighting is correct when it needs to be is of the essence. Additionally, the correct use of shadow could create a brilliant dramatic effect that would be useful for my artist's shoot, seeing as the video is partially set in a dark studio with only a spotlight to spot the artist.

Due to this being the official album cover, it was Photoshopped to perfection: making sure the lighting was right, she had no spots/blemishes/bruises, keeping her face and signature hairstyle in shot, specific areas of her body have been highlighted, etc.

Star

The artist should be well defined within the image but other factors do contribute towards creating a suitable finish such as a background blur, strong colours, composition, etc. Additionally, the star and ultimately the image must stand out from other real media images. This way, it will be easily recognisable and easy for the target audience to locate within the stores.

The artist follows each of these conventions in creating a strong image that represents her as an artist that makes her appeal to her target audience. Also, she does challenge her typical style in some areas of the video where she has her hair down rather than up, showing her confidence within her success to take a bold move.

Mise En Scene
This is significant in portraying the artist's image and style as they are both linked in with the same genre which can either be conformed to, changed or challenged i.e. bright colours and focus on artist's face within video reflects upon artist's album cover, promotional posters/ads, etc.

This shows a clear link with the theme of a brightly coloured environment and keeping the artist's face in focus within the centre of the frame, which allows the artist's image to continue being portrayed clearly and even allows her to play about with the image also i.e. she typically has her hair up in a ponytail which she challenged within this video.

Continuity
The star's image must stick throughout the brand, from the music video to the digipak and magazine ads, so that the artist's promotion has a sense of familiarity with the audience and slowly introduces them to the artist's work.

Released March 26, 2013

Released July 22, 2013

Released September 3, 2013

The steady build up to the official cover art shows a link between each of the artist's work and shows a steady progression leading up to the album's release and making sure the audience stays familiar with the artist's image. There is a clear relevant link towards the artist's genre as a broadway theme runs through the image, with the star placed beneath a bright spotlight and a background that compliments the theme. Additionally, the colour - or lack of - signifies a dramatic build up that links to the name of the song/album i.e. Baby I is a pop-ish 90's throwback song which connotes dramatic, bright colours whilst Yours Truly has a much more sophisticated illustration with the title only in a twirly pink colour and the lack of colour dramatises the album and its meaning behind the title.

Analysis of Marketing Campaign (Miley Cyrus' Bangerz)

Miley Cyrus had spent well over a year building up her marketing campaign leading up to the release of her "debut" album Bangerz on Oct 7, 2013 (in the UK). She and her management team made sure that it was a slow and drawn out process so that she was kept relevant within the media and amongst her target audience. Below are some key points within the campaign that I have highlighted success:

Star Image

Miley Cyrus has drastically altered her image and behaviour beneath the spotlight, starting with her first few paparazzi appearances in early 2012 where she was spotted leaving gym sessions very often with a leaner, healthier figure; this is something that had signified a turning point in her growth from a child Disney star to an adult artist.

Pictured often working out from Dec 2011 - May 2012

Additionally, she did begin to dress far more maturely following her physical change which, in turn, led towards her future controversial (and sexual) image. Notice the small, subtle changes to her wardrobe as the year goes on: her hair gets shorter, she shows more skin, she begins to dress more sexually, etc.

Cyrus at the People's Choice Awards (Jan 11, 2012)

Cyrus at the Billboard Music Awards (May 20, 2012)

Cyrus at the MTV's Video Music Awards (Sept 6, 2012)

This progression continued into 2013 with far more dramatic outfits and her racy behaviour hits headlines consistently, despite Cyrus describing the development as simply her going through 'puberty'. 

Exploitation

Her new image, which later proves to reflect the theme of Bangerz, runs through the entirety of her marketing campaign:

Performing with outrageous, unique styles

Cyrus' infamous performance at the MTV's Video Music Awards (Aug 25, 2013)

Her attitude/dress code during interviews

Cyrus interviewed on Germany's popular tv show 'Wetten, dass...?' (Nov 9, 2013)

Her visual promotion (mostly involved front cover shots and interview packages)

Cyrus posing on the cover of Cosmopolitan (Mar 2013)

Cyrus posing on the cover of Elle (June 2013)

Cyrus posing on the cover of Rolling Stone (Sept 2013)

The theme for We Can't Stop and Wrecking Ball music videos

Cyrus on set of We Can't Stop (June 2013)

Cyrus on set of Wrecking Ball (Sept 2013)

The album artwork (provided a variety other than the main cover art to emphasise Cyrus' brand & link with singles and the music videos)

Official cover art portrays Cyrus' new good-girl-gone-bad role

Open stance and unique dress links to her new sexual image

Leather jacket, topless, slick back hair suggests an edgier tone

Crop tops and extravagant trousers links to her We Can't Stop music video

Nude image links to her Wrecking Ball music video

Roses and subtle gaze suggests a softer side to the album

Timing

Everything that has happened from the release of her singles to every detail of her performances, Cyrus had made sure to correctly time when to make her next move and this has clearly worked in her favour as she peaked at #1 in eight countries, and peaked in the top 5 in nineteen countries.

A brilliant example is the release of her second single Wrecking Ball on August 25, the very day of her infamous and highly controversial VMA's performance with Robin Thicke. This link built off the hype of her performance and skyrocketed single sales overnight. This then led on to immense success with the music video, garnering 19.3 million views within 24 hours and 100 million in six days; breaking both records of most views in 24 hours and fastest video to attain 100 million views. It helps that the video's content was made to bounce back off the VMA performance with Cyrus seen nude upon a massive ball. Additionally, the video was released around the time of Cyrus' split with her fiance and it is widely speculated that the song was written about him; this strongly aided the single's success and sales.

Social Networking

Prior to officially launching a campaign, Cyrus has a strong influence on her social media platforms and has kept them all branded and in sync with one another in relation to her star image and new album.

Before the release of her album, Cyrus had the listed following:

Facebook: 29 million likes

Twitter: 14 million followers (she had generated over 300,000 tweets per minutes due to her VMA performance)

Youtube: 2.7 million subscribers with 1.5 billion views (more views than the #1 movie of all time Avatar)

Instagram: 4 million followers

Cyrus keeps all of these platforms updated on a regular basis, keeping her audience informed on what she is doing and provides a place for her to communicate freely and openly with the target audience, which is very important for her success.

In response to a rumour but done with humour that is relevant to her image (currently has 25k retweets)

Countdown to the release date on her Instagram account

Change of Artist for Ancillary Research

The artist I used for my main piece hadn't done much promotion work for the album in which the song is from so I decided to research Miley Cyrus, whom had accomplished a grand amount due to her campaign and Ariana Grande, a vocally and musically similar artist to Christina Grimmie and had accomplished a better marketing campaign.

Music Video Draft

I have released the first draft for music video Christina Grimmie's With Love. I am very pleased for the overall finish and I am confident that it follows through with all the research and planning I have done up until this point. I will take into account any criticism I am given and will complete the finished product thereafter. Below is the music video, enjoy!

Release of Teaser Trailer

I have released the official teaser trailer for the first draft of my music video on YouTube that details the people involved, the name of the artist, the title of the song and its release date. Below is the uploaded video.

I thought that having a teaser trailer released in anticipation for the music video would set in stone a realistic build up to the music video's premiere, a tactic modern artist's use often and having that link with popular music helps boost the artist's popularity and reach her target audience.