Evaluation Task 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

When we created our digipak, we ensured that we were able to convey the genre of the band as well as showing their organic individualism. The graffiti on the digipak background shows the rock genre and the band as being urban. The cover of the album separates each member but has the same background, this is because it symbolises the rock genre which they are all a part of but also shows how individually they are all rockers. The two brick walls used also show a barrier of which the group has had to overcome. We also used a picture of the band on a staircase, this represents their journey they are on and how they want to climb up to the top. The message written on the inside left cover also shows how grateful they are to everyone, which shows their organic image as they care about the fans and help they have received.

Vinyl:

We designed a coloured vinyl CD as part of the digipak, this was so the band was able to show how they wanted to have their music available in an older but longer lasting format. The record store day on 22nd April is a massive opportunity for the band, it will not only raise awareness, but will also broaden the scope of the audience as older people are more likely to buy vinyl. This will make the band's music collectable and is likely to keep them as a band for a longer amount of time. 

Spotify Pages created:

I created two spotify pages for the group, the first is a biography about the band, the second is an ad campaign for spotify that features that band and their music. By using a platform like spotify, our band's music would be promoted to everyone who can access the website/app. By having a description of the band, this allows the audience to connect with them whilst hearing their music. These two pages will help the band in increasing their audience size as well as creating a buzz for them.

Effectiveness of my packages:

Who is similar to the star you have created, and where did you draw influence from?

Our band is similar to Kodaline and The Verve, both of these groups also belong to the indie-rock genre. All of the bands we looked at share the same tastes and image as our band, they all wear clothes that follow the genre's style and are positioned in the same way in albums and band photos. They follow the clothing conventions such as leather jackets, casual clothing and a rocker look. This shows where we drew influence from and what areas this was including.

What are the key meanings you chose to put on your star image and what did the meanings stand for?

When considering what meanings we wanted to include in our star image, we examined what the typical meanings are dependent on the genre. As we were focused in the indie-rock genre, we found that the typical aspects are dark and urban. Bands in this genre typically try and include their personal issues and put across a positive message. We chose that our band's star image would revolve around the band being organic and authentic, this would show the audience how they are original and portray an image of who they actually are. The bands image shows them as being individuals who are trying to achieve their dream. In the video, the band are going around their home and moving to the more central places, this is done to show how they are getting closer to their dream. The use of graffiti and the stairs on the digipak also shows this as the graffiti shows their originality and the stairs symbolise them climbing to success. 

How would you say the website, digipak and music video worked together to reinforce the star image of your artist?

The products we created work together to reinforce the star image in various ways. The fonts we used are included on each product to show symmetry between the products as well as the font being modern and unique. The images we used were all shot on the same day for the website and the digipak so the artist's are wearing the same clothes in the images. The album name features on each products to create a brand and increase advertising for the album. The images are taken in the same city, London, this was done to show how they are home and know their way around. These all culminate to show the band as being organic.

The Digipak

 The Website

The Music Video

What would you say the genre of music is and what audience would it appeal to, and why?

I think that the genre of music is indie-rock. The group is made up of teens who are clearly ready to start chasing their dreams. The genre is shown as being indie as the band members carry their instruments. We found that even though the rock genre is usually seen as being aimed at an older audience than ours, we think that as our band is indie, they are a fresh take on the rock genre and have altered it to reflect modern trends. Our target audience is those aged 15-25 as they are more likely to be up-to-date on social trends and therefore enjoy the music.

Why do you think the meaning of your star image appeals to your target audience?

I think that the meaning of our star image appeals to our target audience for various reasons. I think that the fact the band are a similar age to the audience will make the audience feel more relatable to them. The premise of the star image is a group of teens chasing their dream. Everyone at that age has a dream or something they want to chase and achieve. This can be seen as why our image will appeal, our group are emulating what the audience want to do, they are chasing their dream and want the audience to do the same. People could gain inspiration from our band and this may motivate them to chase their dreams but it also shows they have a more personal connection with the group.

Do you think your products are accessible to your target audience?

I think the products are accessible to the target audience, every product created is accessible through social media. The website link is included on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube thus making it accessible across 3 different platforms. There are also links on the website back to these pages, there is an Instagram hyperlink on the website and a link to the music video. The target audience are therefore able to access any product we created with ease, this also shows how the band are up-to-date on social media trends and know how to keep people informed.

Which record label are you promoting your artist through and why?

The record label that we chose for our band was Holy Roar Records, this is due to the fact they are a UK based label specifically for indie artists. This is why we felt they would best represent the band as they specialise in this type of group. The label would know which areas an indie band needs to focus on addressing which is why we are promoting through then. The label are also familiar with the audience we are trying to attract and can therefore advise the band if they need to make changes to attract the audience better. The record label already represent groups such as Svalbard who have been successful in their genre and have proved that this label can help indie groups, this is why we chose them.

Philip Kotler:

Explanation of marketing - 'Human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes'.

How effective do you think you were in selling your artist's brand image to your audience?

I think were very effective at selling our brand image to the target audience. The brand we have created is for the album name as this is an acronym for the band. The TYP logo is now the brand of our band, it is seen on every product we have made I order to advertise their image and make this brand known. We created various images such as a spotify advert page, a Facebook page, an instragram page and even a twitter page. All of the various social media platforms we used to sell the brand are todays biggest hits, the TYP logo is even seen on the bands merchandise, the t-shirts and hats feature this logo as it is how the audience will show support for the group.  Our audience exists in the Online Age, this means that the majority of the information and images they see is done so by being online. This is why our main focus when creating the brand, was making it accessible on multiple online platforms. As our target audience see the brand, they will share it with friends on other social media and the brand will grow, by allowing them to also wear the brand, we have raised awareness for even when they are offline, they will be a walking advertisement for our artist's brand and therefore we have perfected the selling of our brand. There is no way that the brand is not seen online or in real life as we have assessed the different methods of selling a brand and have addressed all of these.

Group Task:

This is the tweet that we sent out to all of our fans asking them to give us questions so that we could film a Q&A that we could show to all the fans and answer any questions they may have about the band, the website, the music video and the digipak.

Q - What does your artists, The Young Pretenders, stand for?

Answer: I’d say they stand for anyone who has a dream and hasn’t been able to go chase it, or wants to go chase it, or is chasing it. They’re a group of young, edgy, urban teenagers and indie artists who want people to dream bigger as it says in the song and get their message out there. They want people to know that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, where you are from, you can still achieve your dreams.

Q - What other artists are similar to your artist and how have you been influenced by them?

Answer: I think probably Kings of Leon, Kodaline, Kings of Leon is also another sort of edgy rock band, The Verve is also another example, we have been influenced by them because in their music video, he is going on a journey, he is walking somewhere, he doesn’t know where he is going but he just wants to go somewhere, and our band in our music video don’t exactly know where they are going, but they just want to go somewhere with their lives.

Q - What are the key aspects of The Young Pretenders star image and what do these stand for?

Answer: The group as a whole, each individual member, represents something and they all join together to create a whole, the main who is Alex, who represents the lead and the main guy, you’ve also got George, Caleb and Ben who represent different types of people in the band, and just to quickly address this question as people keep asking, why is Ben, the drummer, in all the pictures and everything else but not in the actual music video?, this is because we wanted to create an idea that each band member had a personality and he was sort of shy and more in the background, even though he isn’t in the video, he is the basis of the whole thing and is what brings everyone together. We did research into this and in quite a lot of music video the drummer isn’t there. In the music video by the Verve, is more of a sweet symphony with only the lead and a few of the band members walking down, Coldplay also do this as in their videos it is mostly the lead, in some of the Take That videos as well this happens as well.

Q - In relation to The Young Pretenders target audience, what would you say the genre of his music is and how does it appeal to his target audience?

Answer: I would say that it is indie rock, i think that a lot of the London, Shoreditch style and hipster style and people bringing back the use of vinyl and record players, I think they are following that trend, they are a very organic band because they are following this trend. They are aimed mainly at youth and young adults age range 15-25 but they are sort of trying to bring back things that used to be done and show them to the youth of today. Older generations can also appreciate the music whilst it is mainly aimed at the younger generation, they try and incorporate things from the past in their music. Also because their message is to dream bigger and go what you have always wanted to go for, the target audience are at the age and point in their lives where they are looking for what they want to do in their life and in the future, so that’s vital for them to listen to the music because it is inspirational for them.

Q - What is it about your artists that makes them unique?

Answer: Their style as a whole and the way they treat their fans, they are very connected with the fans but they are also very mysterious, edgy and indie. I think the band members together makes them a very unique group. They are all different, they each have their own different look, they don’t copy each other, they stay true to who they are. You could compare them to One Direction, who even though they are a band, every member of the band is a singer, they are all practically the same however they have different personalities, this compared to our band who do different things and have different personalities, they are not like the typical boy band, they are more organic than synthetic and they show their talent with their instruments which are shown in the video.

Q - What is the meaning of The Young Pretenders star image and how does it appeal to their target audience?

Answer: The target audience is the indie, hipster, edgy teen and young adults groups, it matches very clearly with our band and today's youth, the majority is for 16-24 as the new generation is growing up with more rap, new pop and grime, this is sort of an exclusive style which the band can share with their audience. I think that they’re encouraging young people to be who they are and to express their individuality. They are making music for themselves and for the audience rather than for a wider group, just like the Hoosiers who everyone stopped releasing music but they actually stopped releasing popular music and only created music dedicated to their fans. The young fans, the target audience will want to be like them as they want to be able to express who they are, their freedom, their individuality.

Q - How does The Young Pretenders website, digipak and music video work together to reinforce his star’s image and sell your artists?

Answer: I think the digipak and the website have to match the video and the song very closely as they all need to sync up to sell the image to the audience, we made a kick starter campaign to show that we are an upstart band who isn’t backed by a big record label, we are a small time band who is trying to get big, and also by selling things like merchandise such as t-shirts made with tour dates on the back, this will promote the image and get their stuff out there. We also included pictures on the website and digipak of the band in order to promote their image more, to show them who they and as they are a new band, the audience need to know who they are, so it helps to advertise them and helps them go get closer to their fans.