CIE Eval Q2 BRANDING

CIE Q2: How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of branding?

This is very similar to the UK OCR Q2, which considers how well the 3 components work as an overall package.


PREPARATION FOR THIS ANSWER:
Research existing examples: look at some examples of a single act/artist's website/album cover/video and assess how tightly integrated (in mood/tone, not just direct visuals) they are or aren't. You could discuss how likely it is that videos especially would be directly linked to digipak or website design (usually multiple videos for any album, often from different directors...).
Create a grid with 3 columns: video, digipak, website/online (you could split online [social media] into a 4th).
Start with video and note any feature which is replicated or similar in 1 or both of the other 2 (include branding for YouTube, Twitter etc profiles with website). Take screenshots as you go for use in answer.
Work through digipak and online content too, check if there's anything you missed (there may be some links just between these 2 but not video).
Think again: consider the mode of address, maybe in/formal, humble/brash, accessible/distant ... what MOOD have you created? (the visual links may not be so direct, so you may not have considered branding like this)
Review your notes - can you see themes/issues you can link together? Can you see opportunities to apply theories (eg web 2.0, intertextuality, postmodernism more widely)?
Organise your response into clear sections/themes.
You could also seek audience feedback: question a sample, ask them to describe the brand image.
Provide a short summary: this should include your thoughts on how you might have improved on this!

SIMPLE SUGGESTED STRUCTURE FOR YOUR ANSWER:
Discuss, with examples, how typical or not it is to tightly integrate 3 distinct media formats (you'll find examples that do and examples that don't!) - do websites especially tend to change to reflect new releases (yes!).
Brief outline of the artist's existing brand and likely audience.
Brief outline of the brand and likely audience you were aiming for. If it helps, what product (or other existing artist) would you compare this brand to?!

For creative content, consider what brands/products this artist might agree to advertise, which company would pay them to be a 'brand spokesperson' (and create an ad!). Interview with (or promo package by) a design agency and their creative team.

Outline the links between your texts, taking 1 clear theme at a time, and thoroughly illustrating how these link across 2 or more of your texts. As you do, be very clear if you have taken separate photographic images for print work (a good thing!) rather than just use video screenshots.
Provide a summary, including assessment of any changes you now think you should have made

KEY POINTS:

• define your primary and secondary target audiences (who the branding is aimed at!!!)
• sum up the existing branding for the artist - is the existing audience the same as yours?
• are you changing the brand image? if so, how/why?
• how zeitgeisty (or perhaps retro - Retromania?) is your branding?
• what role did social media play in binding together the video, digipak and website branding?
• did you brand the YouTube and social media profiles? (consider the branding across the websites and social media observed in my exemplar case studies)
• be clear and specific not just on the detailed links between your texts but any differences within these (e.g. the singer in the video setting/costume, but a unique photographic pose)
• it can be very helpful to ask yourself (as many artists and their managers will): if an existing brand was to sponsor your artist, which would it be and why?

UK STUDENT EXAMPLES

Amber: Lady Gaga

Conal (Amber's group partner): Lady Gaga

Kate: Girls Aloud (pop '00s girlband)

Clear, well illustrated vodcast, and Kate also made clear links within other Eval Qs - a good idea!

Curtis: dance act Faithless
Detailed and largely well illustrated, he closely followed my suggested structure. Curtis also embedded a range of videos from earlier in the blog in this post -

it is a smart move to very clearly link/demonstrate the range of research you are APPLYING through this answer, with playlists/embeds/screenshots (of posts, links lists), list of links, tags etc!

...

VIRAL MARKETING Straight Outta Compton font/logo becomes a meme

The marketing for a film about 80s/90s old school gangsta rappers has been exemplary, creating a much stronger than usual excitement around a biopic.

At the heart of this has been a shareable font/logo that has taken Facebook and other social media by storm, and pushing the film's marketing to audiences it might otherwise have struggled to reach.

So, when considering digipak and magazine ad designs, don't underestimate the power of a downloadable and editable font/logo... and the very real power of audience interaction.

See distractify.com page for 20 examples, one below.

Eval Q2 how effective is combo of texts

Q2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

A STREAMLINED WAY TO ANSWER THIS Q
See below for more detailed notes, but this structure might help save you considerable time, and could make for a better, more coherent response overall.

1. VIDEO PART 1: Discuss/critique the question: would such texts be tightly integrated? Make brief comparison with some examples - you won't struggle to find examples from your own artist with very limited linkage
2. Print off your print texts (and/or have open on multiple tabs/screens). Slowly work through your video, pausing to take screenshots/make notes where you see a link to print texts, BUT ALSO making some notes on points of difference too. Writing on print-offs should help with the next step.
3. Separately compare your print texts noting key links and some differences
4. Go through your notes. Do you see points/themes emerging? Can you tie any of these to specific theories, eg intertextuality (Kristeva, postmodernism)?
5. VIDEO PART 2: If so, use these as 'chapter titles' and discuss all three texts at once. Otherwise, structure by focussing on your digipak first, then your mag ads
6. VIDEO PART 3: SUMMARY A brief review of key points and reflection on how tightly or loosely yours tie together. It would be especially useful here to include some thoughts on changes you could make if doing this again.

SOME PAST STUDENTS' ANSWERS:

2014 FAITHLESS + ATOMIC KITTEN ANSWERS
The same issues as with Q1/3/4: a shared script (which, if presented without clear sub-headings and imagery does not help marks on presentation) which is sometimes recorded in a very poor manner, and the imagery not always as closely reflecting the point being made as it should. The use of titles is helpful, and the analysis generally good though.

EMMIE: The one weak answer from Emmie; this would really benefit from a video and a greater degree of depth. It appears long as a post, but there is a lack of detail overall.
BETH: A single vid, with an existing vid referenced in this embedded below. Rather rushes through a script, which undermines the impact (assessment criteria: ability to communicate), but the content is good. Specific egs throughout, and very, very good at getting into how the industry works - drawing on and suitably illustrating concepts such as digitisation and convergence when doing so.
EMMA: The Eval Qs are a little hard to find: the post dates do need to be tweaked to ensure they come immediately (and in order) the final cuts, plus 'Eval Q2' as a post title isn't helpful. This is an interesting answer for 2 reasons: (1) starts with excellent industry context (specific examples of companies that work in this field - and what they charge [easy to get via websites or ringing and asking - as a band! - for a rough quote) and (2) starts out by rejecting the need to combine too explicitly the 3 texts designs. The vid goes on to detail the conceptual and narrative links from vid to the ancillaries (cartoon style, party/rave scene).

Neat, simple way of showcasing the links: edit 1 image of all 3 together

JONNY: Again, vid done as a group meant there was a real risk of exam board marking this Eval down to 0/20 - don't repeat this mistake! Responses to this Q are often rather dull - this is an exception, and it helps secure high marks if a sense of passion comes across, as it does here. The combined image Jonny provided quite neatly illustrated the visual link between the texts, and is a good idea to utilise! The vid uses the physical products to back up points made: quick, simple yet effective (just not for every Q!). Skip to 3:30 in and note the neat trick of discussing fonts used and then saying to camera "and you should be able to see this font on screen NOW!" With a little forethought its a neat idea to talk about things you know you'll edit in later! The written text below was excellent, with many hyperlinks, relevant sources quoted, and well laid out - but easy to do, because it came from posts within the R+P, simply rewritten/paraphrased for the Eval.
CHRIS: Simply too brief in this case.


This is a suggested approach to tackling this question.
Break down the varying tasks, which might include:

1. critiquing the question!
2. detailing your target audience
3. (this links back to audience) where might each text be distributed/exhibited
4. break down (denotation of) key elements of each of the 3 texts in turn
5. in what ways are the 3 products linked
6. in what ways are they differentiated
7. evidence + reflect on some AF on all 3 as a package
8. is there anything you would alter given more time/resources
9. IF brief was different...

Remember, you need to incorporate some new video material with each Eval Q, and widely employ images, hyperlinks, basic design elements, and perhaps selective podcasting too.

You can share research within a group, but must produce individual responses.

You can share video, but make it unique by using the YouTube annotation tool to add individual evaluative comments, links etc.

Below you'll find detail on the 9 points listed above; these overlap, and are just a suggestion; combine these as you see fit.
 

INTRO (1): DISCUSS/CRITIQUE THE QUESTION

Re-read and quote the brief, paying particular heed to the alliterative

Posts on COMBO/PACKAGE (Q2)

I've mostly skipped out posts on digipak/mag ad, which are listed in a separate post

ONLY INCLUDES POSTS UP TO THE START OF FEB 2012

http://musividz.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-media-band-blogs.html - Using blogs to reach fans, but also an extension of your package?
http://musividz.blogspot.com/2012/02/fundraising-online-old-man-cabbage-eg.html
http://musividz.blogspot.com/2012/01/marketing-use-dates-to-create-special.html