Monday, 12 December 2011

Analysing magazine adverts

Kings Of Leon – Come Around Sundown

The advert uses colours associated with sunset, which links in with the title. It is bright, and will catch the reader’s attention. The graphics are very similar to the album cover, but it is almost as if the advert is a cropped section of cover. It sticks to the conventions of the genre, as indie bands often use elements of their album cover within adverts for their music, however it is an entropic image of the beach, as it is mostly obscured. This advert is quite relaxing – palm trees and sunsets have connotations of tropical holidays, which is a relaxing and pleasing idea.
            The font is the same as on the album, which is to be expected, and the colours fit in with the sunset theme. The text is located at the top and bottom, so that the centre of the image is clear, and we can see the image properly. This is a very conventional layout for most music adverts, and is not particularly making any star image for the band.
            The advert only has links to Amazon.co.uk, the bands website and the logo of the record company. These are common links, but it is strange that there are no links to iTunes, as many adverts within this genre and outside the genre link to it. It tells us when the band will be released, which is essential for the advert.
            This advert is made for a whole page in a magazine, which means that the band is quite important and prolific. This will also help to grab the attention of the viewers, and it will be easer to identify the smaller details of the image.
            The target demographic is most likely, but not restricted to, young people, between the ages of 16-24, who are interested in indie style rock, and the Kings of Leon’s previous albums. It appeals because of its entropic values, and the sense of freedom and individuality that the image gives.





Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires

The band takes up the majority of the image, which is relatively common for the alternative genre. None of the members of the band are looking directly at the camera, except the one with sunglasses on. The image is brightly coloured, and catches the eye of the viewer. They look like typical rock stars, enjoying life on a tropical beach. This helps to give them a very famous, important image. This image has no relation to the album cover, which is quite entropic for this genre.
            The font is the same as on their album, which is the only link to the album (apart from the band). Also, the text is at the top and the bottom of the image, so that the band is not obscured. This is quite a redundant style of text placing.
            There is one quote at the top from The Observer, which is read by an educated, middle class audience who could potentially be the target audience. Also, the text at the bottom mentions that the album was nominated for the Mercury Prize, which is commonly won by indie/alternative bands. It also makes the band seem successful and very popular, meaning it is probably good. It says that the album is out now, which is essential for advertising.
            This advert is a full-page advert, showing again that the band is successful and popular. This reinforces the fact that they were nominated for a mercury prize. A large advert with bright colours will grab the attention of any readers.
            The target audience for this band are young people, aged between 16-24, who like alternative music, and also due to it being featured in the observer, possibly an older, professional audience. This image is bright, and will appeal to the audience because the main focus is on the band, which have a certain identity that the fans of the band like.

            

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