Research Portfolio P1(U20), P2(U24), M1(U20)
LO1 (U20): Know how existing advertising campaigns embed advertisements across a range of media products.
LO1 (U24): Understand the products that are produced within and across media industries.
Within the campaign a variety of different demographics are represented, this is done through the use of incorporating different artists on posters and billboards. One of the artists included in this campaign is Sam Smith, an openly gay artist. Through using Sam Smith in the campaign, the LGBT+ community is being represented and acknowledged. Doing this broadens who the campaign reaches and targets. Incorporating an openly gay artist reaches out to the LGBT community, letting them feel comfortable and able to be apart of the Spotify community.
Another way this campaign represents a range of demographics is by including artists of different races, one example of this is Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is a black rapper and songwriter. By including him, amongst a range of other artists of all different races, Spotify is recognising the success and talent of all groups of people. Doing this broadens who the campaign reaches and targets are people of different races will feel talent is acknowledged despite any social stigma or prejudice around race.
The campaign premiered at on November 29th 2017. The end of November was the chose date as it is only one month before the new year. By premiering the campaign at this time, people are thinking about new year resolutions. Spotify's '2018 Goals' campaign works around the idea of new years resolutions and 'Goals'. The campaign was premiered in November as this time of year related to the whole concept of the campaign. The campaign went on until mid January, the point at which people were not coming up with their new years resolutions and 'Goals'.
70 different celebrities were involved in the campaign. A wide range of celebrity endorsement was included in the campaign as this widened the potential audience. Including artists from a range of musical genres creates an even larger audience of fans of the artists involved as well as fans of the musical genres.
Celebrity endorsement was also done through bands and artists official Twitter accounts. The artists who did this had a large fan base and
therefor were reaching a wide audience. As well as this, by using celebrity endorsement the campaign appealed to the fans of all these artists. Bands such as Maroon 5 posted about the campaign on there Twitter, doing this spread awareness and showed that they approved of the campaign.
Location wise, the campaign reached across 18 different market regions. These 18 regions were across different countries and a variety of languages. This was done in order to gage a much wider audience, not just limiting their product to English speaking countries. Providing a range of languages and personalising the billboards to each country allowed the campaign to reach a large quantity of people. The location of billboards and posters were also placed where they would receive the most attention e.g. pedestrianised streets.
The campaign was also entirely approached through traditional advertising methods such as billboards and posters. This would be done as it reflects bold nature of the campaign itself. By having billboards in the locations they did (e.g. Tube stations, bus stops, walls, buildings), the public had time to take in the billboard and the text in it. This meant that the billboards had a greater effect on consumers.
Digital advertising wise, Spotify posted little relating to the campaign. Instead, word of the campaign was spread through Tweets and posts from people who had viewed seen the billboards and posters. Pictures were taken and 'Tweeted' of billboards along with people's opinions of them. As Tweeter allows for posts to be shared and commented on, word of the campaign was spread and it became a topic of conversation.
Spotify used their Twitter account and a method to spread awareness of their campaign. One way this was done was through posting 'reminders' on Twitter about when the campaign would begin. Doing this created anticipation and excitement for the campaign; creating an even larger audience.
The main form of media used in the campaign are billboards. The choice of billboards is a statement and eye-catching one, working in line with the campaign and the message of it. One reason for the use of billboards is the amount of text within the advert. In order to make the advert clear and easy to read, the text needs to be big; this could not be done as effectively on a smaller poster or leaflet. As the campaign works around user data and preferences, it makes sense that the advert is large and eye-catching. The billboards were placed in locations where there would not be issues surrounding the amount of time needed to read ( e.g. if a billboard was placed on a motorway, drivers would not have enough time to take in and read the full advert). Due to this billboards were placed in locations such as Tube stations, bus stops and walls of main pedestrianised streets. The use of imperatives is assertive and draws the audience in, as if they have to fulfil this '2018 Goal'. As well as this, Spotify's logo is also incorporated in the advert, this creates a sense of branding and quickly connects the campaign itself to Spotify as a company.
Another of the forms of media used were posters. These posters were placed on walls of busy pedestrian streets in large qualities. By using large amount of small individual posters, the end result is bold and eye catching. The large amount of text seen along with the colours used makes the public want to read it. These posters are also placed at eye level meaning audiences will not struggle to view or read them. Similar to the billboards, both imperatives and logos were used in the poster adverts. These both draw the audience in, creating a memorable campaign and company.
Spotify also used their Twitter account to raise awareness of their campaign, due to the large following the account has; this was extremely effective. One reason for this is that Twitter allows for content to be shared and commented on. This means that the campaign will reach a wider audience and that consumers can become prosumers through sharing and commenting on content.
Another form of media used by Spotify for their 'Wrapped' campaign was their website. Spotify's website had been personalised to the campaign. The opening the Spotify website, the first thing consumers would see would be an advert for the campaign and a link. This raised even more awareness for it as well as a way for audiences to find out further information. As well as this, when consumers went online they were greeted with their personal statistic of the year. Users were presented with statistics of their listening habits, this included; minutes listened, most listened songs, favourite genre etc.
The campaigns call to action is individual to each billboard/poster, with each form of media setting a '2018 Goal'. Despite the goals ranging widely, they are all made to be achieved the same way; through using Spotify. Audiences are encouraged to 'Humble', 'Loving', 'Proud' or 'Optimistic' through the music they listen to. Doing this encourages consumers to use Spotify as a streaming platform. As a whole, the campaigns call to action is for consumers to buy a subscription to Spotify to achieve their '2018 Goals'.
Another area monitored by the ASA is whether an advert is misleading. Spotify had to ensure the statements made about user's listening habits were not exaggerated and had evidence of it. Spotify also had to make sure adverts were not misleading, this includes in terms of inaccuracy, omission and ambiguity. Due to this, all of the user data within the campaign had to be accurate, clear and not open to misinterpretation.
The final factor Spotify had to consider was whether the adverts would cause offence. This meant that the adverts should not be racist, sexist, homophobic etc. Spotify followed the ASA guidelines in terms of offence as the campaign did not include stereotypes or prejudices. As well as this, no sexual imagery was included as if this was seen by children, offence would be caused.
Each form of media used within the campaign has been adapted in relation to their location. One example of this is the fact that Spotify created posters in different languages dependant on their location. Doing this made the campaign accessible to people all around the world, not just appealing to English speaking countries. Adapting their adverts to suit the language needs to their audience in relation to their location widened who the campaign affected.
As well as this, the posters and billboards in other countries incorporated artists relevant and popular to each location. By including popular artists, adverts were adapted and personalised to the preferences of their consumed in relation to their location. This engages audiences as they feel them and their music preferences are considered and thought of Spotify as a company.
Another form of media which was adapted were the billboards and posters. These varied in both size and format dependent on where they were placed. For example, the adverts on tube platforms had to be large enough so that the audience could read the text from a distance as well as not being so text heavy that audiences would not have enough time to read the advert before boarding the tube. These tube posters engage audiences are they are drawn in by the bright colours and not overwhelming amount of text.
The posters at bus stops were also adapted in relation to their location. These posters could have a smaller text size than the previously mentioned tube adverts, this is because audiences would be able to come up closer to these. The amount of text itself could also be lengthier as consumers are spending prolonged periods of time at bus stops. These bus stop posters engage audiences are they are bright and vibrant as well as including a famous artist. Including famous music artists creates interest to audiences therefore engaging them.
Another way that products were adapted was through social media. Spotify used social media to appeal to their teenage and young adult target audience. Using social media such as Twitter related to the technology habits of these groups. The posts on Twitter were adapted in ways such as using hashtags, posting videos and 'tagging' other accounts (this included bands and celebrity endorsement).
The colour scheme is another factor used to create branding in the campaign. All forms of Spotify's adverts use neon pink, red and green. All of these colours are all vibrant and eye-catching. Only using three different colours within all of their adverts helps maintain branding as all adverts are visually similar. As well as this, the use of such bright colours engages Spotify's target audience of those aged 18 - 24 as these are colours popular with millennials.
Within all of Spotify's adverts, their company logo is present. Doing this allows for the audience to instantly know what company they are. As well as this, the logo is in the same place in each advert. By doing this the audience can quickly identify who the company are and what they do without confusion and misinterpretation. The use of the logo engages audiences as it will catch the eye of those already familiar with the company, leading them to read the whole advert.
Through the campaign consistency is maintained in different forms of media through the use of branding and format. Formatting of all adverts are kept consistent by setting the title of '2018 Goals' at the top, doing this automatically relates all of the adverts together. As well as this within each advert, whether poster or billboard, there is a command, telling the audience to do something in the new year. Despite each command being different, consistency is maintained in the cross media advertising through then relating the command to an artist or song.
Editing wise, each image of an artist has given a light coloured outline. Doing this highlights them as the focus of the advert. Even though there are a range of different artist within the campaign, all of them have been outlined; this draws them all together as 'Spotify artists'. This maintains consistency as each artist has been presented and edited in the same way. As well as highlighting, each of the artist images are in black and white. This use of grayscale's contrasts against the bold neon background. By making all the images of artists on every advert black and white, consistency is maintained; drawing them all together as a group of artists which represent Spotify.
Consistency was maintained on Twitter through the use of the 'wrapped' hashtag. The hashtag meant that audiences could easy find other related Tweets and posts about the campaign. This was effective as the hashtags created a place where all posts about the subject could be viewed. As well as this users could also contribute their opinions and feelings about the campaign through this.
Despite using both traditional and digital advertising methods in the campaign, Spotify manage to maintain a sense of consistency through both. This was done through ways such as colour scheme, font, logo etc. Doing this linked the different forms of advertising together, letting the audience know they were part of the same brand.
The message is different within each advert, despite this, they are all delivered in the same format. Using command verbs and imperatives urges the audience to complete the '2018 Goal'. With goals such as 'Be as loving', 'Do more exercise' and ''Be as humble'. Using imperatives makes the message delivery more direct and effective, this is because the audience feel as if they are being personally targeted by Spotify. Having all of the messages within the adverts in the same format, links into the maintenance of consistency between forms of cross media. This is done though the format of 'Be as __ as the person who __ '.
P1: Describe an existing media advertising campaign
The campaign did incorporate any celebrities, this was because the company wanted to make their adverts relatable and real. As the adverts focused on school aged girls, it didn't make sense as to incorporate celebrities. The campaign focused on maintaining a sense of realness, not sugarcoating anything with celebrity endorsement or involvement. As the issues focused on within the campaign are serious and current, Always didn't want audiences to be distracted by incorporating a celebrity. As well as this, the issues focused on in the advert are ones which affect school aged girls, because of this it would not have made sense as to involve a celebrity within the campaign. Always wanted girls to feel personally involve and targeted by the campaign, the use of having school aged girls in the adverts did this.
Within all forms of media used in the campaign, the branding remains consistent. One way this is done is through the colour scheme. Within both the video and social media adverts a colour scheme of dark blues and pastel shades are used, doing this allows for the audience to subconsciously connect the adverts together. Another way consistency is maintained is through the use of slogan and logo. The campaign slogan 'Keep Going' along with 'Try. Fail. Learn' are shown in all forms of media. Doing this shows that the message remains the same and links the adverts together. Consistency is maintain through different forms of cross media through the use of a hashtag. Incorporating this within each advert acts as a link to see more of the campaign. Clicking on the hashtag would allow the audience to view more content which relates to the campaign, posted both by consumers and Always as a company.
Another platform used in the campaign was the 'Always' website. This was effective as it would target and reach the campaign's target audience. Consistency was maintained through the colour scheme, font, slogan and logo. Doing this meant that the website was connected to the other forms of media used. As well as this the website also features the hashtag. This hashtag was popular on Twitter and therefore automatically relates it to the other methods of adverting used in the campaign e.g. social media
On the Always Facebook page, consistency was maintained through using the same banner as the website did. Doing this added to the sense of branding that Always was trying to create as well as creating an automatic link for the audience. Once again, the Facebook page also features hashtags; this links to the other methods of social media used such as Twitter. This method of consistency was effective as it meant that the campaign was spreading across different forms of media whilst having an obvious sense of branding and connection.
The message of the campaign is delivered as an imperative. Doing this allows it to have a deeper impact on the audience as they are being commanded to do something. The message of 'Keep Going' as well as 'Try. Fail. Learn' are direct, short phrases, telling the consumer to do something. The use of punctuation within the 'Try. Fail. Learn' slogan separates the three words out. This use of full stops makes the message more meaningful as it shows and separates these three phases which the campaign focuses on.
LO1 (U24): Understand the products that are produced within and across media industries.
Spotify wrapped 2018 goals (2017)
P1: Describe an existing media advertising campaign
- Aims and Objectives
Spotify's '2018 Goals' campaign has an objective of increasing consumer awareness of the product, thereby making profit. By focusing the adverts around the individual consumer preferences Spotify's user have, the campaign aims to entice more consumers into using the service. The campaign being constructed around the company's users also makes consumers feel more valued as customers, meaning they are more likely to carry on current Spotify subscriptions or even upgrade to premium.
- Target Audience
This campaign has a primary target audience of those who are not already Spotify users. The use of incorporating a multitude of different artists within the campaign means it appeals to their fans. Including Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith amongst others, widens the target audience. Despite all artists being of different genres they are all within the top charts of the year the campaign aired. As well as this, all the artists are popular with a similar age range, this being those aged 18-24, this is also Spotify's target audience. The social class of the target audience would range from A to C2. This would be because Spotify is free to use but can only be accessed using an smart phone or computer, which may not necessarily be owned by individuals in social classes D and E.
Spotify's secondary audience with this campaign would be those who are already Spotify users, aiming to persuade them to upgrade their accounts to premium. One way in which they did this was by creating a reduced subscription offer in line with the campaign. By advertising this as a '2018 Goal' individuals are more likely to purchase the subscription in preparation for the new year. As well as this, the campaign was also done in non-english speaking countries. By having adverts in other languages, Spotify reached out to many places around the world. By creating adverts not just in English, Spotify showed that they cared and were aware of all their consumers around the world and personalised their campaign to reflect their language needs. The social class of the secondary audience would be those A, B and C1. This would be due to the price of a subscription, £10 monthly without promotional deal, in relation to disposable income.
- Key Messages
The campaign's key message surrounds the company's commitment to their consumers. By using Spotify user data within adverts, the company shows the uniqueness of its consumers and their unique preferences. The campaigns overall message is that they are in touch with their consumers as well as showcasing how unique and quirky their users are.
- Representation
Within the campaign a variety of different demographics are represented, this is done through the use of incorporating different artists on posters and billboards. One of the artists included in this campaign is Sam Smith, an openly gay artist. Through using Sam Smith in the campaign, the LGBT+ community is being represented and acknowledged. Doing this broadens who the campaign reaches and targets. Incorporating an openly gay artist reaches out to the LGBT community, letting them feel comfortable and able to be apart of the Spotify community.
Another way this campaign represents a range of demographics is by including artists of different races, one example of this is Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is a black rapper and songwriter. By including him, amongst a range of other artists of all different races, Spotify is recognising the success and talent of all groups of people. Doing this broadens who the campaign reaches and targets are people of different races will feel talent is acknowledged despite any social stigma or prejudice around race. - Campaign Logistics and approach
 |
| sourced from Twitter |
70 different celebrities were involved in the campaign. A wide range of celebrity endorsement was included in the campaign as this widened the potential audience. Including artists from a range of musical genres creates an even larger audience of fans of the artists involved as well as fans of the musical genres.Celebrity endorsement was also done through bands and artists official Twitter accounts. The artists who did this had a large fan base and
therefor were reaching a wide audience. As well as this, by using celebrity endorsement the campaign appealed to the fans of all these artists. Bands such as Maroon 5 posted about the campaign on there Twitter, doing this spread awareness and showed that they approved of the campaign.
Location wise, the campaign reached across 18 different market regions. These 18 regions were across different countries and a variety of languages. This was done in order to gage a much wider audience, not just limiting their product to English speaking countries. Providing a range of languages and personalising the billboards to each country allowed the campaign to reach a large quantity of people. The location of billboards and posters were also placed where they would receive the most attention e.g. pedestrianised streets.
The campaign was also entirely approached through traditional advertising methods such as billboards and posters. This would be done as it reflects bold nature of the campaign itself. By having billboards in the locations they did (e.g. Tube stations, bus stops, walls, buildings), the public had time to take in the billboard and the text in it. This meant that the billboards had a greater effect on consumers.
 |
| Sourced from Twitter |
Spotify used their Twitter account and a method to spread awareness of their campaign. One way this was done was through posting 'reminders' on Twitter about when the campaign would begin. Doing this created anticipation and excitement for the campaign; creating an even larger audience.
- Choice of Media
The main form of media used in the campaign are billboards. The choice of billboards is a statement and eye-catching one, working in line with the campaign and the message of it. One reason for the use of billboards is the amount of text within the advert. In order to make the advert clear and easy to read, the text needs to be big; this could not be done as effectively on a smaller poster or leaflet. As the campaign works around user data and preferences, it makes sense that the advert is large and eye-catching. The billboards were placed in locations where there would not be issues surrounding the amount of time needed to read ( e.g. if a billboard was placed on a motorway, drivers would not have enough time to take in and read the full advert). Due to this billboards were placed in locations such as Tube stations, bus stops and walls of main pedestrianised streets. The use of imperatives is assertive and draws the audience in, as if they have to fulfil this '2018 Goal'. As well as this, Spotify's logo is also incorporated in the advert, this creates a sense of branding and quickly connects the campaign itself to Spotify as a company.Another of the forms of media used were posters. These posters were placed on walls of busy pedestrian streets in large qualities. By using large amount of small individual posters, the end result is bold and eye catching. The large amount of text seen along with the colours used makes the public want to read it. These posters are also placed at eye level meaning audiences will not struggle to view or read them. Similar to the billboards, both imperatives and logos were used in the poster adverts. These both draw the audience in, creating a memorable campaign and company. |
| Sourced from Twitter |
Spotify also used their Twitter account to raise awareness of their campaign, due to the large following the account has; this was extremely effective. One reason for this is that Twitter allows for content to be shared and commented on. This means that the campaign will reach a wider audience and that consumers can become prosumers through sharing and commenting on content.
Another form of media used by Spotify for their 'Wrapped' campaign was their website. Spotify's website had been personalised to the campaign. The opening the Spotify website, the first thing consumers would see would be an advert for the campaign and a link. This raised even more awareness for it as well as a way for audiences to find out further information. As well as this, when consumers went online they were greeted with their personal statistic of the year. Users were presented with statistics of their listening habits, this included; minutes listened, most listened songs, favourite genre etc.
- Call to Action
The campaigns call to action is individual to each billboard/poster, with each form of media setting a '2018 Goal'. Despite the goals ranging widely, they are all made to be achieved the same way; through using Spotify. Audiences are encouraged to 'Humble', 'Loving', 'Proud' or 'Optimistic' through the music they listen to. Doing this encourages consumers to use Spotify as a streaming platform. As a whole, the campaigns call to action is for consumers to buy a subscription to Spotify to achieve their '2018 Goals'.- Legal and Ethical issues
Ethically, Spotify had to consider numerous factors in order to ensure their campaign would not cause offence. One area of this is the portrayal of stereotypes, this includes ethic groups, religious groups and the LGBT+ community. Spotify had to make sure the images of artists were not reenforcing stereotypes, for example not using gay stereotypes within the advert including Sam Smith. Another area concerning ethical issues is representation. Spotify's campaign was majorly dominated by male artists, only including a small number of female artists. Ethically this could be seen as an issue as females are not being equality represented within the adverts. Despite representing a wide number of demographics in the campaign, there were also some excluded. Those included the representation of artists with disabilities. This could be seen as an ethical issue as it marginalises people with disabilities, potentially dismissing their musical talent.
Legally, Spotify had to follow the guidelines of the relevant regulatory body; in terms of advertising this is the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority). Other legal issues included the use of copyrighted material. Spotify had to ensure the original creator of work, this being the artist and their song title, granted permission for it to be used. For example, Spotify needed permission from Kendrick Lamar to include him and his song title 'Humble' in the campaign. Copyright is a legal right, not obtaining permission would result in Spotify being sued. Libel is another legal issue to consider. Spotify had to ensure the statements made within the campaign were not false and could cause damage to an artists reputation. Spotify ensured libel was not an issue in their adverts by only including accurate statements along with evidence. As well as this, none of the statements about artists made were negative, meaning damage to reputation would be caused. In the case that Spotify had published false statements damaging to an artist's reputation, Spotify could be sued.
Legally, Spotify had to follow the guidelines of the relevant regulatory body; in terms of advertising this is the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority). Other legal issues included the use of copyrighted material. Spotify had to ensure the original creator of work, this being the artist and their song title, granted permission for it to be used. For example, Spotify needed permission from Kendrick Lamar to include him and his song title 'Humble' in the campaign. Copyright is a legal right, not obtaining permission would result in Spotify being sued. Libel is another legal issue to consider. Spotify had to ensure the statements made within the campaign were not false and could cause damage to an artists reputation. Spotify ensured libel was not an issue in their adverts by only including accurate statements along with evidence. As well as this, none of the statements about artists made were negative, meaning damage to reputation would be caused. In the case that Spotify had published false statements damaging to an artist's reputation, Spotify could be sued.
- Regulatory Bodies
Another area monitored by the ASA is whether an advert is misleading. Spotify had to ensure the statements made about user's listening habits were not exaggerated and had evidence of it. Spotify also had to make sure adverts were not misleading, this includes in terms of inaccuracy, omission and ambiguity. Due to this, all of the user data within the campaign had to be accurate, clear and not open to misinterpretation.
The final factor Spotify had to consider was whether the adverts would cause offence. This meant that the adverts should not be racist, sexist, homophobic etc. Spotify followed the ASA guidelines in terms of offence as the campaign did not include stereotypes or prejudices. As well as this, no sexual imagery was included as if this was seen by children, offence would be caused.
P1: Describe the media products for an identified industry sector
Different forms of media within the advertising industry - Billboards, static & interactive
- Social media eg Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat
- Video eg YouTube, TV, social media
- Radio
- Flyers/ pamphlets/ leaflets
- TV/ Film
- Posters eg on buses, bus stops, tubes, underground stations
- Van/ car wraps
- Product placement
- Newspapers/magazines
- Websites
- Popup ads
- Adaptation of products
Each form of media used within the campaign has been adapted in relation to their location. One example of this is the fact that Spotify created posters in different languages dependant on their location. Doing this made the campaign accessible to people all around the world, not just appealing to English speaking countries. Adapting their adverts to suit the language needs to their audience in relation to their location widened who the campaign affected.As well as this, the posters and billboards in other countries incorporated artists relevant and popular to each location. By including popular artists, adverts were adapted and personalised to the preferences of their consumed in relation to their location. This engages audiences as they feel them and their music preferences are considered and thought of Spotify as a company.
Another form of media which was adapted were the billboards and posters. These varied in both size and format dependent on where they were placed. For example, the adverts on tube platforms had to be large enough so that the audience could read the text from a distance as well as not being so text heavy that audiences would not have enough time to read the advert before boarding the tube. These tube posters engage audiences are they are drawn in by the bright colours and not overwhelming amount of text.
The posters at bus stops were also adapted in relation to their location. These posters could have a smaller text size than the previously mentioned tube adverts, this is because audiences would be able to come up closer to these. The amount of text itself could also be lengthier as consumers are spending prolonged periods of time at bus stops. These bus stop posters engage audiences are they are bright and vibrant as well as including a famous artist. Including famous music artists creates interest to audiences therefore engaging them.
Another way that products were adapted was through social media. Spotify used social media to appeal to their teenage and young adult target audience. Using social media such as Twitter related to the technology habits of these groups. The posts on Twitter were adapted in ways such as using hashtags, posting videos and 'tagging' other accounts (this included bands and celebrity endorsement).
- Creating a brand and the way this targets different audiences
Throughout all the different methods Spotify used to advertise their campaign, a sense of branding is maintained. One way this is done is through the use of font. Spotify have used their company font, the one Spotify as an application uses in its format. This font is the only one used in the campaigns billboards, posters etc. Doing this links all forms of advertising together despite the varying images and text within them. This is a sans serif font, the use of a font without details ensures the audience's attention is not drawn away from the image and advert as a whole. As well as this, all of the text is in white, making it stand out against the colourful background. The white text engages audiences as it makes a statement and is not overwhelming.
The colour scheme is another factor used to create branding in the campaign. All forms of Spotify's adverts use neon pink, red and green. All of these colours are all vibrant and eye-catching. Only using three different colours within all of their adverts helps maintain branding as all adverts are visually similar. As well as this, the use of such bright colours engages Spotify's target audience of those aged 18 - 24 as these are colours popular with millennials.Within all of Spotify's adverts, their company logo is present. Doing this allows for the audience to instantly know what company they are. As well as this, the logo is in the same place in each advert. By doing this the audience can quickly identify who the company are and what they do without confusion and misinterpretation. The use of the logo engages audiences as it will catch the eye of those already familiar with the company, leading them to read the whole advert.
M1: Cross media advertising campaigns and consistency of message
- Consistency
Through the campaign consistency is maintained in different forms of media through the use of branding and format. Formatting of all adverts are kept consistent by setting the title of '2018 Goals' at the top, doing this automatically relates all of the adverts together. As well as this within each advert, whether poster or billboard, there is a command, telling the audience to do something in the new year. Despite each command being different, consistency is maintained in the cross media advertising through then relating the command to an artist or song.Editing wise, each image of an artist has given a light coloured outline. Doing this highlights them as the focus of the advert. Even though there are a range of different artist within the campaign, all of them have been outlined; this draws them all together as 'Spotify artists'. This maintains consistency as each artist has been presented and edited in the same way. As well as highlighting, each of the artist images are in black and white. This use of grayscale's contrasts against the bold neon background. By making all the images of artists on every advert black and white, consistency is maintained; drawing them all together as a group of artists which represent Spotify.Consistency was maintained on Twitter through the use of the 'wrapped' hashtag. The hashtag meant that audiences could easy find other related Tweets and posts about the campaign. This was effective as the hashtags created a place where all posts about the subject could be viewed. As well as this users could also contribute their opinions and feelings about the campaign through this.
Despite using both traditional and digital advertising methods in the campaign, Spotify manage to maintain a sense of consistency through both. This was done through ways such as colour scheme, font, logo etc. Doing this linked the different forms of advertising together, letting the audience know they were part of the same brand.
- Effectiveness
At the end of 2017, when the campaign was first premiered, Spotify had 160 million active monthly users. This rose quickly and by the end of 2018 there were 191 million active monthly users, 44% listening on a daily basis. These statistics indicate that the campaign in 2017 caused a great rise in the number of users. This rise could be partially due to the reduced promotional subscription fee of 99p for three months.
- Message delivery
The message is different within each advert, despite this, they are all delivered in the same format. Using command verbs and imperatives urges the audience to complete the '2018 Goal'. With goals such as 'Be as loving', 'Do more exercise' and ''Be as humble'. Using imperatives makes the message delivery more direct and effective, this is because the audience feel as if they are being personally targeted by Spotify. Having all of the messages within the adverts in the same format, links into the maintenance of consistency between forms of cross media. This is done though the format of 'Be as __ as the person who __ '.Always #LikeAGirl - Keep Going (2017)
P1: Describe an existing media advertising campaign
- Aims and Objectives
The Always #LikeAGirl campaign has been going since 2014, each year focusing on a different issue around sexism and the stereotyping of women and girls. The 2017 campaign, 'Keep Going', has the aim 'to boost girls’ confidence by encouraging girls everywhere to embrace failure as fuel to build confidence & Keep Going #LikeAGirl'. The objective of the campaign is to spread awareness of the company's commitment and awareness of the current issues woman and girls are facing. The campaign shows the company cares and wants to make a difference. By doing this, Always hopes that they will gain more consumers and make more profit.
As a sanitary product brand, the target audience is females. More specifically within this campaign it is adolescent girls. The audience of adolescent girls is reached through the casting within the video advert. Within the category of adolescent girls, the advert particular targets those who are in education. The advert targets girls in education through having scenes set in classrooms and school corridors. The advert targets girls with a range of interests, this includes football, science, ballet, running and music. Doing this displays how the brand recognised and incorporates all young girls despite their unique interests. As well as this, it recognises the interest girls have in science and sports, combating female stereotypes.
- Target Audience
As a sanitary product brand, the target audience is females. More specifically within this campaign it is adolescent girls. The audience of adolescent girls is reached through the casting within the video advert. Within the category of adolescent girls, the advert particular targets those who are in education. The advert targets girls in education through having scenes set in classrooms and school corridors. The advert targets girls with a range of interests, this includes football, science, ballet, running and music. Doing this displays how the brand recognised and incorporates all young girls despite their unique interests. As well as this, it recognises the interest girls have in science and sports, combating female stereotypes.
The secondary audience would be older females, those impressed by the message of the campaign. Females aged 19 onwards who watched the advert and were impressed enough to go and purchase the brand's products. Within the secondary audience, will be the mothers of adolescent girls (the main target audience). Mothers who view this advert may be impressed by the brand's commitment to empowering their daughters, consequently then purchasing Always products.
- Key Messages
The campaign's key message is that at this point in time, young women and girls are afraid to try new things due to the potential change of failure and that the campaign wants to change that. Always' campaign wants to empower young girls and show them that failure should not be something to be afraid of. Their message is that failure should be seen as a tool to build confidence and to 'Keep Going' no matter what.
- Approach
The campaign was approached through the use of digital advertising methods, this included use of social media platforms, Youtube video, the Always website. Youtube was the main way in which the campaign was advertised. Since being first published in August 2018, it has received over 3 million views. The social media approach was used as doing this allowed for the content created to be shared and commented on, allowing for the message to spread and reach wider audiences.
- Representation
Despite only including school aged females within the campaign, there is still a wide variety of representation of different demographics. Girls of all different ethnicities are included within the advert. Doing this widened their potential audience as girls of all races felt included and valued by the company and within the campaign. The wide representation of ethnic groups within the adverts also meant that no particular group was marginalised or excluded.
- Campaign Logistics
The campaign premiered on August 16th 2017 in the form of the Youtube advert. Premiering the advert at this time of year related back to the target audience of school aged girls. August is a time of year where children and adolescents are preparing to go back to school in September. As the advert heavily focuses on girls within the school environment, it made sense that the advert be premiered at this time. Doing this meant that the campaign had a greater relevance to the target audience, meaning it would be more effective.
The campaign did incorporate any celebrities, this was because the company wanted to make their adverts relatable and real. As the adverts focused on school aged girls, it didn't make sense as to incorporate celebrities. The campaign focused on maintaining a sense of realness, not sugarcoating anything with celebrity endorsement or involvement. As the issues focused on within the campaign are serious and current, Always didn't want audiences to be distracted by incorporating a celebrity. As well as this, the issues focused on in the advert are ones which affect school aged girls, because of this it would not have made sense as to involve a celebrity within the campaign. Always wanted girls to feel personally involve and targeted by the campaign, the use of having school aged girls in the adverts did this.- Choice of Media
The campaign first premiered on Youtube. This video advert was posted by the company's Youtube channel which currently has 133k subscribers. Posting the video on a platform which already had a high subscriber count meant that Always knew that their video would get attention without having them as a company having to focus and find ways that the video could be promoted. As their target audience for their video advert was school aged girls, because of this Youtube was the main media platform used in the campaign. Having a video allowed for there to be speech within advert, this could not be transferred into to a print advert such as poster or billboard. Within the video advert, the colour scheme of dark blues and whites relates back to the Always brand. As well as this, the company's logo is incorporated into the video, allowing the audience to know what brand the advert is. The video starts and ends with the Always logo, doing this means the consumers are reminded of the brand at the end of the video.
As well as Youtube, the campaign also used Twitter as a choice of media. Always used Twitter to promote their campaign, this was mainly done through the use of hashtag #LikeAGirl. The Twitter advert had to be much less text heavy than the video advert, this was because users are scrolling through Twitter continually, not being able to the in large amount of texts. Due to this, the Twitter posts consisted mainly of the account posting the campaign slogan, the hashtag and a frame of the video. The use of the imperative 'Keep Going' within the campaign is direct and portrays the message of the advert without allowing for any misinterpretation.
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| Sourced from YoutTube |
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| sourced from Twitter |
- Call to Action
Always' call to action from their campaign is for girls to accept failure and use it as a 'fuel' for confidence and learning. More precisely, their call to action is to 'Keep Going', this is emphasised through the use of an imperative. Including an imperative makes the audience feel more directly targeted and as if they have to fulfil the command.
- Legal and Ethical Issues
Legally, Always had to abide by the ASA guidelines when creating their campaign, this meant ensuring adverts were not misleading, harmful or offensive. Another factor which had to be considered was copyright. Within all form of advertising used, Always had to ensure that any copyrighted material had the needed permission from the creator of it. For example, the backing music within the video would have needed written permission from the artist who created it so that Always could use it. If Always had not obtained permission, they could have faced being sued.
Ethically, Always had to make sure that their campaign was not reenforcing stereotypes or containing offensive undertones. Always made sure that their adverts did not do this through challenging stereotypes. Within the adverts, a wide variety of groups were represented, doing this meant that particular ethnicities or races were not marginalised. However despite the wide representation, Always did not include individuals with disabilities within the campaign. This could be seen as an ethical issue as those with disabilities are being excluded. This could be seen as Always dismissing their value within society.
Ethically, Always had to make sure that their campaign was not reenforcing stereotypes or containing offensive undertones. Always made sure that their adverts did not do this through challenging stereotypes. Within the adverts, a wide variety of groups were represented, doing this meant that particular ethnicities or races were not marginalised. However despite the wide representation, Always did not include individuals with disabilities within the campaign. This could be seen as an ethical issue as those with disabilities are being excluded. This could be seen as Always dismissing their value within society.
- Regulatory Bodies
Always had to ensure that their campaign was not misleading, harmful or offensive, the regulatory body ASA (the Advertising Standards Authority) monitors this. In order to ensure that their adverts were not harmful, Always had to consider a number of factors. This included making sure adverts did not condone or encourage violence and not cause distress. Always ensured their adverts did not cause harm through making sure none of the scenes in the video advert showed children in unsafe situations or condoned unsafe practice. It was important that Always took this into account when making their advert as they made sure no scenes would cause distress and that it was appropriate for audiences.
Always also had to ensure that their adverts were not misleading, this had to be considered through the production process. For example, Always had to ensure the statistics used within the campaign were not exaggerated and had evidence. Statistics used had to be accurate, clear and not open to misinterpretation. As well as this, Always needed evidence to back up all claims made.
Always also had to ensure that their adverts were not misleading, this had to be considered through the production process. For example, Always had to ensure the statistics used within the campaign were not exaggerated and had evidence. Statistics used had to be accurate, clear and not open to misinterpretation. As well as this, Always needed evidence to back up all claims made.
Another factor that had to be considered was whether the advert was offensive. Due to this, Always had to ensure the campaign was not racist, homophobic, sexist etc. As well as this, no prejudices should be reenforced within the adverts. Always ensured that their advert was not offensive by representing a range of demographics within it without any reference to stereotypes and prejudices. As well as this, no sexual imagery was included as if this was seen by children, offence would be caused.
M1: Cross media advertising campaigns and consistency of message
- Consistency
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| sourced from Twitter |
Another platform used in the campaign was the 'Always' website. This was effective as it would target and reach the campaign's target audience. Consistency was maintained through the colour scheme, font, slogan and logo. Doing this meant that the website was connected to the other forms of media used. As well as this the website also features the hashtag. This hashtag was popular on Twitter and therefore automatically relates it to the other methods of adverting used in the campaign e.g. social media
On the Always Facebook page, consistency was maintained through using the same banner as the website did. Doing this added to the sense of branding that Always was trying to create as well as creating an automatic link for the audience. Once again, the Facebook page also features hashtags; this links to the other methods of social media used such as Twitter. This method of consistency was effective as it meant that the campaign was spreading across different forms of media whilst having an obvious sense of branding and connection.- Effectiveness
When the campaign first premiered, it was seen as a point of conversation. The campaign affected school aged girls and their mothers due to the focus the adverts had on current issues. The campaign as a whole was seen as effective due to the wide audience it reached. With the objective being for the company to show its commitment and awareness to the current issues being faced, it was seen as a success.
- Message delivery
The message of the campaign is delivered as an imperative. Doing this allows it to have a deeper impact on the audience as they are being commanded to do something. The message of 'Keep Going' as well as 'Try. Fail. Learn' are direct, short phrases, telling the consumer to do something. The use of punctuation within the 'Try. Fail. Learn' slogan separates the three words out. This use of full stops makes the message more meaningful as it shows and separates these three phases which the campaign focuses on.
All images sourced from Google, Instagram, Twitter and FaceBook
Video sourced from YouTube
Video sourced from YouTube
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