Relating the brief to our idea

Introduction

This blog post will include information on how our advert relates to the brief and what advertisement characteristics/structures we are going to use.

The brief

"A new fashion chain has opened and is aimed at 16-23 year olds. They sell a variety of clothing (similar to BANK). They sell hip brands that the edgy fashion conscious want to wear. In response to this, you are to create a one minute advert aimed at the above."

Our idea relates to the brief as we have created a fashion chain called "Lumiere" and it is aimed at fashion conscious individuals from the ages of 16-23 year olds. The aspect that makes our store unique and to make it stand out from other companies on the market is that we are aiming at a more niche market, as we are going to portray a high-fashion status image within our advert.

Customer psychographic profiles and seasonality

We are going to ensure that we capture the correct target audience by using models, props, language and music related to the age range and consumer psychographic. Our audience psychographic profile will be men and women aged 16-34 as that the the age range we are aiming our products to.

As our advert will contain images and light use of alcohol and Sheesha smoke, our advert will only be previewed at water-shed timings (8pm - 4am) and only on more adult channels, (e.g. ITV 2, E4, etc.) to ensure protection for children and to reach the appropriate audience.

Structure of advertisement

The structures that our advertisement will be using are;

"non-linear: a non-linear advert is similar to a narrative advert (it contains a story), but the order of the story is distorted and it does not go in order. These kind of adverts usually include effects such as flash-backs and reverse narrative."

Our advert will fall under the non-linear structure as it will tell as story of a man and a woman partying and then becoming attracted to each other, but it will be portrayed in a non-linear way as the sequence wont be in chronological order and will consist of cuts and edits, going back and forth from characters.


"anti-realist: anti-realist adverts are adverts which are based on fantasy ideology. They use ideas taken from dreams/nightmares and promote a brand's product/services in methods which are creative/not normal. most of these adverts are usually based and created using special effects or CGI (Computer Generated Images)."

Our advert will be based on the anti-realist structure because we are going to place the characters in plain monochrome back grounds, and there will be no natural settings or locations. This would be classed under anti-realist as this doesn't occur in normal/natural everyday life.


"stand alone: A stand alone advertisement is the opposite of a series style. This means it is just a single advertisement which may contain a story and promote the brand's services/products through that."

Our advert will also be classed as a stand alone advert as there will not be a series of adverts continuing the story, the advert will complete the narrative and finish in a cliffhanger ending where the couple are left in the dark/pitch black.

Characteristics of advertising

The characteristics that our advert will possess to ensure that it fulfills the purpose of informing customers of our stores are;



Advantages over similar products: Our advert will ensure that it has advantages over similar products by promoting unique, fashionable clothing which is suitable for daily life and allows the wear to feel "prestigious" due the the brand name. E.g Just by having a River Island branded bag seems more high quality and expensive then a standard H&M one, even if they looked almost identical. We are aiming to build a high profile brand/company with our advert which will rival stores like Zara, Topshop and Mango.


USP (Unique Selling Point): The unique selling point on our advert is the brand name. It is in a different language which makes the company feel successful overseas and as "Lumiere" is a French word, it already seems very fashionable as Paris is seen to be the fashion capital of the world.


Lifestyle appeal: Our advert will include characteristics of lifestyle appeal by including props such as alcohol bottles and Sheesha machines. These props relate to lifestyle appeal as we are aiming for the type of audience who like to have a good time/party, have a lot of money (niche market), don't have a care in the world or are very successful and have an intense passion on looking good/fashion.


Brand identity: To create a brand identity for our company, we are going to have the name "Lumiere" as the logo in a specific trademarked font. This is because we want to create a effect where everybody knows the name and is instantly familiar with the company by looking straight at the brand name.

We also decided that just the brand name is an effective way of creating brand identity as we do not have to use colour/images to represent it and the logo will be flexible to fit in any situation. and example of a similar logo is the "topshop/topman" logo.

Adding structure of advert idea

Introduction

In this blog post, I am going to post some information for our advert idea. The information that I am going to present are;
- the mood/word board
- the storyboard
- the logo
- chosen brand names
- choice of music

All of the tasks are made to help use develop our ideas for our product.


Mood/word board

The mood/word board that I have created for our advert contains themes, images and words which relate to the message that we are trying to portray for our brand.

The trend/style that we have chosen for our advert is going to be monochrome - tailored pieces of black and white clothing.

Our target audience will be of a higher/upper class market of men and women from the ages of around 18-23.

We have chosen to come up with a name in a different language, so we are going to consider words in French or Italian.

Storyboard

This images are our first inital ideas for our fashion store advert. The whole advert will be in monotone colour (Black and white) to give it a old, but high-class and elegant look. Our advert will include intertextuality to the Bond films/images and the Paco Rabanne "one million" perfume adverts.

The scene show;

Slide 1 - White background - shows the company logo in the back and the male model stands upright, appearing in the camera frame (Mid-Shot). This is shown to promote and familiarize our audience to the company.

Slide 2 - Camera pans out quickly (according to the beat of the music) and stops as a long shot of the male model in smart/casual black and white clothing, holding a bottle of alcohol on one hand. This is to show what the model is wearing, which will represent the kind of products we will have available.

Slide 3 - The scene snaps to a close up shot of the mans arm which is holding the alcohol bottle, and he is fixing his cufflinks/sleeve with his other hand. This is to show how the model is "fixing up" and to show that we are aiming at a niche but fun and young market.


Slide 4 - The scene then quickly jumps to the mans shoe, and shows him wiping it, making it look clean and sophisticated. This also shows that we offer mens accessories in our store as well as clothing.

Slide 5 -  The advert the fades into a black background with a long shot of a girl sitting/slouching on a chair with sheesha machine by her side. She stands up from her chair and then ruffles/volumizes her scrunched up "bed hair". This is to show the young, spoilt and carefree attitude that the girl has, which is kind of edgy in present times.

Slide 6 - The scene then, switches to a close up shot of her ear, which shows her putting on an earring. This is going to be done to show the audience how the girl is "fixing up" and that we also offer jewellery products to our customers.

Slide 7 - Scene 7 will again cut to a close up shot of the sheesha "waterpot" and the woman's shoe. This is used to show the culture/entertainment of the female model, as well as the shoes to show that we offer these products too. The scene will then slowly fade out, and the girl will be sitting back in the chair with the sheesha pipe gripped in her hand.

Slide 8 - Slide 8 cuts to a close up shot of the side of the girls face, showing her blowing smoke into the air against the black background. This will be shown to have a effect of sophistication and glamour into our advert, as it was seen to be a activity that higher class people used to carry out for socialisation.

Slide 9 -  The scene then cuts to a patterned black and white background, with the lights playing up (turning on and off as if it was flickering) and the male and female model is walking towards each other, gazing into each others eyes. The shot starts off as a long shot to show their full outfits, but then zooms in closer and closer to make the audience see the emotions and feel the intensity of the attraction between them.

Slide 10 - The final slide continues from the lights flickering on and off, and when the couple are face to face, the lights switch off into blackness, and the company logo is then shown on the screen again.

Logo

Chosen brand names

Our top three brand names that we have chosen so far for our advert are;

- Lumiere - This means light in French. We think this is a suitable name for our brand as light may help us represent the difference in dark and light, as well as being uplifting to your confidence. Light also resembles pure, so we want to use pure to say to the customers that our main and only focus is to provide high quality fashionable items.

- Le Tendence - This means trend in French. This may be a effective back up name for our company as it follows the lines of fashion/style/trend. It sounds more sophisticated in French, as it is one of the most fashionable countries in the world, which helps to set off a high brand image for our company.

- Tendenza - This again means trend, but in Italian. This is also a good back up name for our company, as again it helps to relate with fashion, but with an Italian twist, it sounds more suave. It helps give consumers a feel of high class quality.

Choice of music

The choice of music that we are considering to put into our advert is slow r'n'b style music. We want the music to be suave and sophisticated to help establish our brand with the same image. We also want a soundtrack that contains words that portray the similar message to our advert. Our advert will only include the non-diegetic soundtrack and there will be no diegetic sounds or speech (other than what is in the song).

The soundtrack that we are currently considering is Justin Timberlake Ft Jay Z - Suit and tie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KReoTOZK9W8) We have decided that we are going to use approx 40 seconds of the start of the song.

Analysing existing fashion advert/websites

Introduction

In this blogpost, I am going to be analysing 3 current fashion adverts and look at their websites to see what techniques they use to promote their store and why it works. The three stores I am going to be looking at are, Topshop, River Island and Boohoo. I am going to analyse the adverts using the following questions;

Target audience: Who will buy the product?

Content signs: Signifer and what is signified

Sounds: Diegetic and Non-diegetic

Mise-en-scene: What colours, props and settings are used? Why?

Camera shots:What shots are used and why?

Advertising techniques: what techniques are used and why?

Topshop - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZl9GiVnh0Y

Target audience: Who will buy the product?

Fashion-conscious women from the ages of 16-25. Topshop is aimed more at a niche high street audience due to the high prices and strong trend setting pieces.

Content signs: Signifer and what is signified

The content signs that are used to signify the messages to the audience are;

- London bus/bridge/landmarks - to show how Topshop is a British founded high-street fashion retailer, which is important as it shows that the trends being showed are British trends.

- Chinese and British model - To signify the clash of cultures and to help portray the message of the Chinese New Year.

- Chinese lanterns - to signify the Chinese New Year and to help relate to the message of wealth and prosperity.

Sounds: Diegetic and Non-diegetic

The sounds used in this Topshop advert are just non-diegetic music called "This Little Light Of Mine" by Berend Dubbe and Gwen Thomas. This soundtrack has been used to relate to the message that the advert is trying to portray. The song is slow and melodious to help the customer feel relaxed and feel the message of the festivities.

Mise-en-scene: What colours, props and settings are used? Why?

Colours: The colours used in the advert are quite dull and grey colours to represent the Autumn/Winter season, and to help portray the messages of "light" and Chinese prosperity easier. The dark colours help to show off the clothing that the models are advertising, as these are what are currently in trend.

Props: The props used in the advert are Chinese lanterns to help signify the message of the Chinese New Year. The clothing displayed in the advert are also props, as it helps to represent Topshop and the type of clothing they offer. 

Settings: The settings used in the advert are famous London landmarks to help represent the British based Retailer.

Camera shots:What shots are used and why?

Some examples of the camera shots used in this advert are;

- Close-up shots - To focus on the clothing items and help send a stronger message to the audience on the trends or products of Topshop.

- Long shots - The extra long shots are used to capture everything in the scene and to inform the views on the surroundings and full outfit of the advert.

- High angled shots - To help represent the confidence of the models and to capture the sky/lanterns in the sky, which helps portray the message of the Chinese New Year.

- Low angled shots - To relate to the mood and colour of the advert. The low angled shot helps to represent belittling, but this technique is used to help symbolize as if a higher/spiritual presence is looking down upon the models. 

Advertising techniques: what techniques are used and why?

Some of the advertising techniques used in the Topshop advert are;

- jingles, music and sound devices: The use of jingles, music and sound devices help to make and advertisement more appealing and help persuade customers to watch it because it uses the attraction of sound to help grasp the customers attention. Also, by including music/jingles, it helps to set the mood of the media product and the type of message the brand wishes to portray.

Topshop use the soundtrack, "This Little Light Of Mine" to help relate to the message of the Chinese New Year.

- Logos, product design and brand colours: (house style) By including the company logo's, brand colours, house style designs, etc within a advertisement is a effective strategy to use, as it helps the viewer know and realize the brand/company behind the product/service.

This Topshop advert uses the colours and font which are according to the house style of the company to help   the customers recognize it and relate it back to its products.

River Island - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMpF_D-El0U

Target audience: Who will buy the product?

Aimed at fashionable men from the ages of 18-25. The advert is presenting the trends for Autumn/Winter 2012.

Content signs: Signifer and what is signified

The content signs that are used to signify the messages to the audience are;

- The use of old, British cars to show the meaning of vintage "London Boy" style

- Showing use of cameras to portray the "Fashion photo shoot"

- Backstreet London streets to relate to the trend being displayed.

Sounds: Diegetic and Non-diegetic

The sounds used in the advert are both diegetic and non-diegetic. There is use of diegetic dialouge, as the River Island stylist is talking through the trend, as well as use of non-diegetic background music which is like a upbeat/high tempo style music.

Mise-en-scene: What colours, props and settings are used? Why?

Colours: Bright colours, use of red, white, blues and browns to relate to the vintage British trend that River Island are trying to portray

Props: Cars to represent masculinity, and they are old vintage cars, which relates to the era in which this trend was first out.

Settings: The settings are based in a standard back street in London to again, relate with the trend being portrayed. This helps to give the viewers a stronger understanding of the trend, and relates to the intertextuality of old London boy trends like the film, Richie Rich.

Camera shots:What shots are used and why?

Some examples of the camera shots used in this advert are;

- Long shots - To capture the full length of the outfit in the camera shot. This will give viewers ideas on key trends and how to mix/match items to complete the look
- Mid panning up shots - Mid panning shots are used to take a closer look at the key item looks and to help see the full outfit, it pans upwards, like how the human eyes will shift up to capture the look.
- Close up shots - To portray the emotions of the models having fun and enjoying themselves while feeling confident as they are strutting around.
- Extra long shots - The extra long shots are used to capture everything in the scene and to inform the views on the surroundings of the advert.

Advertising techniques: what techniques are used and why?

Some of the advertising techniques that are used in the River Island advert are;

- talking heads: A talking head advertisement is a staged advert and is presented by a worker/customer in their working environment (the River Island stylist in this case). It also contains the feature that the presenter is directly addressing/communicating to the viewer. This advert does this by talking to the audience about the key trend, a little bit on the history of it, and how River Island products can help to achieve that.

I think the structure of talking head was appropriate in this advert as it allows the stylist to endorse to the audience directly, making the audience feel special and informed on how they can achieve the same look.

- Amazing products/services: By showing that the product/service (that the advert is based on) is amazing and works efficiently is so customers would be more persuaded to purchase it. This advert does this by using  only River Island products to help get the achieved look.

I think this a really effective strategy on getting customers to buy the product as it shows how the product achieves their desired look/function and it helps to ensure that they show the consumers that this is the product/service they should go for as opposed to their competitors.

- expert witnesses: By using expert witnesses within a television advertisement is a similar approach to using facts and statistics. Including expert witnesses as a persuasive technique helps the product/service seem more reliable and effective to use as experts seem to have more valued opinions on matters, so their comments will be taken into account by the target market.

In this advert's case, they have used expert advice from the stylist, as he knows how to work the trend and how to achieve it. If the audience see that the information is coming from a actual stylist for the company, they will be more sure that they have or can achieve the look.

Boohoo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PnDK87Uyc8

Target audience: Who will buy the product?

Aimed at both males and females from the ages of 16-23. Appealing to fashion conscious and trendy individuals as it it presenting new trends for Spring/Summer 2013.

Content signs: Signifer and what is signified

The objects that are used within the advert to help signify the purpose and products of the online store are;
- The fashion/clothing products
- Strobe/Pipe lights to represent the catwalk and glamour
- Catwalk
- Transition shift in background to show new trends and change in seasons

Sounds: Diegetic and Non-diegetic

The sounds used in the advert is a non-diegetic soundtrack called Freedom On The Dance Floor
Written by Nanchang Nancy and Rich House

Mise-en-scene: What colours, props and settings are used? Why?

Colours - First in dull settings were coloured dull lights and then the room brightens a little with use of lots of purple/blue/green to help relate to the trend. Then the trend shifts to monochrome and the room is lit up with black and white patterned backdrops to represent the monochrome trend.

Props - The props are the models to help present the clothing items.

Settings  - The settings used for the advert is a basic studio to help create a graphical setting for the company to show its creativity and originality.

Camera shots:What shots are used and why?

The advert uses loads of shots to represent snapshot taking on a catwalk or red carpet. some shots that were used were;
- Low angled shot - to show authority and status of the clothes, boosting confidence and ego.
- Close up shot - on walking boots to present the product
- Long shot - to show the full outfit and how it was styled.

Advertising techniques: what techniques are used and why?

- attractive people: the persuasive technique of using attractive people within a advertisement is a effective in gaining customers for a product/service because the viewers are attracted in the people, which grabs their attention, and the message conveyed in the advertisement is picked up consciously.

The Boohoo advert uses flawless and attractive models to help present their clothes.

- jingles, music and sound devices: The use of jingles, music and sound devices help to make and advertisement more appealing and help persuade customers to watch it because it uses the attraction of sound to help grasp the customers attention. Also, by including music/jingles, it helps to set the mood of the media product and the type of message the brand wishes to portray.

The advert uses upbeat and modern type of music to show how it is up to date and on trend. At the end of the advert, it displays and says the company name, which is also the slogan "boohoo.com".

- Selective editing: Selective editing is a strategy used by advertisement creators to edit the footage filmed according to the message they wish to portray. They usually use clips that show the product in it's best form. This is to show the audience how well the product works.

The advert shows proof of using selective editing as the camera shots are cut and edited quickly to help gain a effect of photography, as well as presenting the products in a effective form.

Advert planning - The brief & notes

Introduction

This blogpost will show the information on our brief for our advert and present some scanned images of notes that we wrote for ideas.

The brief

A new fashion chain has opened and is aimed at 16-23 year olds. The sell a variety of clothing (similar to BANK). The sell hip brands that the edgy fashion conscious want to wear. In response to this, you are to create a one minute advert aimed at the above.

You will being by researching current stores/brands and look at what adverts there are currently. Write about what techniques are used, etc... Then begin on the following:
- Mindmap of ideas
- Researching existing adverts
- Gathering information and ideas

Scanned images

Overall analysis of fashion adverts:

Brief notes on advert ideas:

 

Notes for analysis of existing adverts:

Notes for analysis of existing adverts 2:

Mindmap of overall adverts: