magazine advertisement

This is my final idea for my magazine advertisement. I have kept a simple layout as from my research I decided this is most effective. I have used yellow and pink to reflect the punk theme of The Sex Pistols (see digipak research). I used an image of my digipak cover at the middle of the advertisement to make it a memorable image for anyone who wishes to purchase it. I like the contrast between the black and white CD cover and the vibrant colours of the advert. I think the yellow background works succesfully because it is so eyecatching.
I produced my advertisment in A4 format because I think it would be most suitable for publications that usually come in this size. I would like it to feature in music orientated magazines targeted at a male dominated audience between the ages of 15 and 20, such as NME. I think the band I am promoting ('Smaller Than You') would also appeal to a young female audience because of the energetic and youthful yet slightly rebellious nature that the images promote and the young members of the band and so this could also feature in a teenage magazine such as cosmogirl.
I have also researched some british skateboarding magazines and I think this advertisement could be published in those too as they try to attract a similar target audience.

Audience profile, results and conclusion

my audience profile



My results



My conclusion

Pocahontas for Disney Representative :)

I think Pocahontas should be president of Disney because she challenges many of the negative factors Disney is well known for portraying in a negative light. As a representative for Disney, Pocahontas would present young children with ethical values and morals.

Many Disney films could be seen by feminists as deeply sexist, especially when a young female is the main character. For example, in Snow White the woman's role is to look after a male dominated house while the men go to work. Though Snow white's step mother is portrayed in an evil light for making Snow White clean the house to earn her keep, when the dwarfs let Snow White stay if she mothers them they are portrayed as innocent and in need of a woman to do the chores. Snow white is also extremely passive and literally lies dead in a coffin until a man comes to save her.

However, Pocahontas challenges this passivity in Disney women by being the protagonist of the film and refusing an arranged marriage from her father (to Kocoum) and following her heart. Pocahontas risks her life to save the man she loves (totally oppositional to Snow White, Sleeping Beauty etc. who are all saved by men), but also refuses to leave her home to nurse him when he goes back to England (challenging The Little Mermaid who leaves her home in the sea to live with a man even though it results in her not being able to talk). Not once is Pocahontas seen cooking or cleaning. Pocahontas is portrayed in a positive light as a strong, confident woman.

Pocahontas also represents a world where everyone can be acceptant of others and embrace cultural or racial differences, something that is extremely important to modern society. Despite what the people around her say about the 'foreigners', Pocahontas wants to learn for herself what they are like, and then teaches John how to look at the world in a more open and acceptant way.

Pocahontas respects her elders, for example Grandmother Willow, and looks to them for advice. She finds a balance between accepting the modern world and respecting spiritual lessons.



This image shows Pocahontas as leading the man confidently. Though the man follows her, Pocahontas seems happy to be on her own. For once, the Disney man is clinging to and relying on the woman.

Pohahontas reflects good morals and is a respectable role model for all children, especially young girls. Therefore she should definately be the Disney representative.

Identity project

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43045885@N07/

Representation in my Digipak

The way I present my 17 year old white male model on my digipak will be very important. As my model is not in Smaller Than You (the band I am advertising) and therefore not recognisable to fans it is important that he dresses and poses in a way that will represent the band correctly.

I have decided to present Smaller Than You in a rebellious, punk-inspired way. The male model on the CD cover is going to be mocking the British law by standing infront of a police line up and holding a skateboard instead of one of the normal boards. I think this will appeal to my target audience because a lot of young people use music as a form of self expression and rebellion against the conventional expectionations of yound people.

My chosen costume for the person on my digipak will be wearing a hoodie, skate jeans, a baseball cap and possibly a balaclava. This kind of outfit will be popular and recognisable to the younger british generation and is often seen as rebellious or even intimidating, as can be seen below:



or click this link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4534903.stm

My CD cover challenges this article because it shows that the young people who wear these types of clothes are not necessarily wearing them to be intimidating. In reality, Smaller Than You's music does not connote violence and is instead quite upbeat, This is shown by the way the boy will be holding a skateboard, showing he hasn't actually done anything illegal, and is instead mocking this negative generalisation of a young generation as can be seen in the article above.

similar digipak covers...continued planning

I want my digipak to fit in with the conventions of pop-punk/ska bands, so I researched the theme im sticking with (breaking the law, lineups, skateboarding) and the cd covers similar bands have used.

I think these CD covers link well to the theme I am using:



This CD cover from Lady Gaga confirms two things i want my digipak to represent: 1) a sense of rebellion, which Lady Gaga achieves through her costume and sense of mockery and 2) this theme of crime and line ups is modern and contemporary within the music industry. Lady Gaga appeals to a similar young audience as Smaller Than You.




This pop boy band used this as one of their CD covers. Although they are different to my band Smaller Than You in that they are primarily a pop band, they had a similar 'teenage' (15-20 years old) age group, and tried to achieve a 'punk' feel to their music by the clothes they wore and their 'rebellious' (yet ironically conventional) attitude.
I like the way busted chose this CD cover because I think it was an attempt for them to break the traditional boyband mould and be seen as rebellious and different. This attitude obviously appeals to a young audience.



Sex pistols have been a big influence on Smaller Than You's music. In this CD cover you can see a similar breaking the law/rebellious theme. I like the clash between black and white and colour as a way of standing out.


I have also noticed that the sex pistols "never mind the bollocks here's the Sex Pistols' pink and yellow album cover has influenced and inspired many other CD covers for bands of a similar genre (as seen below). This has influenced me to decide on a pink and yellow colour theme too.



(the original)