Monday, 3 November 2014

Magazine Advert Research/Analysis

The first aspect that is prominent about this magazine advert is the colours. The whole style of the advert looks faded and the colours have a washed-out effect. The oranges and yellows blend in together creating a sort of misty atmosphere which takes the audience to the season of autumn because the colours can be linked to the colours of the falling leaves. As the advert has been produced in November the colours seem fitting for the time of year and so therefore make the advert relatable to the audience. The font has been deliberately contrasted to the background because the white colour stands out immediately meaning that the audience can’t help but notice and read the relevant information. The eye-catching component is essential for the success of a magazine advert as otherwise it takes no effort for the audience to turn to the next page. The woman featured in this advert is obviously the artist of the album because she had been positioned in the center of the framing. Her stare isn’t looking directly at the audience but just slightly above and this gives them the impression that she is in thought. Her hair is styled in a fashionable way and she is wearing earrings which emphasises her femininity however her expression does make her look strong and confident which may go against old gender stereotypes of women being weaker than men. 


Immediately the audience find themselves busy with depicting all the different aspects of this magazine advert for the Foo Fighters. Initially the first thing they see is the main image that takes up ¾ of the A4 page. This image is a compilation of famous landmarks in a number of different American cities. A clever concept of this advert is that the audience have to look closer in order to notice this; they therefore have to pay attention to the promotion and take in the message of the advert. The audience will notice that in the top right-hand corner the statue of liberty is present, the Washington memorial is also there with the famous rectangular lake and so is the incredibly iconic Hollywood sign on the opposite side. The fact that there are multiple American cities present in this image may be celebrating the fact that this particular band is American and that they are proud of it. However, something else which stands out is the big number 8 in the center of the image. This makes the audience start to think what this could represent and mean, the following are some possibilities of what it could connote:
  • This advert for the Foo Fighters is promoting the band’s 8th album (which it is).
  • The 8 could also be interpreted as the infinity sign because it is at an angle and this may indicate that the band intend to carry on making music and albums forever.
  •  It could have also been mistaken for a highway road as part of the city and this is fitting because the album title is “Sonic Highways”.
  • Finally the 8 also represents the fact that 8 famous American cities have been brought together to form this literally outstanding image. 
I     I would say different genres of music do target audiences in different ways because the two examples above have, Rumer creates pop and soul music whereas the Foo Fighters are a rock band. The foo fighters for example have taken a different approach to Rumer as they are mostly promoting themselves/image/reputation with their magazine advert. The advert assumes that the wider public have heard of whom they are and know about them even if they are not fans and this is because they have a large image of America and a distinct 8 at the centre of the advert, these are two major characteristics of the band but aren’t explicitly indicated to the audience. Rumer however does not have this with her advert, instead of promoting her image and reputation the advert is promoting the actual artist, as if to allow the audience to get to know her and spread the work of her existence. Rumer’s advert brings emotion and associations for the audience looking at it and this may persuade them to buy and listen to the album, however the Foo Fighters bring excitement and familiarity.

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