P1 - NARRATIVE ARC (IMPROVED)

P2 - BE ABLE TO PLAN A CROSS-MEDIA ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN TO A CLIENT BRIEF

This unit's brief is to create a cross-media advertising campaign to promote our TV show for BBC3.  We have to include three different media types across old and new media, conforming to the individual conventions of each. The aim is to promote a new product (the show) and the site it is hosted on (BBC3). It's important to note that we have to comply with legislation set in place by the ASA, OFCOM and BCAP to avoid unnecessary offence or distinctly negative publicity. Also interesting to note is the competition streaming sites and media companies at large face from Netflix, and what can be done to compete in a productive and effective way. 

THE CONTRACT

OPEN 

You have the freedom to make some decisions.

• media types
• create the logo
• the aesthetic and graphics
• the mobile app and quiz

IMPLICIT 

Inferred from the brief.

• don't miss deadlines
• has to be BBC branded
• be in line with other BBC marketing and standards - do research 
• don't spend money on expensive celebrity endorsement
• has to feature the main characters 
• convey the tone of the show and hint at plot points

CONSTRAINTS 

Boundaries that projects must work within (ethical, legal, time, cost etc.) 

• £15,000
• no offensive stereotypes
• represent your target audience
• keep to relevant legislation 

EXPLICIT 

Clearly stated requirements that must be met.

• one piece of media has to be released after episode one
• has to include an interactive content eg. an app with a quiz
• cross-media
• must comply with legislation
• do your own research into the demographic

THE SHOW

I'll be advertising my previously pitched TV show 'Croak', created for BBC3 and their demographic of 15-21 year olds. It'll be interesting to go back with new knowledge of advertising and see the show in a new light. The original demographic I had was based on economic and ethnic background - further research would mean taking into account psychographics as well. I could, for instance, build up a consumer profile based on my idea of the average fan of 'Croak'. Market research will definitely come into play here so that I may find further data on audience pleasures and competitors and the like.

During Unit 21, I conducted some market research and a focus group from our school (part of the target age group) to inform my TV show planning. The data was a helpful resource in decision-making, for example:

In terms of legality and ethicality, I don't think there will be major problems with the promotion of 'Croak'. Guidelines set by the ASA give a very good idea of what-not-to-do and there are distinct points to consider:

• HONEST
• TRUTHFUL
• DECENT
• ACCURATE
• SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
• LEGAL

The particularly challenging (or upsetting) themes in Croak would have to be murder or violence, something to keep in mind when creating promotions above the line as opposed to targeted adverts. It's likely a good idea to look at how other semi-humorous murder mysteries present themselves on television adverts and the like.

I think that a lot of mediums could be helpful for reaching a target audience, one such being social media. There's so much going on in advertising nowadays that it would be impossible to ignore newer media, certainly because it's changing lifestyles so fast. One example of social media interaction with fans from a TV show is the Umbrella Academy twitter account, affectionately nicknamed 'Brelly' by actors in and fans of the show. Branded twitter accounts are a fantastic way to gauge your audience's opinion without imposing on them, as they may very well have found the account without prompting. 

TV and radio advertising is liable to reach a much wider audience than a twitter account because they're above the line, and therefore not targeted at anyone's interests (further than just the channel or radio station they're tuned in to). Billboards and posters are also above line, the least personal you can get.

[NOTE TO SELF: REWRITE THE STORY!!!! RECONSIDER CHARACTER DESIGNS]

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CAMPAIGN LOGISTICS

SCHEDULING - WHEN DO YOU RELEASE MARKETING?

CONTINUITY, BURSTING OR PULSING MODELS

CONTINUITY

- keeps product continually in the mind of consumers

rule of seven - takes seven nudges to get someone to take action?

campaign schedule - when you're going to release bits (not production schedule)

NOTES

incentives to download app - effect on show? access to certain things??  

M1 - EVALUATE DIFFERENT CROSS-MEDIA ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS FOR CONSISTENCY OF MESSAGE

 COMPARING ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - NEW CONSOLES 2020

MICROSOFT - XBOX SERIES X

SONY - PLAYSTATION 5

EXPECTATIONS

I'm expecting there to be synergy between the two campaigns - the companies have been competitors for as long as I personally can remember. Social media makes it easier for them to interact in the public eye and so recently they've been using their online presence to do just that.

THE COMPARISON:

P4 - FINAL SCRIPT

 FINAL DRAFT

P1 - DESCRIBE AN EXISTING MEDIA ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

 AN ONGOING ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

VALENTINO #EMPATHY

Valentino launched their #empathy campaign for their Autumn/Winter 2020-21 collection. Its self-proclaimed aim is to 'bring intimacy to the forefront' with a concept highlighting friendship - no doubt influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic that has defined the year. 

It's cropped up online, seemingly the best place to advertise as a fashion company as the world is today. Their official campaign video (below) is a compilation of home footage depicting a fantastically diverse range of people. Its message, I predict, is going to be something about people from different backgrounds coming together in these 'difficult times' - I'm certain it's going to capitalise on the Covid crisis to push their advertising 

In an interview with vogue, designer Pierpaolo Piccioli states that 'solidarity is part of our culture'. He's making an interesting implication about the advertising campaign I'll be looking at here; it's appealing to 

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

Generally, the main aim of advertising is to persuade people to buy your product. Fashion campaigns are the same, although they seem to take up a category of their own. I've noticed a trend in Valentino's advertising with this campaign that seems to be appealing to a section of the market who value charity. They've been donating money as a company:

TARGET AUDIENCE

DEMOGRAPHICS

According to investopedia.com, demographics are the 'study of a population based on factors such as age, race and sex'. It's 'socio-economic information expressed statistically' - basically, the percentage of an audience that's made up of a certain type of person (eg. women, caucasians, millennials etc.).  

For this campaign, I doubt they would stray from their usual target audience. No matter how out-there your fashion campaign is, it's still got to sell your seasonal collection - Valentino have to appeal to their usual customer base first and potential new customers second. Both are important though, which is why the #empathy campaign is painted so humbly. 

Data from yougov profiles

Valentino is most popular with Generation X (1965-1980) according to Yougov. This is what I would have expected from a relatively expensive clothing brand - it wouldn't be as affordable to young people in the current economic climate. I would assume that the clothing and messages Valentino sell, as a brand, are catered to Generations X and younger. Baby Boomers only make up 10% of this data; I don't think the brand is catered to them as much (however they make up a portion of the demographic, meaning that they're important either way).

If we take a look at the Valentino website, items seem to be listed from around £100-£400. I would expect members of Generation X to be able to afford keeping up their (although obviously not the entire age group) more than younger groups.

Yougov also shows the breakdown of Valentino's gender demographics. They're close because Valentino offers both men's and women's clothing and accessories. They advertise with a gender spectrum in mind rather than simply men or just women. I would expect the demographic to be skewed towards women - not because I believe women are inherently more susceptible to fashion brands, but because I believe that the fashion industry is based on the idea that women can always be better. The industry has definitely changed for the better in recent years as social priorities have changed, but taking advantage of insecurities society has projected onto people (particularly young women) is still a surefire way to sell clothing in 2020.

The #empathy campaign makes use of both female and male models - particularly with their promotional posters. 

PSYCHOGRAPHICS

Psychographics is the classification of members of your market based on human traits that group them together. Here, they're separated into seven categories:

LEGALITY AND ETHICS

The Valentino campaign must consider and conform to ASA guidelines for advertisement, as with every campaign. The use of multimedia advertising within a campaign makes it more complicated to track involved laws, but there are certain things you must consider for every advertisement you put out.

Relevant for this campaign, for example, are the guidelines:

These two are examples that Valentino must follow for this campaign specifically. 3.1 is more general - you must not mislead the people buying your clothing or other items. 6.1 seemed more relevant to this campaign in particular because of their use of the public in one of their Youtube videos advertising the line:

Of course, these people are all friends of creative director Piccioli. They would still need to ensure everyone was happy to appear in the video in order to use their faces in the advertisement. 

TARGET AUDIENCE, CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS AND SHOCK ADVERTISING

 

PSYCHOGRAPHICS

• MAINSTREAMERS
• ASPIRERS 
• SUCCEEDERS
• RESIGNED
• EXPLORERS
• STRUGGLERS
• REFORMERS

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT AND INFLUENCER MARKETING

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT?

• TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC - CLASS, GENDER, AGE ETC.
• GEOGRAPHICS - GEOGRAPHICAL STATUS
• PSYCHOGRAPHICS - PERSONALITY, LIFESTYLE, VALUES ETC.

HISTORY OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT

• 1950s DORIS DAY HARVESTER ROAD ROLLING EQUIPMENT
• 1970S COKE ADVERT WITH PEPSI CHALLENGE (1975) ADVERT 1979 JOE GREENE
• 1980S CO-BRANDING MICHAEL JORDAN NIKES (1984) AIR JORDANS - MORE HANDS-ON APPROACH FROM THE CELEBRITY
• 1990S RISE OF TECHNOLOGY AND NICHE MARKETING SHAPED ADVERTISING - A TRIBE CALLED QUEST AND SPRITE
• 2000S INFLUENCER MARKETING - RUNNING DIALOGUE, MORE INTERACTIONS (ZOELLA, KSI, LIZA KOSHY)
• 2017 KENDALL JENNER PEPSI AD - SHE CAN JUST STOP POLICE BRUTALITY - TRIVIALISES URGENCY AND MINIMISES THE ISSUE

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT

BLACK OPIUM - YVES ST. LAURENT

Endorsed by Zoe Kravitz

1. WHY WERE THEY CHOSEN? ZOE KRAVITZ WAS CHOSEN FIRST BECAUSE SHE'S A MODEL - SHE'S THE TYPE OF CELEBRITY USUALLY USED TO ADVERTISE PERFUME. MEMBERS OF GENERATION Z AS WELL AS MILLENNIALS WILL RECOGNISE HER - I RECOGNISE HER AS AN ACTRESS AND MODEL (AS WELL AS BEING THE DAUGHTER OF LENNY KRAVITZ). I BELIEVE THE PSYCHOGRAPHIC CATEGORY THE TARGET AUDIENCE FITS INTO IS ASPIRERS, AND SOCIAL GRADE B. 
2. WHAT WAS THE AIM OF THE ADVERTISEMENT? TO SELL A PERFUME TO YOUNG ADULT/ADULT WOMEN. IT DEPICTS A DARK AND INTRIGUING NIGHT LIFE.
3. WAS IT EFFECTIVE IN ITS USE OF THE CELEBRITY? YES - SHE'S EYECATCHING AND FITS THE TONE OF THE ADVERT/THE TARGET AUDIENCE

INFLUENCER MARKETING

SHOCK ADVERTISING

BENETTON - AQUARIUS CAMPAIGN, UNHATE - VATICAN SUING YOU

PEACE, COMING TOGETHER DESPITE DIFFERENCES - PROMOTE LOVE OVER HATE

ROAD SAFETY PSA - THE BOY WHO DIDN'T STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN

D1 REQUIREMENTS MET

THE RUNDOWN

The brief for this project was to write a screenplay for a short dramatised sequence to garner interest from the chosen target audience - 15-21 year olds. We didn't need to angle it to please TV executives and commissioners, as it was already commissioned. This also means that we've been tasked with writing a spec script, which uses technical details like camera angles, shot types and sound. It had to be 10-15 minutes (in script terms, pages) long. We picked a scene from the show we pitched in Unit 21.

The idea for a show I've created is an oddball mystery drama, such as Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and Agatha Raisin. It's inspired by shows that interest me personally because they blend dark themes with comedy and silliness.

GENRE

As previously stated, I wanted my idea to reflect oddball mystery series I've seen. The genre is an interesting one, seemingly based on the subversion of the conventions of other genres. It's meant to shock and entertain you, make you laugh with one breath and then cry along with the characters in the next. 

I want to strike that balance in Croak, wherein viewers care for the characters and laugh with them at the odd things going on. It brings in elements of mystery and comedy dramas to create something silly, but enticing and puzzling. 

I think my script reflects the mystery elements of the story more than the comedy angle, but I was sure never to take myself too seriously when writing it. The subject matter could be dark, but Croak's tone is consciously light. The juxtaposition is supposed to be a bit jarring and weird. 

TARGET AUDIENCE

Our brief was to target 15-21 year olds, the intended audience of BBC3. To cover BBC3's target audience, you'd be hard-pressed not to mention the audience pleasures it tends to cover (and therefore whether I've followed or broken them as a convention). We have:

ESCAPISM/DIVERSION

WATCHING SOMETHING IN ORDER TO ESCAPE FROM REALITY, FOR GRATIFICATION OR A DISTRACTION. 

SURVEILLANCE

A WINDOW INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS, OR THE WIDER WORLD. VIEWERS LEARN FROM CONSUMING MEDIA THIS WAY.

PERSONAL IDENTITY

VIEWERS MAY RELATE TO THE CHARACTERS OR SITUATIONS DEPICTED IN THE MEDIA.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

VIEWERS MAY:

• USE THE MEDIA AS A TALKING POINT WITH OTHERS IN THEIR LIVES.
• FORM A BOND WITH THE CHARACTERS DEPICTED IN THE MEDIA.

These are the things we find in the media we consume. I was aiming to fulfil the audience pleasures of escapism, personal relationships with characters and personal identity. I've always found comfort in fiction and the ideas I have conform to the desire to share that feeling.  

Something I find relevant to both the genre of my drama and the viewing habits of my target audience is the idea of comfort, which is slightly strange in a mystery series. I simply mean that certain series, like for instance Agatha Raisin, Miss Marple, Murder She Wrote and Poirot are all examples of murder mysteries wherein the cast of characters you become attached to are likely to be safe as they solve crimes. Viewers aren't on their toes waiting for their favourite characters to die because the shows focus more on telling compelling mystery stories to engage brains but not shock and dismay. I believe many people enjoy this kind of low-stakes mystery story, however complex and impossible the crime may seem, because it really appeals to the audience pleasures of both escapism and, most importantly, personal relationships with the characters. No matter how many times you awe your audience with a character death or a twist, there's always going to be something comfortable and reliable in stories with such a predictable outcome. 

CHARACTERS

ARCS

I wanted to show improvement in Fen's character throughout the show to reflect the morals of opening up to people. She would start as someone closed-off and difficult to talk to and change to allow friendships to blossom. In this, I'm conscious of human nature and - despite my show's silly and supernatural elements - I would like the characters to reflect reality even if they're exaggerated. Fen will never become a social butterfly, and that's perfectly in line with who she is. She doesn't become a new person, she just ends up molded by those around her. 

Lotus, whilst being an antagonist, is never portrayed as evil. Despite the show's theme of murder, I wanted to keep the line between good and evil blurred. This reflects the time we're living in and the shows we see popping up constantly - something like Line of Duty, which has greatly influenced the public's expectations for characters and people tend to expect a greater degree of nuance from the media they consume. This influenced later decisions about Lotus, such as her involvement with the case and the reasoning behind her actions. I'm very interested in morally grey characters, certainly with a concept that doesn't take itself that seriously like Croak. 

I wanted the dynamics between characters to shine throughout the series, finding that I tend to enjoy a fun group of characters more than I do other elements of a story. A good cast can even carry a dull story, creating attachments to the characters that make viewers care about what happens to them and laugh along with them. 

STORY

I wrote the story loosely following Todorov's narratology (steps listed below). 

EQUILIBRIUM Fen is looking for a new story but stuck with the regular ones, like coverage of pet contests and the missing items column in the university paper.

DISRUPTION There is a death in Ngaio. 

RECOGNITION Fen is on the case and immediately becomes obsessed not only with covering it for the paper, but solving it single-handedly. 

ATTEMPT TO REPAIR Fen chases clues and spirals deeper into conspiracy, she figures out her family secret about being witch hunters.

NEW EQUILIBRIUM Fen has friends she can talk to and the town has settled again, the case having been solved.

One notable convention of the mystery series genre I've broken is that Croak's mystery is non-episodic. The same mystery takes place over the course of the series, which goes against the formula set up by pioneering mystery stories set in sequence (like Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes). This was a conscious decision made to set up the world and story before perhaps diving into an episodic mystery format in later seasons. I think that something more involved would be more popular nowadays. 

My original synopsis for Croak was as follows:

"A die-hard journalism student, determined to write a big story and get into the business, latches onto every small thing life throws at her. Fortunately, this small thing in particular grows and grows - until she realises she might just be in over her head. What else to do from there but dive right in, headfirst?

We follow our protagonist, Fen Marsh, as she uncovers and unravels a mystery way larger than herself - it's something that eventually forces her to spend time with others and get to know them. It has themes of opening up, as opposed to keeping your thoughts and feelings to yourself. Her interaction with her brother at the start of the series is conveyed purely through texts and calls, in contrast with the end of the series wherein she'll be talking to others freely and making time for them."

I think I've honoured the concept whilst adding mystery to the story for further public appeal. The difficult part was finding a middle ground between my vision and something appealing to the widest audience possible. 

chosen extract

The part from my story I chose to write was a scene from the 'attempt to repair' stage, where Fen is following someone she believes to be the killer into the tunnels under the town. This has plenty of potential to be tense and, importantly, end on a cliffhanger.

I think that this has the potential to gain the most traction - it has action and a clear story arc within its episode. The entire show I chose to set at a time when the campus will be mostly empty, to save money on extras. 

At this point in the story, Fen is still on the left side of her character arc. She's in equilibrium approaching disruption as she gets sick and realises she needs help from those around her. Again, I think this will resonate with a lot of people even if they don't notice it happening - it'd difficult to communicate your feelings sometimes and Fen is an extreme manifestation of the desire to get things done yourself. The message of finding strength in other people is a universal one, something that BBC3 would be able to promote as educational without it feeling too forced. 

IN THE END

I think that the script I wrote fulfilled the BBC3 guidelines given whilst conforming to my genres of mystery and, to a lesser extent, comedy. The dialogue is natural whilst giving us an insight into how Fen thinks, and how selfish she can be without thinking. 

I've chosen a time in the story when the character still has some growing to do, and a time when there's an active mystery to solve. I think it's interesting enough to draw in viewers whilst conveying character.