Q2. HOW DO THE ELEMENTS OF YOUR PRODUCTION WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A SENSE OF BRANDING?

By: Muhammad Faraz Malik

Branding

In our Advanced Media Studies Portfolio, we were required to construct a music album promotion package which included a music video, digipak and a website. While I embarked on this journey, one thing I realized was that for products to be successful, there needs to be a strong sense of branding. Increased sales was a result of good and efficient branding.

Branding is a marketing strategy which includes distinct features that an audience can use to identify the work of an artist/band. This is usually done by creating repeated motifs, through the use of iconography, similar themes and patterns, logos and layouts. Through this, the work of the artist/band is differentiated from the rest which is extremely necessary for such a competitive industry. Moreover, it also promotes and grabs the attention of the audience.

Similarly, my products also follow a similar theme and layout to create strong branding for my Album.

Artists and bands create branding for the soul purpose of being recognised by the consumer when mixed with other artists and bands. By having a strong brand image it adds value to the product, builds trust and loyal customers and this may cause it to become the natural choice for the novice customer and creates a recognisable product. In the music industry a strong brand image will allow the artist/band to be seen in a positive way by the target audience, the audience will link specific characteristics to the artist/band and it will become what the artist/band is known for.

Before production, my group and I did research on the genre, codes and conventions , star image of Pop artists and similar music videos to make ourself familiar with the ways artist/bands of our genre promote themselves.

We also wanted to create a strong sense of branding to shape our audience's expectations for our band's work and to create a unique, distinctive bond which would go beyond the buying-selling relationship.

Similarly, my products also follow a similar theme and layout to create strong branding for my singer, Omar Mukhtar. We also wanted to create a strong sense of branding to shape our audience's expectations for our singer's work and to create a unique, distinctive bond which would go beyond the buying-selling relationship. While researching, my group and I realied that there are many features that go on to build a strong brand image. These include:

representation of the artist
type of songs
type of videos
house style
makeup
costume
imagery
promotion
merchandise

All these work together to promote and present the identity and star image of the artist/band which goes to create a strong sense of branding that the audience can easily recognise and identify. We made sure that we focused greatly on these features during our production and post-production.

Before production, my group and I did research on the genre, codes and conventions , star image of pop artists and similar music videos to make ourself familiar with the ways artist/bands of our genre promote themselves.

NARRATIVE

Our narrative revolves around the suppression girls/women have to face because of the men in their family. Its about how a woman can do what she's capable of doing without the support of her family. People put what the society will think of them first rather than thinking of what they want to achieve in life. This story attracts the youngsters in our generation as now people have an understanding of all the misconceptions in our society and are more accepting towards female power now.

ARTIST

Our artist promotes the youth but also attract the mature audience through his music. Their concepts and idea of narrative allures both genders to watch the video. The story is shot highlighting a really important topic in our society. Moreover, the whole video includes many cultural norms which the audience can recognise. Females doing any sporty activity would rather seem odd to the society.

MISE EN SCENE

All the props used have a symbolic meaning behind them. The use of horse riding props such as mallet, boots, helmet etc shows that the household from which the girl belonged had polo players and she got her inspiration from them, however she did not get the chance to practice what she likes in a normal and accepting way. The locations used are different too. One location is the girl's house (int) and the other location is the polo ground. These were the two loactions that were enough for us to portray the concept we had in our minds

IMAGES

The images used are also similar to further emphasise on the the star image and branding. Furthermore, this was done to create a sense of relatability and reliabilty amongst the audience. Same clothes as the music video are worn in the pictures to help all products connect with each other.

ARTIST

To create a relevant, strong sense of branding, having a similar house style is essential. All three of my products use the same colour palette with black, white, green, browns.Only three types of font are used to create harmony and prevent our products from getting chaotic. This also helps with the recognition of the artist's work.

In all our products, the singer can be identified and be seen clearly as the centre of attention. We made use of close-ups, long shots and mid shots in our music video to create a sense of recognition. We made different close up shots and made the artist look in a way that will make him more credible, impressive, exciting to the audience through social media, CD covers, live performances and music videos. This image, whatever it is, is synchronised across all forms to immerse the consumer into the stars’ image . Moreover, in our digipack, the front cover contains an image of the main singer giving him the importance. Similarly, our website also includes full details of the singer, tour dates, album songs etc.

Star Image

Brand Identity of Music Video

The singer was consistently shown in the music video with different shots and angles. He was shown lip syncing so that it is easier for the audience to recognise and differentiate between the actors and the singer. The singer's shots were shown in a dark theme, which created an effect of mystery and which gave a meaning to the video, the theme was followed throughout the video.

Brand Identity of Digipak

Our digipak is very graphic, stimulating and vibrant which will help attract the audience. The patterns, designs and colours are present in all three products. In this aswell, we used dark colours with a little mix of green and yellow, which showed happiness and hope, so it shows with every struggle and move you make, there will be some good, there's always a light of hope. All these colours bring harmony even though they are contrasting. The colours used are neutral and calm. The image on the digipak is lively and is enough even when its black and white. It says alot about the name of the album too. The font used is also the same, used throughout our project. The album focuses on the singer and is kept subtle.

Brand Identity of Website

The website follows the same theme of white, black, green and browns whenever the singer is introduced. All these colours help to create a sense of branding as it connects all of our products. Our deep colours attract a mature audience, whereas the flashy vibrant colours attract the youth and the people who enjoy pop. The audience will use their prior knowledge regarding artists and videos which fall under the same genre to recognise and identify the genre of our singer.

The navigation bar present helps categorize the etire website and will make it easier for the audience to guide themselves through the website. They can easily go to the page they want - tour, artist about, gallery, music etc. All the different sections, subscription option, social media links, and interactive sliders will allow the audience to form an opinion of their own. The branding of our band is also strengthened as the audience can view all of their work in one place without going somewhere else. They can also purchase online. The social media information will further aid in global recognition and advertising - further strengthing the branding. The band logo can be found on the website, merchandise and the digipak which will make it easier for the audience to recognise the work of the artist.

The background of the website contains the same photo colour theme which will also help in linking all the products and representing the genre of the artist. Same fonts and colours are used to create an organised, symmetrical website.

In conclusion, our final products use a similar house style and colours - white, green, black and browns. The band and their music are targetted to the youth and mature audiences. Their images and performances show their calm and natural personality, whereas their clothes and accessories represent the story. The video, the interactive website and the vibrant digipak increase the level of association the target audience develops with them. All these media products are linked, and through cross-media convergence, they promote each other. These products have similar themes, colour palettes, house style, genre, codes and conventions, mood, tone, and fonts.

All the patterns, colours, motifs, band logo and imagery are repeated on the website, music video and digipak so the audience begins to recognise and identify the specific brand of our band. Therefore, the house style, logo, patterns, colours and ideology all come together to create a strong sense of branding for Umeed.

Question 2

By Blitz Dash