Rationale

When I first setup my blog for this project I wanted to be able to use it as influence for future projects, broadening my understanding of design. As I had spent nine months in an advertising environment last year I felt it had enhanced my knowledge of this particular design section. Using a blog also meant that I was able to write about my views on the advertising contrasts between the U.S and U.K.

The blog meant I was able to quickly and effectively exchange information with my design peers and discuss the varying advertising campaigns, what their aim was and whether we thought it was an effective approach. One example of this was the discussion of the marketing campaign introduced for the upcoming horror film, paranormal 2. The film studio decided to stick with the original campaign used for the first film, in which audience’s reactions were filmed. This resulted in above average ticket sales for the opening weekend. After discussing it with my fellow designers we felt that the simple campaign worked well because it was able to leave a lot of the film to the publics imagination. Unlike modern horror commercials, which show clips of the movie, paranormal 2 was able to create fear from the viewer because of what they were not seeing.  This constant discussion helped me to further my understanding of the marketing campaigns being used today.

For my blog I focused the majority of my posts on motion work, reviewing films, newly released commercials and music videos. With the blog it meant I was able to garner other peoples thoughts and opinions on the effectiveness of commercials and review other posts that people may have done. I have been able to improve on why particular imagery and dialogue has been used for certain motion pieces. This can be seen through a post about a new Nike commercial, aired in the U.S, featuring a recently disgraced NBA basketball player. It was used as a tongue and cheek look at the recent events that had unfolded. It made me realise that vast contrasts in U.S advertising compared to here in the U.K. The slapstick humour used in the states would not have the desired effect if used here.  This also made me realise that vast amounts of market research that must be needed for a successful advertising campaign, which I never believed to be the most important thing about the design process.

Living in New York City during my Year in Industry was able to broaden my design perspective. Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art was able to give me an insight into the development of art from many different historical periods. I was able to further my understanding of the importance of colour, imagery and composition.  One particular piece that astounded me was ‘Autumn Rhythm’ my Jackson Pollock. To actually see the piece in person made me discover the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone when it comes to art, to take chances. 

The architecture, in the U.S, differed greatly. In NYC there were many red stone houses from the 1950s, helping to keep the history of the city. But these were surrounded a grand, tall skyscrapers which were littered all around. Each type of building was able to reveal part of the city’s rich history.

By posting my U.S experience I would hope that I was able to inform people of the vast cultural differences, which effect the way design is approached, preparing them for any future experiences they may have.

Through my blog I was also able to discuss new promotional techniques that may be being employed.  I informed my peers of the recent release of a short film from a rap artist, which tells us a story, whilst involving songs from his album. We decided that this would appeal to his target market, because he is known for doing new and interesting things with his music. By incorporating his music as well, it was able to subtly promote his album to the public. I could see this being a regular occurrence when it comes to promoting albums.

With the growing popularity of social media public blogs have become diluted with posts that were not relevant to any topic. For blogs to be a successful medium for design information, there must be a designated area for particular topics. Similar to what we have accomplished with Glog, people will then be able to fix on their areas interests quickly and effectively. The speed at which information can be exchanged on blogs means that it has the potential to be an important information source, ­­­­ until the information can be concentrated specific design magazines and websites will always be a more useful and informative point of research for designers.

With this in mind, I aimed to make sure that I posted information that I felt would be beneficial to my design peers, helping to exchange the knowledge we have all learnt from our years in industry. ­­­

 

Guinness

Guinness have released a special print ad for Halloween. The design manages to incorporate the classic, recognisable Guinness shape and colour whilst creating a amusing and intriguing design. But is it worth the production costs of the print ad to just use as promotion for one night, I'm not sure that Halloween is as popular in this country as others, so it may not be a successful venture.

PS3 mascot

In the U.S there have been a series of commercials to promote the new lower price of the playstation 3 called, Dear Playstation. The tone and humour help to seperate from other console promotion and I think give a unique appeal to customers. The latest enstallment revolves around the new 'wii-like' remote that sony have just released. It centres around the man's family competing with one another and the sense of humour used helps to appeal to an older family than that of the wii console.

American sports

The way American sports players are used in adverts is completely different to that the UK. The players seem to enjoy being in front of the camera and embrace the spotlight, whereas I can't really remember any of our sportsmen doing the same thing. It maybe because they are considered a lot more like entertainers. I can only really remember some sports commercials, such as the recent world cup advertisement that has been similar to U.S commercials.But maybe the growing celebrity culture in sports could lead to  more advertisements similar to that in the U.S.

 

new and improved

After watching the stop motion film, Coraline, and seeing the amount of detail that has been put into each scene I cannot help and think that there is new era in stop motion film making. With the influx of computer animated films in theatres, I think that this new stop motion will be able to separate itself visually from any other type of animated film, creating a unique visual experience.  In the future it may create some what of a cult following to viewers, so maybe the content will lean to more adult themes, such as Mary and Max.

remakes.

I have slowly been learning that I hate remakes of classic films. I am of the firm belief that if a film has been made well there should no need for a remake. Dawn of the dead is a perfect example for me, the original is a horror classic and there as no need to attempt to create a new version, it just felt to me that it fell into the trap of becoming another modern day horror film which has no insight into social issues like the original had. If a filmmaker believes that they have something to say and express then they should create a film in which you will be able to do so and not be constantly compared to the first version.  The only exception to this is the upcoming remake of the John Wayne film, True Grit, which may just give hope for any future remakes and what and what not to do.

Any point?

Lewis Hamilton's Mclaren formula 1 suit is covered in sponsors and I wonder whether there is any point for a sponsor to put there logo on there when the viewer is bombarded by so many different companies. Maybe it is the status that it puts the company in to have an association with a formula 1 team. Using the team in other advertising campaigns may also be beneficial for the success of the brand. But I have to think that promoting your company on an F1 suit is the worst promotional device, by itself, there is. 

Album promotion...

Following on from my post about the short film from Kanye West promoting his new album. I discovered that Miss Originality herself, Lady Gaga, also produced a similar piece including samples from tracks on her album. Maybe this is the new and fast way to promote the entire album of an artist.

Mary and Max

Seeing the trailer for the clay animated film, Mary and Max, has got me extremely excited to see the movie when it is being shown at Hyde Park picture House. The tone of film seems to step away from the child stereotype that surrounds many of todays animated films and has a much darker, adult side to the script. Visually it looks amazing, that contrast in colours between the two countries and characters. I cannot wait to see this film.

Avatar sequels.

It has been confirmed that the Avatar sequels will be released in 2014 and 2015. With so much excitement surrounding the visual effects in the first film and the influx of other 3D movies will the new films be anywhere near as successful as the first. I feel that the 3D movie has been tainted somewhat with studios insitence that the majority of action, family movies be converted into 3D. This has harmed hte quality of the 3D effect and has changed many people's views on these types of films.
Will the new sequels have advancements in the technology or will 3D have become a novelty that will have worn off by the time the Avatar sequels have been released?

Child Advertising.

Since the internet became a consumer technology there has been an rapid increase in the amount of new media which is being used in a child's bedroom. The computer in the bedroom has meant that the modern child has a more independent mindset than that over previous generations. Does this mean that  advertisers must now look at a different way to target children, through different mediums and changes in tone and content?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/fashion/17TODDLERS.html?pagewanted=all

M.I.A

'Born Free' was released earlier this year but after watching the video again I don't know whether I am a fan. The video created a lot of hype because of the graphic content (it was banned from youtube) and the plot did intrigue me. Political messages underlying throughout the piece makes for an interesting viewing experience. But I can't help but think that the messages they are trying to convey have already been portrayed in movies, books and music. The message I feel is dated but the way it has been portrayed is interesting and unique.


M.I.A - BORN FREE VIDEO OFFICIAL (real and explicit version)
Uploaded by elnino. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.   

online advertising.

Over the past decade the internet has become one of the most rapidly developing forms of technology. During its growing popularity advertising agencies have invested an ever increasing amount of money into the medium. This has got me wondering about the effectiveness of online advertising and whether it is easier for companies to reach their target market through the internet rather than through television commercials or print advertisements. I suppose it all depends on the market they are aiming towards, but the new generation of children are becoming tech savvy a lot quicker than you or I were, so maybe the internet is developing into a medium where the vast majority of target markets can be reached. In the future, will the internet be the dominate advertising force?

The Bridge

The Golden Gate bridge is the number one place for suicides in the world. A documentary crew filmed the bridge for one year and managed to capture on film the suicides of several people. They then followed up people's back stories, trying to understand what may have brought them to this point.
This documentary is very disturbing but fascinating to watch. It gives us an idea of people's reasons that lead to this point and the mysterious draw the the bridge has to many people.

No direction Home.

I have always been a huge fan of Bob Dylan and was excited to see the Martin Scorsese documentary about Dylan's career up to the controversary surrounding his move to an electric guitar and band. It was fascinating to  get an insight into the thinking behind people who were around Dylan at this time and his opinions about the pressures that surrounded him. It shows us a man who did not want the burden of a rallying nation on his shoulders, but just wanted to play music that expressed the way he felt and not concerning himself with people's expectations of him. A must see.

The Stand.

I was recommended the Stephen King book, The Stand, recently. The plot is about several intertwining stories about people who have survived a virus that has spread around the globe, each on of them has strange dreams and are drawn to a particular part of the U.S. As the journey continues, the characters explore what type of people they are and tread the fine line between good and evil. I was amazed by the way Stephen King had been able to combine all these different character stories to achieve such an amazing story. It helps to give us an important message about what the human race has become and the dangers that may cause. A fascinating and compelling story...I can now see where the creators of Lost got the majority of their material from. 

25 years

Back to the Future is celebrating its release almost 25 years ago. I think it's safe to say that this film is classic, combining science fiction, humour and action into a brilliant family movie. This was able to appeal to so many different areas of the public because of the different elements it used within the film. The fantastic performances of Michael J.Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Crispin Glover were able to enhance all the different elements that the film was trying to portray.

American advertising

The varying quality in advertising of companies is plain to see when you are in America. Because of the amount of private, family owned business that are in the country, the effectiveness of promotion takes a hit. To cut costs there has been a lot of self designing for a company and print work, which is a little bit higher than the qualities of word art. I suppose this is necessary though because of the size of a family business, they may feel that a small business does not need to use a designer to attract a small market in their local area.   There are exceptions to this rule however, Zabars is a NY bakery which has been able to market itself extremely effectively because of the history that revolves around the brand and the unique types of food that they sell, they are now a NYC institution.
There are companies which think that pumping a lot of money into their advertising will help to improve the quality of the campaign, which is not always the case. Heinken's recent campaign I feel is a perfect example of a global brand which promotional material is not putting across the desired message to their customers.

Birthday celebration

A special promotion was put in place for Dr.Martens 50th birthday this year. The concept revolved around 10 artists covering 10 songs that have a profound impact on themselves over the span of Dr.Martens.

This campaign is able to encompass Dr.Martens simple effectiveness as a product into their promotional material. The 10 covers also help to show the importance of music to Dr Martens and Dr Martens to music.

Drugs?

During my year in industry I realised that the prescription drug market is huge in the U.S.A. The majority of money being earned, from the company I worked for, was from the drug market. It was simple, quick designs that were needed because of the clients insistence on a clear message about the drug. This meant that working on these particular products made the company very cost effective. The influx of new drugs that need to be advertised is only on the increase and will help to generate a healthy profit on the quiet for advertising agencies.







The design creativity is very limited when it comes to making these types of commercials, as you can see. But it is a very easy way for a company to generate money.

I'm still here print ad.

One of the main reasons I decided to watch 'I'm Still Here' was because of the print advertisments I had seen posted around my area. I can't remember a more engaging piece of promotion. The shocking realisation that we are looking at Hollywood actor, Joaquin Phoenix, draws us into the design. the fragmented type helps to give us an insight into what is happening to our star during the the film. All this manages to combine to make an extremely effective design.

Catch-22.

I read the book, Catch-22, a month ago and it is safe to say that it is one of my favourite books. The story is set at a airbase during the Second World War, where our main character, Yossarian, still can't understand why people that he has never met would want to kill him and main objective is to get grounded by the airbases Doctor before the next mission begins. The story jumps throughout Yossarian's time on the base giving a dark, twisted insight into the lives of men who are desperate to leave the World War alive.
To have such high acclaim for the book I was always going to feel let down by the film, I was not disspointed. They stripped the special tone the book has from the movie and made it seem almost slapstick. The fascinating insight into the pilots lives were rushed, so there was no emotional connection between the viewer and the characters. This brings me back to my old argument about why should there be an adaptation of a book when it is changed so drastically.

I'm still here.

I recently saw the mock-documentary, I'm Still Here starring Joaquin Phoenix. The film follows a celebrity in melt down and his battle with the media and people around him.
This movie has a fascinating concept, exploring celebrity culture and the pressure that one man feels to match the expectant public that have such high standards for him. Joaquin Phoenix is mesmerising playing this alter ego that I loved to see him on the screen. However, the direction which the film took made what should of been a unique look inside the dark side of celebrity culture a mundane and disappointing experience, which could have been so much better.

Autumn Rhythm

When I was wandering around NY, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There I was blown away by the piece, Autumn Rhythm by Jackson Pollock. I've seen this painting many times in books but seeing it in person is a vastly superior experience. The size of the piece is able to submerge you in the considered chaos of Pollock's work. It made me importance of colour in any piece of art.

Perfect match.

The importance of a good score on a film is priceless. That's why when I heard Daft Punk were doing score for Tron:Legacy, I thought it would be a perfect match. I was thinking, however, that maybe Daft Punk is an odd choice to have promoting a Disney film, I can't see it making any difference with the popularity of the film as I see this film being aimed towards Pre-teens and families. But Disney maybe hook in  another market as well. We'll have to see whether it has the desired effect.

 

Album movie promotions

Kanye West has recently released a 30 minute video containing samples of tracks from his new album. I thought that this was an interesting way in which to give fans a teaser of an albums content, without actually playing all the songs. The short film was able to give me an insight into the tone and feel surrounding the album and what fans can expect from his upcoming album.

Not for me...

I watched the new advertisement for the MTV Europe Music Awards, which is promoting Eva Longoria as the presenter. To try and incoporate music into the promo Eva Longoria is doing her own rap about being Latin and such. Surely someone could of come up with something a bit better than this weak attempt to combine the two? I may be out of the loop with what teenagers find funny these days, but I'm pretty sure that this can't be one of them.

Lebron James and Nike

Lebron James is the reigning MVP in the NBA and he recently delivered the bombshell that he would be moving teams and joining the Miami Heat, leaving his hometown team Cleveland Cavaliers angered by the loss of their star player. He did not help matters by striking a deal with ESPN for an hour long show, titled 'The Decision', in which all the brands he has ties to decided to promote their products, whilst still declaring his love for Cleveland. A lot of mixed reactions ensued, with many feeling that he stabbed his team in the back.

This leads me onto the recent Nike advert that is being aired in the U.S in which they poke fun at the events that unfolded after Lebron made his decision and the major backlash. I felt that the first half of the commercial had shades of the Nike advert Tiger Woods made following the revelations about his private life (his dead father does a voice over).

It gave the impression of a man feeling sorry for the way he had been treated and trying to win back some fans by trying to show that he knew he had made mistakes, this never would work in my opinion. But the second half of the ad manages to bring together struggles that Lebron has had to deal with and use that to make the viewer feel empowered by the Nike brand and maybe even forgive Lebron a tiny bit.
 

Best building?

I was shocked to read that the Broadcasting Place building in Leeds had been handed the accolade of best new tall building, by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. I can't say I agree with the decision, the building I find makes for uncomfortable viewing, with its disjointed edges and weathered steal. It looks to me like the creators have tried to hard to be different with their design and made something that does not work with the surrounding landscape. This is especially true when I see that it was up against the Bank of America HQ in North Carolina, which works well as a building in itself but also manages to maintain the cohesiveness of the city landscape.

 

















Winner                                                                                                       Loser

What the flock?

I was interested to finally find out what the motive behind the 'What the flock?' campaign was that I have been seeing around the university campus. In Hyde Park there have been painted logos on the path containing a sheep and the slogan, 'what the flock?' There have also been cardboard cutouts of the sheep stuck in Hyde park field.
'What the Flock is actually a commission which has been set up to do research into substance abuse among the student population in Leeds. The campaign is the result of a collaboration between NHS Leeds, and the three Leeds Universities. They hope to bridge thegap in knowledge about this aspect of student’s lives. It is also hoped that the information gathered can be used as part of the “What the flock” campaign. They want to target students and raise awareness to help alter the way in which student’s think about and use substances.'
After discovering the purpose of the campaign I am confused about how the sheep fit in with what they were trying to put across. I think it was a case of them finding a 'funny' play on words and running with it, without any connection to the actual campaign purpose.
Students seem to agree,
'What do students think of the revelation? Katie Smith said, “I guess their trying to get students not to follow the crowd and do what everyone else does, but I’ve got to say the idea of thecampaign is a bit confusing. How do sheep link to substance abuse?”
Alice Cunliffe said “What a flocking disappointment.” The campaign has received a disappointing reception amongst students. As a campaign targeted at helping students let’s hope that it is successful.'
 They needed to attract students with something that was relevant to them and the project.
 

Paranormal Activity 2 outperforms.

Paranormal activity 2 has finished its first weekend top of the movie charts ( estimated $41.5 million), outdoing many expert predictions for the movie. This has been put down largely to Paramount's marketing campaign.



Leaving so much to the audience's imagination inflames so many emotions towards the film. Fear, curiosity, amusement. Nothing that the film maker can create can be scarier than the images that the audience imagines. All of this combines to create a successful marketing campaign, which is clear to see from the ticket sale figures.