Research

To aid the development of our own promotional package, we have researched into existing products.

  

Existing Promotional Packages:

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Katy Perry's latest album, Teenage Dream, has a simple yet controversial cover. The artist's figure is the main central focus of the cover and her promiscuous pose shows her to be very revealed. The mise-en-scene of the image shows Katy to be lying on a cloud which is presented to be like cotton candy (this is identified through the blue sky in the top left corner). The use of the cotton candy reveals the beginning of a strong theme throughout the album of sweets; connoting her personality to be more child-like, sweet and fun, whilst suggesting a mainstream/pop genre. 

The image of the cotton candy cloud continues onto the back of the digipak. The back is quite plain but suggests a female demography as the song names are written in bold pink. On the other panel of the digipak is a close-up image of the female artist. The album appears to rely heavily on the appearance of the artist as she is wearing make-up and is shown in numerous promiscuous poses.

The inside of the digipak carries on the close up images of the artist with a black background so that she is the main focus. The CD's are visually appealing to audiences as they are unique and colourful. One of the most interesting concepts about the digipak is that it does not show the name of the artist or album. This suggests that Katy Perry is very identifiable and this could even add to the attraction of buying the CD which is seen to be aimed at young people however of both genres. 

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream Poster

 Katy Perry's poster advertisement for her album Teenage Dream, has a different look to the digipak. This makes the synergy less obvious however as she is a mainstream artist her appearance is recognised in the audience. Showing the importance of her appearance, she is seen again with little clothing. Katy's feminism is portrayed as she is wearing a lot of make up and there are many bright colours of pink and purple (including her hair) which shows the main target audience to be females. Her appearance like her hair is very unique and therefore is not able to relate to the audience as it has a futuristic look however because of her well-known background, people are likely to be intrigued by the new album. There are also bright colours in the background on a black backdrop which makes them stand out. Katy's actual pose takes up the majority of the poster and she appears to be looking up to something out of the shot, which creates an enigma. Her familiar name logo is shown at the bottom of the poster as this does not have to be large as many people instantly recognise her. The album name is in the top left corner and this could connote her pose of looking upwards to be reminiscent of this. Therefore this poster, although in a different appearance to the digipak, is able to show synergy between the products through its bright colours and the knowledge of her as a celebrity, which instantly encourages consumers to buy the new album. 

Katy Perry Music Video - California Girls: 

Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much

Mika's album has a great contrast to Katy Perry's suggesting a different genre. The front of the album is brightly coloured and gives an abstract but fun feel. There is a lot of detail within the bold coloured images which gives a suggestion of an indie genre with more unique songs and themes discussed in these songs. The sheer randomness of the cover may appeal to both genders however slightly more towards niche audiences. The effect of the artist's name being slanted, gives connotations of deviation from mainstream ideas and there is a unique aspect of all of the interesting objects being pulled into the yellow 'warp' in the centre of the cover which draws the eyes to the artist's name but also the album name. Also this is from an aerial view which almost makes the audience feel like they are being pulled in, like the other images which is an interesting marketing scheme. Some of the images on the wall are of tribal pictures which may connote the unique genre which is emphasised by the tribal image being enlarged onto the actual CD. The album title of 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' gives an indication to the juxtaposition of the boy's bedroom items and then the images of space. There may even be a metaphysical suggestion to the audience as the boy's face is hidden by a book conveying his obliviousness to his surroundings which take up the biggest proportion of the cover. 

Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much Poster 

Mika's poster is very similar to the front cover of the digipak. The synergy between the products is very obvious and this will encourage audiences to recognise the products as a whole which will encourage sales. The poster, like the digipak, shows an indie genre and there is no particular target to one gender. The name of the artist is more prominent than Katy Perry's because he is not as famous and is aiming to draw the audience in to the detailed poster. An interesting factor of the poster and digipak is that the cover does not show Mika's face. Even though not as famous as Katy Perry he is well known and so this may have been done to attract a new audience to the music and maybe show more importance to the music rather than just his image (possibly conveyed through the three dimensional text of Mika, in revealing another side to the artist).

Mika - We Are Golden Music Video

Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight

This album cover connotes a much more serious mood. The colour is in complete contrast to Mika's album as this cover is in black and white. The majority of the cover is the white background however there are six figures placed in the bottom half of the cover which are the band members. The black silhouettes show a large contrast from the white and the consumer is led to believe the genre is  rock. The obvious contrasts in colours suggest rebellion and create a sense of mystery. The actual logo of the band is in the top centre of the cover and the rebellious nature can be interpreted through the logo deviating from the box theorem.   

The inside of the digipak shows the synergy of the front in the black figures. However behind where the CD's are placed there is more colour which shows an abstract look. The CD's mainly show the bans's logo. This album is not particularly aimed at any gender however it may be targeted more at 18+. This is because the band are depicted as more serious and may have more depth to their songs which they believe should be the main focus for their demography.      

Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight Poster

Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight Poster, is also very similar to their digipak album. The strong contrast between the black and white can be argued to be just as eye catching as bright colours. The poster differs from the album as instead of seeing just the outlined silhouettes of the band, there is a medium close up of the members taking up the bottom half of the poster. The band members are all wearing black which connotes a rock genre and the central focus is towards the middle band member who we can assume to be the singer or who plays an important role in the band. Each other member then stands behind the previous one as these are classed less recognisable. The poses of the band are fairly solemn and serious possibly reflecting their music. Also many of them have their hands in their pockets which may suggest a more casual and 'cool' look to their fans. This poster again has the band name which is very bold and so the poster is most likely to attract existing fans who recognise the faces of the band members. 

Linkin Park - What I've Done Music Video