Promotional Posters analysis

Before we went filming, we decided to have a look at at some artists promotional posters so that we could get an idea for the layout and general look of posters and adverts for later on in the editing stage. As well, we thought it would be useful as it will help us have a clearer idea of what photos and shots to take whilst we are out on location.

Bruno Mars is a very recognisable artists simply because he is so popular in the music industry. Most of his recent videos have a recurring feature, which is the feature of men dressed up in monkey costumes, which is likely why a gorilla is features in the centre of the image. The repetition of this feature is consistant with Steve Neale's theory about repetition within genres is what makes them recognisable. The rest of the poster looks like it has been styled to look retro and vintage, which reflects the sound of his voice and the jazzy pop music that he makes. This is definitely an element that I want to include in our poster as I think it is really important to for the poster to reflect the music so it is obvious for the target audience what kind of music they will be getting if they buy his album or single. The images reflect the genre through the visual use of the old fashioned microphone and jukebox in the background. The vintage look is a very popular one amongst teenagers at the moment so this has been very well marketed. This complies with Andrew Goodwin's theory a relationship between the visuals and the music. Normally applied to music videos, I think this can also work with this promo poster as anyone who is familiar with Bruno Mars' music will be able to recognise the similarity between the retro image on the poster and his old fashioned styled pop music.We also noticed that there were a few images down the bottom to let the audience know where they can buy tickets for the tour, as well a the artists recording company and who the artwork is by. This is an important element of promotional posters and is something we must include if we want ours to look as realistic as possible.It is a very stereotypical pop poster as Bruno is the centre of the image, and the writing is in bright colours and eye catching.

 

Like the Bruno Mars poster, the band feature in the centre of the poster and are the main focus. They are a very popular band which is likely why they have done this. They have also tried to make their poster look retro as it has a look like it is the cover of an old vinyl record. This is due to the slightly faded colours and the writing on the outer colour. The colour is soft, which could represent the type of music they have made as they are an indie pop band, again there is relationship between the music and the visuals which can be seen in Goodwin's theory. The Strokes clearly have a recognisable brand writing which is used on this poster, as well as their album and anything else related to their album 'Room on Fire'. It is interesting that symbols are also featured down the bottom of the poster in regard to their recording company. What differs from the Bruno Mars poster however, is the fact that they include a review and a rating from a high reputation music magazine, to try and promote them and convince their target audience that this album is worth buying.



The Kooks have a slightly different layout to the other posters, as their writing on the poster is only on the left of the poster. This is a style feature specific to this artist and is one way which makes The Kooks promo material so recognisable. Like the previous artists studied, they have their own style of writing which can be seen on all material they release, which is a branding technique. As this feature has come up so many times, it is clear that this is a motif we must comply to to create a successful promotional poster. The setting is important in this poster as they are by a small door, assumably a stage door or the entrance to a small music venue, which mirrors the type of music that they make, which is indie. However, they are quite a lighthearted band which is not necessarily portrayed on this poster as the colours are quite dark and there is minimal lighting. Another difference from the previous posters analysed is the fact that they have a release date on the bottom of the poster to let fans know when they can buy their upcoming album. This is why they have such recognisable features on the poster as these link to the album cover, such as the writing and the fact that the band feature on the front. This is another recurring feature which I think we will use on our poster, to make it a typical and recognisable indie pop promo poster.

 

 

MGMT's poster is very different from the others I have studied. They are a rock band, which may be why. Like the others, they have their band name at the top of the poster clearly in a font which is consistant with the rest of the material they have produced. Their poster is very vibrant and uses lots of bright colours, which isn't something often assosiated with indie pop. However, I do like the use of black bold writing over the colourful multicoloured background. It is effective as it is so eyecatching and is sure to attract the attention of their target audience. I have also noticed that this doesn't feature any of the logos or symbols or writing that the other indie/pop posters do which I have analysed, which means that we will definitely need to include some to make pur poster look as much like an authentic indie pop poster as possible.