Evaluate the adverts (U20: M3, D2)

Learning Outcome 3 (U20): Be able to produce the planned media components 

M3 (U20): Explain how the created media components comply with the codes and conventions of the media sectors 

Billboard

This is the billboard we created for PhizzWizzard. We will be comparing it with an existing McDonalds billboard to show how we were influenced by existing campaigns and conformed to billboards codes and conventions.

The image next to our advert (on the right) shows a McDonalds billboard advertising a new burger (sourced from Google Images). One convention of a billboard is the slogan. As shown in the McDonalds billboard, their slogan 'Green is the new red' is large, in capital letters next to their burger (which is the item being promoted). This inspired our campaign; as you can see ours says 'Takes you back'. This is an effective convention of billboards as it allows onlookers to gain insight about exactly what the message of the campaign is. Our slogan, written in a large serif font, clearly displays the message of nostalgia, which our drink should provide consumers. This message of a retro, nostalgic aesthetic is reinforced as retro items, such as vinyls, a cd player, and a lava lamp are shown to be coming out of the drink. 

Another convention of billboards is to include a clear product shot. The McDonalds billboard shows their burger at the side of the billboard which is large. We were influenced by this, so we included a shot of a large PhizzWizzard can which is our product. This convention of billboards is effective as it clearly displays what the billboard is advertising. Additionally, a convention of billboards, which the McDonalds billboard did, is to have a coloured background with a slight gradient. We were inspired by this as it does not take attention away from the product shot, and allows the text to be clear. A pre-production document that helped plan this were the visualisation diagrams. It is shown on the right. It helped create a layout and design for the billboard so that when it came to creating it in production, we just had to replicate it digitally. 

Another convention of billboards is having the logo of the brand. We were inspired by the placement of the McDonalds logo in the corner as it gives credit to the client and shows who is creating the product. Therefore, we included the 'Carter Soft Drinks' logo in the top right corner of our billboard. Whilst it does not take attention away from the product, it still portrays the brand/client. Moreover, the McDonalds advert shows the price of the product, saying '$2'. As a result, we were influenced by this to display the price of our drink. We wrote 'Only 99p' on our billboard to display the price of the drink. This is an effective convention of billboards as it provides the target audience with the price of the drink, giving them information and a quantitative, explicit form of identifying whether they can purchase it. It is in the same font as the slogan, keeping a brand identity. 

Whilst the McDonalds billboard does not provide social media handles on their billboard, we were inspired by current billboard trends to include it in our billboard. We included social media logos with the handle underneath (in the same, PhizzWizzard font). This provides the target audience with the social media accounts clearly. This is especially effective for the younger demographic; this is reinforced as a survey conducted by AACAP found 90% of teenagers use social media. Therefore, we decided to use this as a form of immersing the target audience and connecting them with the brand. It also creates a brand identity where users can interact with the brand online. A pre-production document that helped the creation of the billboard was the Gantt chart. This is because it allowed us to plan out our time spent creating the billboard to ensure we meet the client's deadline. 

Magazine advert

The image on the left is the magazine advert we created for PhizzWizzard. I will compare it, and show how we were influenced by the magazine advert on the right, which is to promote the drink 'Mirinda'. The image was sourced from Google Images.

One aspect of the Mirinda advert that we were influenced by is to have objects that fit the aesthetic around the drink. The Mirinda advert shows flowers, umbrellas, fish, and oranges around drink; not only does this reflect the taste, but the aesthetic and message they wish to evoke on consumers. We were inspired to the same for ours - as PhizzWizzard gives a 'retro' aesthetic, we places retro items (such as vinyls, a lava lamp, and CD players) coming out of the drink, as well as strawberries and strawberry laces to show the taste. This convention of magazines explicitly illustrates the genre and mood the drink provides to its consumers, drawing in the target audience. 

Another code and convention that is present in the Mirinda ad is the slogan. The slogan 'Spark Your Imagination' is present in white to portray the brand message. We were inspired by this, so we put the slogan 'Takes you back' in a large, white, serif font. This conventuon reinforces the retro aesthetic and allows for consistency between platforms. This is because this slogan is present in the video advert, and the billboard, as well as this magazine ad. This makes PhizzWizzard have a very strong brand identity and clearly demonstrates their message. This message of consistency between platforms is further reinforced (between the billboard and magazine ad). This is because it provides the same imagery, which allows for people flicking through a magazine to clearly recognise the brand and its message. 

An aspect of Mirinda's billboard that we were inspired by was the composition and layout. They display their full product clearly, with the logo on the drink at the front. We were influenced by this, which is illustrated as the PhizzWizzard can is on full show, stretching from the corner to the centre, with the actual drink coming out of it to the top of the page. This convention ensures viewers full attention is on the drink, and it is not misleading as to what is being promoted. A pre-production document that assisted this was the moodboard for the campaign. Show on the left, the moodboard we created influenced the composition and imagery of the magazine ad because it allowed us to display a colour scheme. We decided to go for a neon magenta and red scheme to reinforce the retro genre. Similarly, it allowed us to experiment with sizing of the logos and lead us to decide to include red liquid and strawberry laces to visually show the taste of the drink. 

Another convention of magazine ads is to include the social media handles, and the brands logo. Although Mirinda's post does not include their social media, it does show the companies logo in the bottom corner. We were influenced by this to include the Carter Soft Drinks logo in the top left corner. This is a useful convention of magazine adverts as it informs viewers of the creators of the product. We decided to include the social media handles with an image of the platform in our magazine ad to engage with our audience. As magazines are typically read by loyal audiences, they spend more time reading and looking at each page and what is being advertised. This is due to magazine subscriptions. Therefore, the use of including social media links allows readers of the magazine to immerse themselves with the brand. A production document that helped with this is the treatment. This is because it helped us summarise the concept of the campaign, which in turn allowed us to make sure the magazine ad was cohesive and reinforced the brand's message and identity.

Video advert

The advert above, sourced from YouTube, promotes the brand 'Boost' and their fizzy drink that helps with energy and exercise. It influenced the creation of our video advert and inspired us to include conventions and codes. 

One convention of video adverts is to include the slogan at the end, with a shot of the drink. The image on the right shows the final shot of Boost's ad, and the final shot of ours. Boost includes their slogan, 'Choose Now' written in a large serif font. We decided to do this too; as you can see in our final shot, we have a shot of the can, with our slogan 'Takes You Back' in a white serif font. It is in the same font as the slogan is in on the magazine ad and the billboard. This reinforces the brand's identity and gives a cohesive look to the campaign. The reason why this convention is effective is because it explicitly portrays the message of the brand. As the message of our video (and the whole campaign) is that the drink gives a nostalgic feel, if it wasn't clear by the narrative, the slogan illustrates this. As it is right next to the PhizzWizzard can, it is clear that this is the product that is being advertised, and is the item that is that will evoke the feeling written in the slogan to its consumers. 

A convention of video adverts are the cuts and shots. The Boost advert has straight cuts between shots to convey naturalism and allows viewers to follow the narrative. We were inspired by this, so our advert also has straight cuts in between shots. This convention is beneficial at it reinforces the storyline and creates order and a sense of realism. Similarly, the Boost advert included a range of shot types. For example, it starts with an establishing shot. We were influenced by this to start ours with an establishing shot. This convention is useful as it informs viewers of where the advert is taking place. Ours starts in a dull looking cafeteria; this reinforces the narrative of our video, that life is boring without PhizzWizzard. It also highlights the vast change from the first location to the second location, a brighter cafe that the actor gets teleported to after drinking PhizzWizzard. A planning document that assisted this was the storyboard. Shown on the left, the storyboard enabled us to plan the shots and cuts for every scene, allowing us to recreate this for the final product. 

Another convention of video adverts is to use the sound to convey the progression of the narrative. Our advert starts with the diegetic sound of a clock ticking and fingers tapping; this highlights the boredom of the character as he has not had a PhizzWizzard. It also allows for viewers to identify with him, as they too may have had feelings of boredom in a similar environment. However, after the actor teleports to the brighter, more colourful cafe (after drinking the PhizzWizzard), the non-diegetic sound of the 90s hit, Wannabe starts playing. This pop and upbeat song from the 90s reinforces the retro feel PhizzWizzard evokes, and contrasts to the sound from the beginning, highlighting the progress and happiness PhizzWizzard provides as soon as you drink it. This was influenced by the Boost advert, as they have upbeat, energetic music to highlight the message that their drink gives you energy. 

Another aspect of sound that is a convention of video adverts is a voiceover at the end, reading out the slogan. The Boost advert says their slogan, 'Choose Now' at the end. We were influenced by this to include a voiceover of our slogan at the end, saying 'Takes You Back'. This convention allows for a sense of consistency throughout the campaign, and explicitly informs viewers that they too can feel like the actor in the video if they drink PhizzWizzard. This makes viewers feel valued by the brand, due to the pronoun 'You'. The vocalisation of this identifies the viewer on a personal level, and includes them within the campaign. A pre-production planning document that helped with this was the shot-by-shot list. Shown on the right, the shot-by-shot list allowed us to identify the most suitable time the slogan could be vocalised in the advert. We found by writing it out that it would be most suitable in the 16th shot. This allowed us to film the shot of the can for a certain amount of time, knowing we would do a voiceover over it.  

D2 (U20): Demonstrate how the technical and aesthetic properties of the media components meet the client brief

Carter Soft drinks asked us to create an advertising campaign for their latest fizzy drink, PhizzWizzard. One way the Carter Soft Drinks brand is showcased to meet the brief is through the incorporation of the logo through the campaign. As shown on the right, the Carter Soft Drinks logo is present on the billboard and magazine advert. This informs viewers of the creators of PhizzWizzard. Similarly, the PhizzWizzard can is the main focus of the billboard and magazine ad. It takes up a large segment of the poster, with the logo/name of the drink at the front. Moreover, the video advert ends with a clear shot of the drink, as shown on the left. 

These aspects met the brief as it clearly advertises their drink and the brand to the target audience. The choice to end with a clear shot of the can at the end of the video advert, and a large image of the can on the billboard and magazine ad immediately informs of what is being advertised, allowing them to visualise integrating it into their own life. 

The choice of platforms also meet the brief's explicit demand to create a billboard, magazine advert, and video advert. This requirement was also met in our pre-production documents. For example, the visualisation diagrams show the logos and shots of the PhizzWizzard branding explicitly. This is shown below. 

The visualisation diagrams we created were a useful tool to help plan and see how we could incorporate the briefs requirements, such as showing the product, in the campaign.

Another requirement of the brief is that it targets a 'retro' audience of '30-somethings'. One way this is done is through the nostalgic and retro, 90s aesthetic of the campaign. The billboard and magazine advert showed retro and vintage items, such as a lava lamp, a vinyl, a CD player, and records exploding out of the can. This illustrates the idea that the drink provides a nostalgic and recognisable experience to its consumers. This message is further reinforced through the slogan, which is present in the magazine ad, the video ad, and the billboard. The video advert also targets this audience. This is because the non-diegetic sound of the music playing after is from the hit, 90s pop song 'Wannabe'. This song is extremely recognisable to the 'retro' audience, and reinforces the message of nostalgia that the drink provides as the song provides the same feeling. 

The mise-en-scene of the clock ticking in the video advert reinforces the 'retro' genre of the advert, as it resembles the iconic clock ticking shot from Britney Spears', Hit Me Baby One More Time. Whilst Spears was already extremely popular among this target audience, she is now even more spoken about than a few years ago due to the FreeBritney movement. Thus, her old music videos have received a new wave of streams, reminding the target audience of this shot. This makes the shot even more recognisable in this advert, and appeals to the target audience directly.

The slogan 'Takes You Back' not only gives the campaign a sense of consistency, awareness and identity as it is shown in the same font throughout the campaign, but it demonstrates the retro message and feeling that the drink provides its target audience. These two aspects that target a 30-year old target audience were present in the pre-production plan, as it was met in our moodboard. The moodboard includes a retro poster and shots of people from the 90s. This was used to inspire our production, and meet the requirement for the retro target audience. 

Another requirement from the brief is that the campaign should also target 'young people aged 13-18'. This was done through the use of incorporating social media within the campaign. For example, the billboard and magazine adverts show links to the different social media accounts that PhizzWizzard have, with the logos and the handles. 

This requirement ensure that the young target audience are attracted to the campaign. This is because a survey conducted by AACAP found 90% of teenagers use social media. Therefore, young people may see these links in the billboard, and decide to follow the brand's social media and interact with them. This meets the requirement from the brief, that they 'hope the campaign will go viral', and provides elements that can be 'shown on FaceBook'. The target audience can share the social media with other members of the target audience, creating a mass audience of loyal customers.

Another way this age demographic is targeted is through the use of colour throughout the campaign. Not only does this convey the flavour of the drink, but it attracts the young 13-18 year old target audience. This is because the vibrant aspects across the campaign convey feelings of happiness, which is the feeling they should feel when drinking PhizzWizzard. These emotions reinforce the comedy genre within the video advert; the contrast from the grey/dull tones, to after he drinks PhizzWizzard and is teleported to a vibrant place in different clothes links to the comedy genre as it is unrealistic and satire.

Another requirement is that the 'drink tastes of strawberry laces and the liquid is red in colour. This requirement from the brief was met in the magazine ad and the billboard. This is because, as shown on the right, the can has red liquid exploding out of the can, with strawberry laces mixed within it. This is important as it accurately informs audiences what it tastes like, and the items mixed within the liquid are want consuming the drink will provide. 

This requirement is also met in the video ad. As shown above, the main actor eats strawberry laces throughout the video. He also is sipping the drink throughout. As he is dancing around whilst eating strawberry laces and drinking PhizzWizzard, it implies that the experience of PhizzWizzard is fun and exciting. This requirement was also met in the pre-production planning documents. The drawing on the left is taken from the storyboard, which shows the actor in the video eating strawberry laces. This allowed us to recreate this shot in the video advert.