Magazine Advert Analysis

Magazine Advert Analysis

The purpose of a magazine advert is to promote the artist and their music to the audience. It highlights to the audience the genre of music that the artist is of, and therefore means they can make a decision early on whether they may be interested in this particular artist. A magazine advert gives the audience vital information regarding the artist, their music and any performances they may be selling tickets for. In addition to this a magazine advert allows the audience to understand connotations and hidden meanings about the artist and also their music, which will assist them with making a decision of whether to visit one of their performances or listen to their music.

Nina Nesbitt

The first advert I have analysed is that of Nina Nesbitt, the artist of the song my group is making a music video to.

This magazine advert presents Nina as a down to earth, quirky teenager. This is due to the clothing she is seen wearing. The denim shorts and jumper present a somewhat scruffy appearance for Nina but it is typical attire for a teenage girl. Further to this she is wearing red lipstick which is very common among older teenagers/young adults as they begin to experiment with wearing more make-up as they go through the maturing stages of their lives. Nina is wearing her hair down and it is also somewhat scruffy which links in with the clothing she is wearing. It also connotes the idea that she is not highly concerned about the perfection of her appearance which is highly common with teenage girls. In the advert she is giving eye contact to the audience which also presents her as approachable and relatable for her fans. It allows them to begin to build a relationship with her purely based on the image of her that they are presented with. The locations of her tour are in relatively small venues which provides the audience with the information that she is upcoming within the music industry, as she is still forming a stable fan base. 

The main colour used in the music video is blue. The colour blue connotes the idea of peacefulness and calmness which further presents Nina as a down to earth individual. It provides the audience with the information that she may not be extremely well known within the music industry as she has not yet been affected by fame. It also illustrates Nina as laid back and relaxed which could be due to her slowly entering the music industry, and therefore she currently has some kind of control over her life. The colour blue does not overly stand out as attracting the audiences attention. It is therefore conventional to the indie genre as it highlights the idea that Nina is not extremely famous and well known within the music industry. The two other colours that are evident on the advert are the green in Ninas' jumper and the cream background she is standing in front. The colour green is also a somewhat calming colour and therefore further illustrates Nina as down to earth and laid back. The cream colour is very simple and plain which is conventional to the indie genre. It focuses the audiences attention on Nina which allows them to concentrate on her representation as an artist.

The Nina Nesbitt advert has a very structured appearance which makes it easy for the audience to understand the advert. Nina is positioned to the left of the advert, but is the only image included, which therefore allows her to become the main focus of the advert. The image of Nina takes up a substantial amount of the advert, but however is not overpowering. This is due to the fact that Nina is still an upcoming artist within the music industry and therefore is still making herself known to the public. The dates and times of her tour are positioned to the right of Nina and are structurally presented. This means the audience can become aware of when and where she is performing with ease. 

The only image included in the advert is of Nina Nesbitt herself. This is to keep the audiences attention primarily focused on her. It could also be representative of how her music is simple and to the point, which is conventional of the indie genre. Employing only the image of Nina allows the audience to become more familiar with her as an artist as she is upcoming and new within the music industry. This may allow Nina to attain additional interest from the public which will result in her fan base increasing.

The font that is the main focus of the advert is that of her name. This is to straight away grab the audiences attention as to who the artist is. The font is italic and the sizes of the lettering varies and it therefore looks somewhat child like. This highlights the idea that Nina is still a teenager as she is 19 years old, and therefore still carries child like attributes. It may also portray how she has a fun and quirky personality and is therefore highly relatable for older teenagers/young adults.

On the magazine advert the only writing that is seen is that of her name and of her tour dates and times. Therefore the main style of language included is informative. The language allows the audience to learn who the artist is and also where and when she is performing on her tour. The advert also provides the audience with the information of how to purchase the tickets to her tour and the company's that are presenting her tour. This allows the audience to be substantially informed by the advert surrounding Nina and her tour. 

The main aspect of the advert that promotes that Nina is of the indie genre is the brick wall background. The brick background is a conventional setting for an indie genre music video as it evokes an edgy feel surrounding the artist. It is also a cheap location and is therefore widely used among indie artists who are upcoming and not yet well known within the music industry. In addition the appearance of Nina in the advert further informs the audience of the indie genre of music that Nina performs. This is due to the somewhat 'scruffy' appearance being conventional and popular with artists in the indie genre.

The magazine advert promotes Nina as an artist as it allows the audience to become familiar with who she is. The image of Nina is the main focus of the advert and therefore means the audience become aware and known of who she is. The appearance of Nina is significant in promoting her as an artist. It allows the audience to gain an insight into the type of artist she may be and also further informs them of the genre of music it is that she sings. The tour dates/locations also promote Nina. They inform the audience that Nina is still upcoming within the music industry as she is only playing relatively small venues. This may encourage potential fans to listen to her music and in turn support her as an artist.

The advert attracts an audience as the appearance of Nina resembles that of everyday teenagers. It therefore provides potential fans with a figure to relate to. The main colour of the advert, blue, attracts the audience as it is eye catching and makes the advert easy to read and understand for the audience. This would therefore be highly appealing to Ninas' target audience of older teenagers/young adults.

Florence and the Machine

The second advert I am analysing is Florence and the Machine who is of the indie genre and will give me a greater insight into the components of indie genre magazine adverts.

The magazine advert provides the audience with an insight in to the artist Florence and the Machine. Florence does not provide the audience with eye contact and therefore does not allow a connection to be formed for the audience. The lack of eye contact may suggest to the audience that Florence is a somewhat reserved person. However in contrast to this, Florences' lungs are seen on the outside of her body, which may be significant of her evoking her feelings to her fans through her music, as this may be her only escape. The image that is shown on the advert is that of her album cover. This allows the audience to determine that the music she will be singing during her performance may be that from her album, therefore promoting her new music. Florences' overall appearance illustrates that of elegance, this is due to the positioning of her body and also her surroundings. Her surroundings involve that of nature and therefore presents Florence as a down to earth, caring individual. It allows the audience to interpret that she is not overcome by fame and therefore may have a connection with nature through her music. It also presents Florence as a natural individual and in turn is true to herself through her music.

The main colour seen on the magazine is black. The black background adds an element of darkness and mystery to the advert. This could be suggestive of the meaning behind the songs on her album and also the type of artist she is becoming. The colour black is also representative of authority and power and may therefore connote the idea that Florence seeks to gain power within the music industry. The image of Florence seen on the advert provides the visuals of her lungs being on the outside of her body. This could be a connotation for the fact the music she sings on her 'lungs' album may truly reflect the feelings she holds inside, and has therefore let them out into the world. The red colour of the lungs may be extremely significant to the advert and the representation of Florence as an artist. The colour red is the most emotionally intense colour and could be a connotation of the idea of love. Further providing the audience with an insight into the meanings of her songs, and the fact that she may be singing about her true feelings. 

The advert presents Florence as the main focus as the image of her takes up over half of the advert. This is so that the first thing that the audience notice is the image which they can link to that of her 'Lungs' album. Surrounding the image is a black border which further keeps the focus on Florence as it is dark and somewhat bland. However the black background could be significant of the type of music on her Lungs album. In addition to this the text is placed to the top and bottom of the image. Above the image is the name of the band and support act as this is the most important piece of textual information on the advert. This information will determine whether the audience will continue to read the rest of the advert, therefore its place is extremely vital on the advert. Below the image is the important information regarding her performance which will appeal to her fans who decide to read the whole advert.

The image on the advert is that of Florence and the Machines' Lungs album cover. This informs the audience that the songs she will be singing at her performance will be from that album. This also may inform the audience that the performance she is doing is to promote her album to her fans and also any potential future fans. The image included on the advert also provides the audience with an array of connotations which may relate to the songs that are on her album. This means that they can understand the deeper meaning behind her songs and in turn enjoy her music at a higher level. In addition to this the image used on the advert means the audience become aware of the idea that she is a reserved individual and only presents her feelings through her music.

The font used for the band name has a cursive appearance and therefore the letters flow into each other. This links in with the idea that Florence has a somewhat elegant appearance. The band name is the most eye catching form of typography as it is significant to the artist and enticing the audience to listen to her music or to go see her show. The other text seen on the advert is in bold letters which differentiates them from the band name. The use of this means the band name is the main textual focus, but allows the audience to understand and read the other information with ease. In addition to this the informative text is also eye catching for the audience but does not deter their attention from the bands name. The bands support acts name is somewhat eye catching besides Florence and the Machines name, this allows the audience to familiarise themselves with the support act which may assist with enticing them to go and watch the performance.

The main style of language included on the advert is informative. This is due to the language being that of information regarding her performance. The writing provides the audience with the information of where the show is, how to purchase the tickets to the show and the costs. This gives the audience the relevant information straight away which is likely to entice them to purchase tickets to the show early on. The lack of any other form of language is due to the main focus being kept on the image central to the advert.

The advert promotes the music genre of Florence and the Machine mainly through the image included and the colours of the advert. The image, which is that of her 'Lungs' album cover will appeal to the fans of the band who have listened to the album. This is because they will be familiar with her music and will therefore be notified of its genre immediately. The main colours on the advert are dark, including the black and red. This could evoke the idea that the band is of an indie genre as these colours are highly generic to the genre.

Florence and the Machine is promoted through the advert as the audience receive an insight into the band and their music. The image of the advert is highly significant in allowing the audience to understand more surrounding Florence herself, which is due to the fact she is not seen giving eye contact to the audience. This adds an element of secrecy to her music which is further determined by the background she is seen standing in front. It evokes that her music may somewhat deter the indie genre in some way, and in addition may contain vital information regarding her true feelings behind the music.

The advert attracts the target audience mainly due to the image being the main focus of the advert. It provides the audience with something to relate to and to determine who the artist is. In addition to this the contrast between the image and the black border may entice an audience as it allows the image to stand out and become more eye catching. The connotations of the advert may also be extremely appealing to the target audience as they understand that there may be hidden meaning behind her music.

The research of the two magazine adverts I have conducted will assist with the planning and creating of my own advert as they are both of the indie genre. Therefore from analysing the two adverts I have gained a deeper insight into certain components and conventions that they have followed to create a successfully conventional magazine advert. In turn the research has given me various ideas that I can incorporate into my magazine advert such as; the brick background on Nina Nesbitts advert, and the extreme connotations evident on Florence and the Machines advert. Including a brick background on my magazine advert will result in it being more visually conventional and providing the magazine advert with a somewhat edgy appearance. By employing a number of these other elements it will mean that my advert will be more conventional to the indie genre and will also be more appealing to my target audience.