Magazine advertisement

Examples of adverts for albums

Beyoncé

The R&B artist, Beyonce, creates a successful magazine advert for her album by cohering to the typical conventions of the genre. Firstly, through mise-en-scene, Beyonce is able to make herself look appealing and seductive to her target audience. One way in which this is achieved is via the artist's costume, in the first picture she is wearing minimal clothing which is not visible to the audience. This is effective because it attracts the attention of a male audience, due to it making them want to be with her. Secondly, the artists costume then changes in the next picture. Beyonce is wearing a full face of make-up, this is something that would appeal to a female audience as it makes her look glamorous and fierce.  Although looking fierce goes against the typical conventions of R&B, (as R&B usually makes women look submissive and seductive) it means that the women would envy and admire her, therefore they would want to listen to her music. The artist's magazine advert employs bold texts, this makes her name noticeable and memorable, which is something we would like to include on our magazine advert. As well as this, the artist has included the release date of the album, this is useful and effective because it encourages the consumers to look out for and buy the album.

Although all of these factors work well together, one thing my group want to avoid is the artists colour scheme, we feel the dull colours would not appeal to our audience and wouldn't attract their attention. One other aspect of the album that makes it effective is due to the titles of the songs that are put in the front, 'Single Ladies' and 'If I Were A Boy' are songs known for their dominant theme of relationships. This would attract her chosen target audience of R&B fans as it satisfies their expectations of the R&B album. We would also like to incorporate this as it appeals to the audience. 'I Am... Sasha Fierce' debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 482,000 units, earning Beyoncé her third consecutive US number-one solo album. The album earned over thirty platinum and one diamond certifications in separate worldwide markets. As of 2015, 'I Am... Sasha Fierce' has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.The album garnered seven Grammy Award nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, winning five and eventually collecting a record-setting six wins—the most awards won in one night by a female. To promote the album, Beyoncé made several award show and televised appearances across Europe and America and embarking on the worldwide I Am... World Tour (2009–10).  Thus showing that advertisement plays an important role in the success of albums.

 Rihanna

Rihanna is well known for her popular R&B songs. The artist coheres to the R&B codes and conventions through the use of mise-en-scene. Similar to her digipak cover, the artist employs bright and vibrant colours. This attracts the consumer's attention and encourages them to buy the album. Vibrant colours are typically used in R&B songs and albums, meaning this coheres to the usual conventions of giving off a 'party' vibe. In regards to the artist's costume and makeup, it's clear that mise-en-scene didn't play an important role in the advertisement of the artist's album. The main piece of make-up worn is red lipstick. Although this is subtle, it is also effective as it brings the attention to the artist's luscious lips, therefore making her look increasingly feminine and admirable for both her male and female audience. One aspect of the magazine advert that sticks out is the large font employed. The title 'Loud' is particularly clear to see, this is paired with the other large statement, which gives the release date of the album. Similar to Beyonce's, this technique was used to capture the audience's attention and encourage them to look out for the album once it is released. My group and I would like to incorporate the artist's use of bold texts, mise-en-scene and vibrant colours to attract the consumer's attention. Once again, the female artist breaks the typical conventions of an R&B singer by embracing her strong personality, rather than making her look submissive and seductive.

Loud received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its upbeat material and Rihanna's vocal performances, while others stated that although the songs were solid, they were unfocused to each other. The album was a commercial success internationally; it debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 207,000 copies, the highest first-week sales of her career at the time. The album entered the Canadian, Swiss and UK album charts at number one. Since its release, it had sold over 8 million copies worldwide. Once again showing that the promotion of the album through magazines, plays an important role in its success.

Drake

Drake's magazine advertisement seems to possess different qualities to what the other R&B adverts include. One aspect of the magazine that looks particularly different is the dull and dark colours employed. Firstly, this makes it look less appealing to the audience and doesn't give off the R&B 'vibe', which is usually created through bright and vibrant colours. Different to the other artist's I have analysed, Drake cohere's to the typical dominant male figure that is usually created in R&B advertisements. This is also due to his African-American ethnicity. One way in which this is done is through mise-en-scene, the artist is wearing a black top with the buttons open to expose his chest. This makes him look increasingly masculine as a hairy chest is a typical characteristic of men. Another part of the magazine that stands out is the large font that highlights the artist's name and the release date, this is effective as it catches the audiences/ consumers attention and enables them to look out for and buy the album once it's released. This is very similar to the other pieces I have analysed and it's something my group and I would like to do, as it is obviously a successful technique to advertise the album.

Take Care is the second studio album by Canadian hip hop recording artist Drake. It was released on November 15, 2011, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Recording sessions took place from 2010 to 2011. Noted by music writers for its minimalist R&B elements, existential subject matter conflicted lyrics, and Drake's alternately sung and rapped vocals. The album online leaked nine days before its scheduled release.The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 631,000 copies in its first week. As of August 2015, Take Care has sold 2,260,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Upon its release, Take Care received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its expansive production, emotional themes, and Drake's songwriting. It was included on year-end lists by several publications; including The New York Times^[and Los Angeles Times, both of which ranked it at number one, and earned Drake a Grammy Award for the Best Rap Album. Overall my group would like to incorporate Drake's large font and use of typical conventions that are usually present on R&B magazine advertisements. However, we will not use the artist's dull colour scheme as this only presents minimalist R&B elements.

Digipak Analysis

Digipak

A digipak is a type of packaging for CD's or DVD's, typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs. 

My group and I's song 'gangsta' by kehlani is part of the R&B/soul genre. It coheres to typical R&B characteristics due to its seductive female lead role and it's lyrics focus heavily on the themes of relationships. Kehlani's digipak cover for her album focuses on a cartoon character of herself with pink lipstick to express her femininity. The vibrant colours also give the impression of a 'party' which is a typical convention of most R&B music videos and their digipak colours. On other Kehlani digipaks her face is the main image on the front so that the audience know who is singing the songs, this is the artists way of introducing herself to the listener. Unlike other R&B digipaks, Kehlani's seem to be much more luminous and colourful. Other digipaks usually tend to consist of dark colours to express the dark themes, R&B artists are also usually male, meaning Kehlani breaks the typical conventions. My group would like to consider doing this too as breaking the stereotypes means our digipak will be unique and interesting to the buyers. We also like the idea of putting our lip syncers face on the front of the cover, whether it be a close-up or mid-shot, as we feel this builds a relationship with the consumers. Kehlani's name is written on the front of the album, however we are considering using a different font to what the artist has used as we think this particular one looks quite tacky and isn't the image we are aiming to achieve. We still want to include a sharp edgy font to match the music, however we want it to look serious and mature. Due to our artists Hispanic, Native American, White and Black  ethnicity, it means she coheres to the typical R&B conventions, this is as a result of R&B being of a black origin. Our lip syncer, Mikah, would also cohere to the R&B genre due to her black ethnicity, meaning she fits the role of Kehlani on our digipak.

Rihanna

Rihanna's digipak covers seem to possess the same qualities that of which Kehlani has. The popular female R&B artist coheres to the typical R&B digipak conventions due to its vibrant colours and close-up shot of her face. This is a typical convention of R&B as they are trying to make her look seductive. In regards to the mise-en-scene, Rihanna's makeup is red and flawless which brings attention to her lips and is once again appealing to a male or female audience. Firstly, this appeals to males as they would want to be with her and secondly, it would appeal to females as they want to be just like her. This brings in a larger consumer audience as it makes the genre of the song clear  due to the sexualisation of the female artist. This is also due to the editing of the artists face through tools such as airbrushing, this makes her a figure of aspiration, inevitably aiding the audience to listen to her songs due to her perfect features and voice. Another aspect of the mise-en-scene is Rihanna's costume, she is wearing a dress that reveals the top portion of her body, this is complimented by her seductive red lipstick that makes her appealing to the audience. Me and my group would like to incorporate this use of typical conventions of R&B women through the mise-en-scene, as it would attract the right kind of audience who would appeal to this. The inside contents of the digipak seem to consist of the same colour scheme, therefore keeping the audience interested.

Beyoncé

The female pop vocalist Beyoncé Knowles, coheres to typical conventions of the R&B genre through her digipak of greatest hits. The artists costume on the back of the digipak is tight latex that accentuates the silluette of her body. This is a common convention of the R&B genre as it is common for women to be seen as an object of seduction. However, as similar to Kehlani and Rihanna, Beyoncé goes against the R&B genre by making herself, as a woman, the main focus of the digipak. Typically, men are the most likely to star in an R&B video. The R&B artist adopts costume and makeup ideas through mise-en-scene. For instance, Beyoncé has glossy lips and heavy eye makeup to bring attention to her flawless face. This technique is used to make women want to be her and men want to be with her. Ultimately, the artist attracts a wider audience by appealing to every age and genders needs. Another factor that coheres to the R&B genre is Beyoncé's ethnicity, due to R&B being of a black origin. One criticism of Beyoncé's CD within the album is the colours chosen. Brown and Grey are quite dull colours which don't bring much attention to the artist. This also doesn't create a 'party' theme like other digipaks, such as Rihanna's and Kehlani's, do. My group and I will avoid using dull colours, as we feel it doesn't represent the genre the way we want it to.

Drake

The R&B rapper, songwriter and record producer, Drake, is well known for best representing his genre with songs relating to the typical R&B themes. When analysing the artists digipaks, I found that he has a bland colour scheme that doesn't particularly interest the audience. To pair with the masculine colours, Drake employs a close-up of his face to show him lighting a cigar, this was presumably used to exemplify his masculinity, as this is typically a manly thing to do. As well as this, the artist is male which coheres to the typical gender that an R&B artist usually is. For example, Jay-Z and R.Kelly. The artist is also African American, which coheres to the R&B genre due to its black origin. These factors are all quite similar to the other digipaks that I have analysed as it accentuates gender differences and it incorporates the same dull colour scheme that is similar to Beyonce's digipak. Another characteristic of the digipak I noticed was the font, Drake's and the albums name are both different. Drake's name is clear and memorable, whereas the album's name is quite hard to read, making it less intriguing to the reader. One aspect of this digipak that I would like to incorporate is the colour consistency throughout all of it, this ensures the theme is prominent. However, my group and I will not employ the artists colour scheme as we feel this would not attract the audiences attention.