Conventions of a magazine advert

Although magazine adverts for music artists should follow certain conventions, they may differ depending on the different genres. These are the typical factors which a magazine advert may contain...


• The name of the band/artist
• The style of the artists
• Date of album relsease
• Featuring songs on the album
• Form of relsease (mp3 download/CD)
• Photography or artwork
• How is the artist being portrayed in the advert
• Record company mentioned
• Website for the artist
• Quotes/ratings from other sources
• Colour scheme



Although a magazine advert doesn't have to include all these conventions, it should still contain a few important factors to ensure enough detail is given to the audience who will see the advert. I have chosen to compare two different genres and how their magazine adverts differ from another or show similaries. Gwen Stefani's 'Love. Angel. Music. Baby.' which would be classified under 'R&B, Pop and Electro' and Paramore's 'Brand New Eyes' which would be under the genre of 'Alternative Rock and Pop Punk'.



 



Gwen Stefani - Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

 



Paramore - Brand New Eyes





The name of the artist: Both the adverts have the artists name clearly displayed on them. This is expected from any promotional advert. However the title for Paramore's is a lot clearer than Gwen Stefani's The difference shows the simplicity of one artist against the quirky, stylistic side of the other. What I also noticed is the continuentcy on the Paramore adverts for their font and size. This could be linked with their ongoing style which is similar throughout their musical career. On the other hand, Gwen Stefani has many different fonts and sizes to show her name on adverts and albums. This could be linked with the ever changed style of the Pop genre which she is famous for.



As you can see here from a few more examples of their album artwork the font for Paramore stays the same, even though others words and phrases may be in a different font. This shows that Paramore are keeping to a certain style which represents them and holds as a signiture. Whereas Stefani has completely different fonts, suggesting the change in music and style.

Date of album release: There is no apparent date on the magazine advert for Stefani's album release, although this may be a marketing plan as it does show where you can purchase and download the album which would mean people would have to search themselves for the download or go in store where they are more enclined to browse and buy more items. Paramore, on the other hand, have text which says 'ALBUM OUT NOW!'. This allows the viewer to buy the album immediently. This too could be a marketing ploy due to the genre not being as well known as Pop and R&B (like Stefani), so people may need to be notified and reminded that they have an album out. Unlike Stefani who is both popular and, at the time, was in the charts. So the audience was constantly reminded of her music.

Photography/Artwork: In Paramore's magazine advert they have a mix of both a photograph and artist effects. The image of the band is the main focus which include all the members of the band, with the main singer at the front. The background of the image is of a plain, brown wall. However, this then links in with the rest of the advert which is artist effects. There is a wooden background with butterflies at the bottom. The butterflies are the same as the front cover of their album which is being advertised. This advert shows how 'natural' the band are and supports the fact that their music is not electronic or edited music, it is also natural. On the other hand, Gwen Stefani's advert is a zoomed in version of her album cover. Although the image itself has been manipulated on a photography software, it is evident that the picture is of Stefani herself, holding a crown and a PIMP STICK (?!). This could symbolise her being 'the queen' of pop music.

How is the artist being portrayed: Stefani is portrayed on her magazine advert as being 'the queen' of pop. She has had many albums and is well known within, not only her specific genre, but throughout the entire music industry. In the image she looks laid back and relaxed as she slumps in the throne. This could show how her music is quite easy to listen to. Another way Stefani and her music is being portrayed is through the effect used to manipulate the image. It looks almost liquified and distorted, showing how, although her music may be easy and fun to listen too, is also quite edgy and different. The other advert for Paramore shows how the group are together. The piano indicates their passion for music, the band all together shows how they are commited to one another and their closeness and then also the quirky pose from their main singer (Hayley Williams) which could mean they were quite 'out there' and a bit different. Another important factor which portrays the band well is that they address the audience as a single indiviual. By using the phrase "YOUR FAVOURITE BAND IS BACK" it speaks directly to their audience and makes the listeners of their music feel like they have more of a connection with the band. Paramore's advert appears a lot more friendly and appealing to their fans than Stefani's advert, this may be due to the fact that Paramore's genre is a lot smaller and have a niche audience which they are proud of.

Colour scheme: In this particular magazine advert for Stefani, the main colours are gold, white and pink. There isn't a vast variety of colour but they do all blend together well and there's isn't a massive contrast. The colour sceme is soft, light and almost angelic like. The bight and high key colours reflect her music in a way that shows she is upbeat and positive. In the other advert for Paramore, they have a different use of colours. In their magazine advert they use mainly quite 'earthy' colours such as brown, orange and black. These colours aren't typically seen as upbeat, but resemble the band well with their 'natural' music.