Task One: Analysis Radio Advertisements
The Volkswagen Polo ad highlights the importance of voice-overs immensely, it helps connote that for every different voice over which can be utilised, it can also be matched up with a different target audience which will be suitable. As different products will be aimed at different audiences, it is important to first identify the audience concerned, it is then that you can research into the ideal voice-over for the advert. Voice-overs are much more than an advertising tool though, they can relate, assure and help inform any audience just from having an authoritative tone, a comforting voice or even a regional accent. The voices used throughout the ad highlight how different voice-overs imply different outlooks, for example the female voice is assuring yet friendly, making the product trustworthy which will appeal to women. Whilst the last voice-over has a deep tone which insists the product is powerful and also meaningful, power being something which men desire constantly.The style of the advert is both straightforward and humorous, straightforward in the sense that each voice over actor introduces them-self and then explain what purpose they serve whilst also advertising the product itself. The ad can also be found humorous as it's quite witty the way that each actor explains their purpose whilst acting out their professional voices to a highly convincing standard. It holds a persuasive purpose,'I'm here to smoothy assure you that this product, is the finest of its kind', in which each voice-over attempts to appeal to their specialist audiences.
Task 2: Create 2 adverts with different styles and purposes
Task 3: Analysing the structure of a radio station
Galaxy 105 has 3 major sales teams, each being divided into different sectors in aiding the business. The first team represents Galaxy to all the major advertising agencies within London and all the global brands, Coca-Cola being an example, this is due to the fact that most of these big agencies are based in London, therefore it makes sense to have a sales team in that region. The next operational sales team is based in Galaxy's Manchester offices, whom of which speak to the major advertising agencies inside Manchester, as national and international brands tend to have their agencies represented in Manchester. The final team is a local sales team who speak to all the potential advertisers within Yorkshire, the advertisers could range from public service messages to nightclubs. CPT (Cost Per Thousand) is the currency which Galaxy go by when negotiating with potential advertisers, they calculate how many listeners they will have throughout the week, it is from this that they can work out how many listeners the advert actually got through to, once this has been done a price can then be worked out as to how many times the advert will be used. Galaxy recommend that adverts should be played over a period of at least 3 months, as it helps build up a repetition which will stick to the audiences memory after a constant reiteration of the ad. Alternate methods of advertising which Galaxy offer are also through their website, which would reach out to the online listeners, there is also the Galaxy newsletter which goes out to members as well as the Galaxy Life Magazine, so there are many ways in which advertisers can appeal to their potential customers.
Task Four: Structures
When creating an advert, you want a voice-over which is both appealing and appropriate to its target audience, in this case a new beer aimed at working class men. If the area I was advertising within was local, Yorkshire for example, a broad Yorkshire accent would serve the voice-over purpose well, as it is stereotypical fact that working men broaden their accent in a conversational context, it's all to do with their clichéd 'grafting' way of life as well as their love for beer, girls and football. With this in mind Paul Loughran seemed an ideal candidate as he came back with a 100% positive correlation with what I was looking for when I searched for a cheerful, Yorkshire accent voice-over. I chose the style of a cheerful voice-over as at the end of a long days graft for our working men audience, there would be a feeling of relief and joy at being able to pop down to the local for a well deserved pint with the rest of the lads. And as for the Yorkshire accent, the fact that the advertisement is being broadcasted across that particular region, it could create a bond with the audience as it's always comforting to hear a voice which is close to home. Another great attribute about Paul Loughran is how he has an 'excellent ability for specific characterisations and accents', what's more is that he actually lives in Yorkshire, therefore he'll already have a strong grasp on the Yorkshire accent and the way of life within the region.
Task Four Cont: Structures
The Volkswagen Polo ad highlights the importance of voice-overs immensely, it helps connote that for every different voice over which can be utilised, it can also be matched up with a different target audience which will be suitable. As different products will be aimed at different audiences, it is important to first identify the audience concerned, it is then that you can research into the ideal voice-over for the advert. Voice-overs are much more than an advertising tool though, they can relate, assure and help inform any audience just from having an authoritative tone, a comforting voice or even a regional accent. The voices used throughout the ad highlight how different voice-overs imply different outlooks, for example the female voice is assuring yet friendly, making the product trustworthy which will appeal to women. Whilst the last voice-over has a deep tone which insists the product is powerful and also meaningful, power being something which men desire constantly.
Task 5: MCPS and PRS
PRS for Music (previously the Performing Rights Society) which was rebranded in 2009, is a non-profit-making company, the establishment ensures that songwriters and publishers a like earn money when their material is being used, for example it could be that a song is used on a radio station, a television programme or even an advert. Yet these songwriters, composers and publishers all have to become members of the organisation first. PRS for Music customers are able to buy a license which allows them to play or use members music. The usage of material used is then calculated to work out how much money should go to each writer. Over 350,000 businesses within the UK have paid for a license already, yet some establishments don't require one, for example hospitals and residential homes. MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) on the other hand is a similar company. They pay the due royalties to music publishers, songwriters and composers when their music is sold, this starts with the obvious being CDs and downloads yet it also stretches to films and computer games if their music is used as a soundtrack. These two companies struck into an operational agreement in 1997, duly named MCPS-PRS Alliance, yet the company was rebranded in 2009 to PRS for Music. Most companies nowadays have a contract with the concerning companies, with the larger ones paying considerably more due to the higher percentage of music they are likely to consume, whereas a much smaller or in this case, a trial company like PGFM, are to pay a much smaller fee as it's only for a 2 week duration.
Task Six: Identifying a Client (P1, M1, D1)
My client for this project will be Verity's Hair Salon, of Town Street, Farsley. They are a local hairdressers, established in 2003 by Verity Proctor. The business started with just herself, though as the business has grown she has taken on Lauren Hemsley and Coral Jade. She hopes that the radio advert will continue to aid in her business' expansion, with plans to diverge into a second salon in the next two years.
The advantages of the radio advertisement are varied; hopefully a much wider target market can be catered for, as the majority of the salon's popularity comes from word of mouth. This works perfectly well for a market based within Farsley, but in order to achieve the finance needed to open a second store, the customer base needs to be expanded. As well as drawing in prospective new customers, the radio advert could bring back old customers who've been elsewhere in recent times.
Task Seven: Client Brief (P1, M1, D1)
Task Eight: Proposal Scripts (P1, M1, D1)
Proposal Script One:
MALE: Looking to treat yourself for that big night out?
FEMALE: Or maybe just a quick trim?
MALE: Either way, Verity's Hair Salon, of Town Street, Farsley, is the place to be; with stylists of all ages, they can sort you out with whichever style you'd require.
FEMALE: Known for it's family friendly environment, Verity's caters to all ages with it's local team of professional trained stylists.
MALE: Worried about being out of pocket? Don't be! With children's cuts from £3.50, and the new Student Loyalty Card, there's a great 10% discount available on every visit.
FEMALE: With it's award winning window display, Verity's is a well respected local business, which this celebrates it's tenth year of hairdressing excellence. Now taking bookings for the prom season, just give Verity and the girls a call on 01132551991, or pop instore.
MALE: That's 01132551991. Verity's Hair Salon - why be a sparrow when you can be a bird of paradise?
Proposal Script Two:
FEMALE: I can't wait for the prom!
FEMALE 2: Me either! But I really want a new look to impress everyone.
FEMALE: You should try Verity's down Town Street in Farsley! My cousin went there for her prom and she looked amazing! Everyone said she looked drop dead gorgeous!
MALE: Wanting to spruce yourself up for that special occasion? Maybe just a quick cut? Whichever way, Verity and her team are ready to offer you the slickest styles, and ten years experience of excellence in hairdressing.
FEMALE 2: Wow, that sounds great! Have you got their number?
FEMALE: Yeah, it's 01132551991!
FEMALE 2: Hang on, I'll just pen it down - so that's 01132551991 right?
FEMALE: Sure is!
FEMALE 2: Great, I'll give them a call now!
MALE: Verity's Hair Salon - why be a sparrow when you can be a bird of paradise?
Task Ten: Final Drafts (P1, M1, D1)
I chose Proposal Number One as my final draft, as per the feedback from Verity, who preferred this one. I then requested the use of two of my classmates in order to complete the recording process. Below is my first draft production.
Task Eleven: Production (P1, M1, D1)
My finished radio advertisement is below. The feedback from my client was exceedingly positive.
Task Twelve: Evaluation (P1, M1, D1)
My original purpose was to create a successful promotional advert for a local business; the one I chose was hair salon, Verity's. I feel that I achieved my intention, and the advert was generally a success. The music I used, an adapted version of the Sex and the City theme tune, fit the genre perfectly, and adhered to one of the specific requests made in the client brief. I feel that the majority of these requests were fulfilled to a good quality. The recorder I used was an Edirol r-90, a highly advanced MP3 recorder, and thus most of the recording used in my piece sound quite professional. However, if I was to re-create my piece, I would use the most advanced recording software in the radio studio, in order to guarantee crystal sound.
I played my advertisement to several of my classmates in order to gather some potential audience feedback; it was generally positive, though some male members of the group commented that they felt it did not apply to their particular tastes. Though Verity's is unisex, the main target audience are women, so this was somewhat expected. However, if I were to re-record, I would perhaps give more consideration to any potential male customers. I feel that all my audience took my preferred reading, and all were impressed with both the quality of the advert, as well as the product I was promoting.
I feel that the message I gave out in my product was mostly positive; there were no derogatory comments aimed at any oppositional parties; the majority of the advertisement was simply promotion of the product. My clip contained two female voices, with one male providing the over-arching information; a narrator of sorts. This could relate to why several male consumers felt disillusioned from the product, due to it being mainly female dominated. The music track I used was, as previously mentioned, an adapted version of HBO's exceedingly popular Sex and the City franchise. This has extreme connotations of the feminine, which will greatly appeal to my target market. I felt that the language use was completely appropriate; the discussions about Prom linked with good deals, would appeal to both young girls who are GOING to the Prom; and the mothers who PAY for it.
I felt that the levels were fairly stabilised across my piece; my use of the Edirol recording technology ensured the best quality in sound, so things were fairly equalised already. The difficulty arose when I had to alter the levels to accord to certain sections of the music bed, as well as lowering the music so my actors could speak. Although there was some slight overlap in the levels of song and voice, I feel that overall, my levels were fairly high standard. There was a slight cut in sound during part of Howard's lines; a slight vocal mistake on his part. I decided to attempt to edit it using Garageband software, and although the cut is barely noticeable, in future I would probably just choose to re-record.
The typical conventions of this genre of advertisement tend to be very feminine-orientated content and language; advertising is essentially a stereotyped business; the only way it can be. Although there are numerous women who do not find this kind of thing appealing, advertisers have to appeal to the highest common denominator. Traditionally, a good narrative structure has a beginning, middle and end, as per the structures of the English Language (unless of course, a remix of this order is used to make a stylistic keynote) as well as adhering to Todorov's theories of Equilibrium (balance), Disruption (an event, usually bad) and Resolution (the ending) - again, these things can be changed around in order to make creative points. Additionally, Prop also theorizes that all stories have heroes, villains, damsels-in-distress etc.
If I were to recreate my product, I would ensure the voice clips I used were completely correct. Additionally, the tone of some of my actors was not completely happy; a bored voice does not sell products as effectively as a completely engaged one. I would also consider a different song choice, as due to the contemporary popularity of Sex and the City, it may shift the focus away from the product and more towards the song.
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