Share a Coke Campaign

Share a Coke was a marketing campaign Coca-Cola launched in 2013 and 2014 after the company finally found a viral campaign that'd increase mass consumption. It consisted of replacing their iconic logo with either a common word or names.

Instead of appealing to the masses, they appealed to individuals. The message was simple, to share a coke with whomever's name was on the front. That, or either try and get your name.

I think it was quite successful, as proved by the statistics which show that more than 150 million personalised bottles were sold in 2014.  One of the reasons why the campaign was successful were the light-hearted TV advertisings for the summer which, along with the website where cans could be personalized, with now even more names were available, meant more people would be likely to want to find theirs or another's. The users could also share their images on social media with #Shareacoke in platforms like Twitter and Facebook, encouraging more people to do the same, in this way the platform also benefitted from the "global trend of self-expression and sharing" as marketing director Lucie Austin claims. 

Cross Platform Advertising

Q. What is cross-platform advertising? Give a definition using detailed examples (300 words) 
Cross-platform advertising (also called cross-media) refers to advertising through different media platforms such as tv, mobile, etc. It increases the chances of reaching a costumer so that they buy a product. Throughout this essay, I will be exploring cross-platform advertising with the help of examples in order to demonstrate how it is used to target audiences effectively. Cross-media is often used by businesses with decent budges, as it's the smartest option in order to sell your product because of its efficacity.
One of the media forms that can be used is print e.g. in the bus, tube, etc. These are the printed adverts that one can see if they take public transport, which is most people's option. It's an optional choice, as several people have to move through such means, to get to work, school and other commitments, meaning they're really likely to come across the printed adverts throughout their journey.
Another media form is TV. The adverts play while there's a break or two in between programs, indicating viewers have to stick around, waiting for the program to resume, having to watch some or all of the commercials.
A type of media similar to TV is the radio. Here, the adverts play between music, and instead of visual they solely rely on sound. However, marketing consultant Mike Brassil claims "radio advertising is relatively cheap compared to print or television" which makes it an attractive choice to businesses that want to get their product out there.
Social media is one of the modern media platforms, which also contain ads. These run whilst you're watching a Snapchat or Instagram story, as well as whilst you're scrolling through your timeline. It effectively places itself in a platform that's widely used and can be used anywhere, unlike print, TV and radio. It stops the viewer and can draw them in if they're curious about the product that's being offered.
Oftentimes, advertising is suited to each demographic, as there are ads for every type of audience. This helps build the success of an advert campaign as it will reach people that are likely to buy the product. An interested audience will make cross-platform advertising more successful.
On the other hand, cross-platform advertising could also have the opposite effect, and because it is constantly advertised everywhere, the audience could be annoyed at the repetitive nature of it. It could also have a negative effect as adverts among media forms such as stories, or TV programs interrupt the viewer whilst they're doing something.
In conclusion, I think cross-platform advertising is effective as it is spread throughout various media platforms, meaning it will constantly chase the audience, and make the advert memorable. However, they could also have a negative effect and annoy the audience.

Music Video Analysis Key Terms

Purpose: Promotion of single/ album/ artist- to increase sales in an artist's music

Style:
Performance- the artist can be seen lip singing along with the music (e.g. Single Ladies)
Narrative- the music video tells a story (e.g. Norf Norf)
Thematic- theme of a song  is taken and something different is done with it (e.g. This Is America)
music videos can contain different types of styles, in fact they often do (e.g. California Girls)

Moving image codes:
Camera- shots (close up)- to give a first impression of the person in the shot e.g. Vince Staples at the beginning of Norf Norf expresses confidence
            - angles (high/low)- often to express dominance or roles between people e.g. in the end of Norf Norf there's a slightly high angle which makes him seem smaller in the frame and could've been used to express how the viewer sees him differently now he's in prison
            - movement (pan/tilt/zoom)- focus on a specific area
Editing- cut e.g. upbeat songs can use lots of cuts
            -fade e.g. ballads would use the fade effect instead of cuts
            -pale
            -cut to beat

Visual codes:
Expression and gesture- e.g. facial expressions and body language can present a person in a music video as likeable or unlikable
Costume and props- e.g. clothes from older centuries (colonial and 20th century America)  are used in Beyonce's Formation video to contribute to the message she wants to send
Iconography- e.g. police car
Lightning and colour- e.g. the black and white palette used in Beyonce's Single Ladies video showcases classiness and glamour
Graphics- explicit messages which can briefly explain the meaning of a music video e.g. Beyonce's formation video contains the phrase 'Stop shooting us' written on a wall to express her opinion on police brutality against African-Americans

Key terms:
Genre
Star persona- how the artist presents himself to be like e.g. Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues contributes to the songwriter aspect of his star persona as he used to be praised for his lyrics which is what the video consists of.
Motif- anything used repeatedly by an artist e.g. Beyonce's costumes and dance
Anchorage- the union of the visual element of a video and the lyrics of a song
Binary deposites- two opposite aspects expressed in a music video e.g. independence vs relationships in Meghan Trainor's Dear Future Husband
Intertextuality- media form referring to another media form (more often in films)

Representation of gender in the media

Task: Explore how gender is represented in at least two examples from the media (TV, magazines, music videos, games, film, TV advertising, etc)

Click here to view essay

All About Me

Carolina and Nerea

Task: To create a 60 secs documentary about ourselves

All About Me Media Documentary (some about us)