Question 2 of my Media A Level Evaluation

1. Media Evaluation
Q2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary
texts?

2. To answer this question the word effective must itself be considered. I will be
looking at the extent to which the relations between all my products have an
effect on the consumer.
For both ancillary tasks, these being the digipak and the album advert, there are
multiple clear links to the main product in the music video for ‘Childs Play’.

3. The first of these links is the main
image which can be found both on the
front cover of the digipak, as well as
on the album advert. There are two
aspects of the image that link to the
music video. These are the outline of
Aubrey, as well as the scenic picture
of London which fills it. Aubrey is a
well established artist who has risen to
fame due to the success of his
previous singles, one of these being
the recent ‘Childs Play’ which has just
been released as a music video. It is
this success which has created an
image for Aubrey and therefore an
outline of him would be recognised by
almost anyone. The outline is effective
as it notifies the album and advert
goer that the album is by Aubrey, and
therefore it is an essential buy.

4. As for the scenic photograph of
London, this would be familiar to those
who have seen the music video for the
newly released ‘Childs Play’. The
video features many breathtaking
shots of London, therefore when one
sees the advert or album, they are
able to instantly think of ‘Childs Play’
and the success of the single, making
them to want to purchase the material.
It can therefore be concluded that this
link is very effective as it connects the
texts together. The video sells the
album, and the album sells the video,
in the sense that the scenery on the
front cover attracts consumers due to
their familiarity with ‘Childs Play’. One
may also purchase ‘Visions’ without
have ever watching the music video
for ‘Childs Play’, and the content
within the album may drive them to
want to watch the video.

5. Another link which has been made between the music video for ‘Childs Play’ and
the digipak is the actual name of the album in ‘Visions’. The word ‘Visions’
connotes this idea of the ability to think about or plan into the future with
imagination or wisdom. This ties in with the themes involved in ‘Childs Play’. The
song is about the way in which Aubrey knows he has been seeing a girl who is
only interested in him for his wealth and riches. Throughout the video there are
multiple shots of the artist looking out into the distance, implying these thoughts
are always on his minds and that sooner rather than later, he is going to have to
do something to end this. These are his ‘Visions’, linking the album advert to the
video effectively.

6. One more link that has been made between the
music video for ‘Childs Play’ and the digipak is
the prominent sighting of the ‘Octobers Very
Own’ Owl emblem which features throughout the
video on Aubreys jumper, as well as on the disk
within the digipak. The constant sighting of this
icon reminds the consumer of the label that has
gone to effort to bring this content to life, making
the material possible, therefore giving the
company the credit that they deserve. The Owl
also acts as a branding strategy to get OVO out
there as a good, with merchandise that can be
sold to the consumers. For example, one may
see Aubrey wearing the hoodie in the video and
this may make them to want to buy it because
they aspire to be like him. Seeing the Owl on the
disk also reminds the consumer of the label, and
if they are impressed by the content that they're
provided with, this may make them to want to buy
more content from the label. For example, one
may like ‘Visions’ so much that they may go and
purchase ‘CELEBRATIONOVERTHEROAD’S’
new album (an artist also under OVO sound).
The constant reminder of the record label
throughout all texts is highly effective as it
furthers the success of the products as it leads to
an almost positive multiplier, benefiting the
hierarchy above the album.

7. A final link that has been made between the digipak and the music video is the hit
singles lyrics page. This contains lyrics for the songs which made the charts and
were so successful with the public prior to the release of the album, one of these
being ‘Childs Play’. The song is a new one, and having just had a music video
released for it, this will make it very familiar with the world of music. The recent
popularity of the song will focus gain attention towards the digipak, as some may
feel incomplete without the album. It has a lyrics page for a song which is ever so
popular amongst many, as well as nineteen other tracks which are likely to be as
uplifting as the previous single release. The inclusion of the hit single ‘Childs
Play’ within the album is a pivotal one in the success of the digipak. After being
featured in the charts for many weeks, it has been released alongside nineteen
other tracks, making this project feel such a promising one.

8. In terms of the links which have been made between the digipak and album
advert, they are both aesthetically pleasing in the way that they both have this
gold, textured theme running throughout. Its slick and consistent, just like the
main artist Aubrey who has been providing content year after year and has been
ever so successful with it. I think that having a theme running through both texts
is key, especially due to the fact that the advert is promoting the release of the
digipak. When one sees the gold of the advert, to locate the album in store or
online, they wont have to read up on where to locate the text, all they'll have is
the simple task of finding the gold album which stands out from all. The theme is
eye catching and is unlike anything I have seen before an album front cover
which is what makes the idea so innovative. The colour gains attraction towards
the texts and therefore furthers success for both the record labels, as well as
Aubrey himself.

9. To conclude, I feel that the combination of both the music video, as well as the
digipak and the album advert has been a successful one. The content that the
texts provide allows them to work in a way by which they all support and promote
each other, further benefiting the people behind them.