Analysis of a magazine advert for my A2 media coursework.

1. A N A L Y S I N G
A M A G A Z I N E
A D V E R T

2. CONTENT
The magazine advert for Mika’s “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” contains a
proliferation of features considered conventional to this particular form of media
text such as the name of the artist, the title of the album, the album’s release date,
the names of hit singles featured on the album, the address of the artist’s official
promotional website, and an image of the artist himself. By including a large
number of conventional features within the advert, it may be more likely that the
artist and his album is more effectively promoted, as all a greater number of
consumer interests will be covered.
GENRE CONVENTIONS
As previously mentioned, the extensive use of bright, vibrant colours is the most
obvious indicator that “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” will fall into the pop genre.
Another element included within this particular magazine advert that could be
considered conventional to the pop genre is the close-up shot of Mika himself,
featured in the top-right of the picture. Typically, pop artists are sold to their target
audiences through their appearance, and record companies often create an image
of the artist that’s considered both appealing and attractive. Therefore, by including
images of the artist in a range of promotional material, the artist is more effectively
promoted. However, this advert only features a small photograph of the artist,
which may suggest that, although Mika is partially sold through his image, it’s not
his USP/main selling point.

3. STYLE, DESIGN, AND USE OF COLOUR
In this advert, the chosen background image is almost identical to that which
has been used for the front cover of the “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” album
itself, with the only difference being the application of a monochromatic effect
to the top-left and bottom-right corners. Repeating the imagery used on the
front cover of the album within the magazine advert clearly ties the two texts
together, which aids the creation of a consistent, distinguishable promotional
campaign that effectively conveys the artist’s brand image. In addition to this,
repeating the imagery ensures that the target audience will quickly and easily be
able to recognise the album after it has been released, and they may be more
likely to buy it as a result.
Mika is an artist who is well-known for his extensive use of bright, vibrant
colours across his promotional campaigns; from this particular advert, it’s clear
that the campaign for “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” is no different. By using
such bold colours within this advert, theupbeat, fast-paced nature of Mika’s
music is clearly conveyed to the consumer, as well as the genre in which he
works, as the use of bright colours is a convention closely associated with the
pop genre. Moreover, using a variety of vivid colours ensures that the magazine
advert is both eye-catching and visually striking, and therefore more likely to
attract members of a wider audience as well as members of the target audience.

4. TYPOGRAPHY
A blue and white colour scheme has been used consistently for all of the typography
featured in this particular magazine advert. As a result, the text contrasts with the busy,
colourful background, which means that it’s not only easier to read, but it’s more eye-
catching as well.
Although the colours used for typography are consistent, a different font has been used for
the name of the artist, the title of the album, and the small-print in the bottom-right
corner of the advert as well. The name of the artist himself, printed in bold, sans-serif,
capitalised letters, appears three-dimensional, and is the largest piece of text that appears
within the advert. The size of the text and the three-dimensional aspect ensures that this
information is further emphasised against the background image, which means the
consumer will easily be able to understand that this advert is part of Mika’s campaign. In a
similar fashion to the name of the artist, the font used for the title of the album is both
bold and sans-serif, but for this section of text, a bubble effect has been added. In doing
so, the title of the album reflects the fun, quirky, youthful theme that’s conveyed by the
chosen background image, and will therefore add greater appeal.
The small-print featured in the bottom-right corner of the advert has been printed in a
bold, serif font, and gradually decreases in size towards the bottom of the page. As this
section of text isn’t designed to catch the initial interest of the consumer, it doesn’t have
to be as large or obvious as the name of the artist/the title of the album. However, it’s still
important that key information, such as the date of the album’s release, and the names of
recognisable tracks featured on the album, are read by the consumer, as this will increase
the likelihood of them buying the album itself. Therefore, it’s ensured that the text still fits
with the themes presented in the advert, and is large enough to be noticeable.

5. SYNERGY
As previously mentioned, the background image used for this magazine advert is
almost identical to that which has been used for the front cover of the album itself,
therefore creating a direct link between the two products, and strengthening the
consistency of the promotional campaign.
In addition to this, the name of the artist has been both positioned and designed
on the front cover of the “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” album – and therefore in
the advert for the album as well – to be near identical to the way it has been
positioned and designed on the front cover of his album, “Life In Cartoon Motion”,
with the only difference being the colour scheme used for each of them. As a result
of this stylistic choice, the two albums and their promotional campaigns have been
tied together, which not only reinforces Mika’s brand image and brand identity, but
ensures that his work will be more recognisable to his target audience.
Furthermore, the magazine advert has synergetic links to the music video that was
produced for the single, “We Are Golden”, which has been credited in the advert as
featuring on the album. In this particular music video, the primary location used is a
large, untidy, colourfully decorated bedroom, bearing a lot of similarity to the
bedroom depicted in the background image of the advert.
Moreover, a website address for the artist’s official promotional website has been
featured within the magazine advert. By ensuring that this link has been
mentioned, the magazine advert further promotes the artist to his target audience
by encouraging members to engage with other promotional materials related to
the artist and his work, and gather further information regarding the artist himself.

6. AUDIENCE APPEAL
In this particular advert, the background image appears to reflect
elements of teen culture. For example, we see a young man lying half-on-
half-off of his bed, his floor/furniture is littered with books, clothes, vinyl
records, etc., and his walls are covered in posters; the bedroom is a
replication of a stereotypical teen bedroom. Members of the artist’s target
audience – both males and females aged 14 – 24 – may be able to identify
with the imagery used, which will make the advert more appealing to
them. Furthermore, the imagery used may have a nostalgic appeal to
members of an older, wider audience, who may be reminded of their
younger years through the advert, and buy into Mika’s promotional
campaign for this reason. Not only would members of the artist’s target
audience be drawn in by the abstract yet relatable background image, but
it’s likely that the light-hearted, fun, youthful themes conveyed through
the use of a vibrant colour scheme will appeal to them as well.
Dedicated fans of the artist and his music are likely to find this advert
appealing as it conveys a brand image that is not only consistent with the
campaign for Mika’s “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” album, but with the
promotional campaign for his previous album, “Life In Cartoon Motion”. By
maintaining a consistent brand image and distinguishable brand identity
across two promotional campaigns, the likelihood that existing fans of the
artist will continue to support him is increased; their belief in his star
image will grow stronger, and they will know what to expect from him.