The combination of the artist's main product (music video and CD) and ancillary texts (CD digipak and magazine advert) creates synergy through consistent imagery and promotion of the artist's brand identity. The digipak and advert use the same background and photos from the music video. Both also promote purchasing the music on iTunes. This consistency across products helps promote the artist within the R&B genre and record label. The brand identity positions the artist as powerful yet relatable to audiences.

1. How effective is the
combination of your
main product and
ancillary texts?
By Rocharna McNaughton

2. What is Synergy?
 In order for us to answer this evaluation question effectively we must first
identify what is meant by synergy and how it can be effective in relation to
this A2 coursework.
 Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations/agents
to produce a combined effect greater than separate attempts. In this case I
will show how synergy between my music video, the CD digipak and my
magazine advert, achieved this.

3. Digipak
 The digipak is used to directly sell my artist ‘Jhene Aiko’
and her music ‘Wrap me up’. For example, my artist is
wearing a big gold chain around her neck, which conforms to
representations of the R&B image. This helps sell her music
as the target audience will recognise this CD as belonging to
their desired genre.
 Jhene Aiko is represented as angelic yet powerful. As can
be seen, she is lying on her side looking down which shows
her innocence. This contrasts with her black/black lipstick
to show that her words are powerful and presents her music
as powerful.
 Digipaks of other genres (for example, indie) contain
powerful lyrics and this is seen as most important. However
in an R&B genre it is mainly about artist image which is why
the inside of my digipak contained more photos of my artist.
 Throughout the four panel digipak I have used images of the
same background as opposed to conforming to a white
backdrop. As a result existing costumers will associate this
background with my artist which will help me with synergy
when making the magazine advert.

4. Magazine Advert
 The magazine advert has the same image as seen on the front cover of my CD
digipak. This magazine advert would be posted in R&B magazines such as VIBE and
also online R&B magazines such as rnbmagazine.com. Furthermore, because we
know that the audience for R&B hardcopy magazines are decreasing, it is clear
that my target audience is predominately online. This means that it is easier for
my target audience to make music purchases online which is why there is an
iPhone barcode on my music magazine that is directly linked up to iTunes (another
online source).
 Doing this we can see that there is synergy between the digipak, the music advert
and the music video. The photos where taken from the music video and therefore
there is a consist image running through all ancillary products to help promote and
easily recognise features from my music video, an example of this is the patterned
backdrop.
 There is also synergy between my magazine advert and iTunes. The magazine
advert promotes that the single ‘wrap me up’ can be purchased on itunes which
increases revenue and also Def Jam record labels.
 There is also synergy between the typography used on the music advert and the
CD digipak. Whereby I kept the idea that R&B fans like big chains so the same gold
typography and font on both text.

5. Brand Identity
 Creating a brand identity for Jhene Aiko was more difficult than it would have
been for an already established artist because they already have an
established fan base. Due to Jhene being new to the mainstream industry I
could not work around her pre-existing image, and I therefore had to create
what I thought it would be from similar R&B artists within the same record
label.
 A lot of this research was done on Def Jam Records; the brand identity of
their signed artists and how that contributed to the brand identity of Def Jam
Records as a whole. I think that this was my strong point in this coursework.

6. Brand Identity & Record Label
 The brand identity of my artist Jhene Aiko has to conform to other artists in this record
label. For example, Mariah Carey has a new album coming out called ‘ME. I AM Mariah’ and
the album cover is covered in gold. Gold represents the artists as expensive and also of
higher status than its audience. This allows the audience to look up to the artist in this
record label
 All of Def Jam’s adverts when promoting their artists new singles/albums include that the
album can be purchased on iTunes. This can create the identity that the artists and the
audience are modern and embrace that their audience are part of the age of technology.
Maximising their revenue by promoting legal downloads (we are aware that the R&B
audience rarely buy CD Digipaks and therefore provide an alternative)
 My artist Jhene Aiko is seen as having a celebrity status by publishing my magazine advert
in VIBE. Artists that are in this magazine are seen as glamorous, popular and high end in
the music industry.
 My artist is dressed in black with black lipstick, this represents her as being dark and
serious. Furthermore, the lipstick represents her as being able to speak her mind which
can mean that sometimes it can be cynical.
 The fact my artist is looking down represents that she is looking down on her competition
and also reinforces the identity that she is of higher status as opposed to just a regular
person (a stereotypical feature of an R&B artist)
 To empathise and regain their connection with their target audience/fans, R&B artists
normally represent themselves as going through everyday struggles. For example, in their
music they will talk about mundane struggles such as falling in an out of love. This is why
in my music video I included narrative and a performance element so that the target
audience could identify with the artist as they feel like they have been through the same
as Jhene Aiko

7. Brand Identity & Record Label
 Def Jam Records usual promote their artists on their official website
defjam.com and through VIBE magazine (print and online). Looking through
the other adverts in this magazine, such as adidas adverts, we can see that
the target audience is materialistic which is what fuelled my decision to make
my typography gold.
 Jhene aiko is represented as having a well kept image in the magazine
advert. This is in keeping with other adverts in this magazine, such as high
end perfumes, which shows me that the target audience care about their
physical appearance.