magazine advert analysis 1

1. This is the magazine advert for
Jay Z’s 3rd Blueprint album,
which was released the 14th of
September 2009 in the UK, as it
says in the bottom of the
advert. The album was
released as a CD and for
download at the same time,
which allowed parallel sales of
the album. It was available for
download on iTunes, which is
one of the biggest sources for
downloadable music while the
CD is sold in shops such as
HMV. The advert just shows an
image of the album cover,
which is a pile of instruments
such as trumpets and
keyboards which have been stuck together. This could be an example of
modern art, suggesting to the audience that the artist is very modern and
versatile in his music. The background and the instruments are painted in white
in order to make the 3 red lines stand out. There are 3 because it is the 3rd
blueprint album and the colour red could be associated with blood and power.
The name of the artist and the title of the album is at the top of the advert
because, as Jay Z is a very well-known artist and doesn’t need to promote
himself, they want to draw people’s attention to the image and to the new album
so people recognize it and buy it. That is also why he used a picture of an art
piece instead of a picture of himself.
At the bottom of the advert, they try to describe the content of the album and
promote it by showing the title of the best/most popular singles of the album
(“Run this town” and “ D.D.A.”) They are also advertising the record label, Rock
Nation. The date of the release is shown in a bigger font so people remember it.
Jay-Z has his own website “www.jay-z.com” and it can be seen on the
magazine advert under the release date. It’s quite small and you can barely
read it as it isn’t something particularly important but some people may want it.
This advert is very simple but effective and it is definitely not a stereotypical rap
album cover. R&B and Rap album covers and adverts usually show an image of
the artist wearing his best top with baggy jeans and wearing his bling and
jewels, This is a very well laid out magazine advert and the font used is very
professional and easy to read, making it very easy for the audience to identify
who the artist is and what the album is called.