Magazine Advert Analysis - Miss Miller

The purpose of a magazine album advert

There are various different purposes to an artist displaying adverts for their albums within magazines one of the main objectives being to promote the artist as well as the actual album itself. It is useful for artists to buy pages for adverts in various different magazines not only as it means more coverage but also so that frequent readers of magazines are seeing the advert time and time again meaning that both the artist and their album shall remain in the readers head for longer and more recognisably often people believe that artists who are more well known are better/more successful hence this added media coverage shall benefit the artist. This may also work well as a constant reminder of the up coming album meaning that the audience is less likely to forget about the artist and there album hence meaning that they are more likely to purchase it as it will be something which has been on there mind rather than buying albums from competing artists which they haven't heard so much about.

Having an advert for an artists album within a magazine is beneficial to the artists as it allows them to cover a wider range of the media and reach out to more people interested within the media hence meaning that the artist shall be reaching people who are likely to be interested in music but won't go searching for it meaning that the artist shall face less competition compared to advertising there music on music sites or YouTube this results in the artist being able to pick out members of the audience others won't be focusing on. Keeping away from mainstream outlets of advertisement means that the advert is more likely to be taken notice of as when people are expecting to see adverts they often look past them as they view them as nothing more than an advert urging them to buy a product they don't exactly want or need. Yet when an advert is somewhere it isn't expected people are more likely to acknowledge it as it's something fresh and therefore more interesting to them.

Often artists obtain adverts for their albums within magazines where by the magazine is already displaying the artist for the use of an interview. This benefits both the artist and the magazine as the magazine are able to print a story as well as coming across as a fresh and up to date magazine as they are promoting and documenting new and upcoming talent. Where as it benefits the artist as it is a much more subtle way to advertise hence the audience don't feel bombarded with advertisements for the new album and grow fed up or bored of hearing about the new album and the artist themselves as over advertising can also damage the artists success as the audience may feel that they are too mainstream or due to hearing so much about them decide they want to hear about someone else.

Often if reader  are fans of a particular magazine then they value what the magazine prints; so when a magazine prints an advert promoting both an artist and their up coming album the reader is more likely to become interested in them. Due to the fact that this artist has made it into this magazine, it is widely believed that things printed within magazines including the adverts are all connected not only does the artist have to apply for a position in the magazine but the magazine has to approve it and decide that this is the type of advert which they want to be running with. This applies a sort of backing and support from the magazine to the artist helping and promoting their success.


Soul artist Paloma Faith's album advert:

Within her magazine album advert the artist is represented conventionally towards her chosen genre of soul. The artist is displayed rather creatively via a number of different shots of herself edited together to tell an almost story. Which in itself is conventional of the soul genre as the genre is recognised for being more than just about the beat of the music, the appearance of the artist and the ability the tune has to urge the audience to want to dance wish song of other genres such as dance or pop are often based upon. These genres are thought as obtaining less depth compared to genres such as soul as they are less about the lyrical content and more about superficial things. Soul is thought to be much deeper as artists of the genre are known for putting more thought into lyrics and often more of themselves as they demonstrate their thoughts and feelings throughout their work as well as providing narratives for the audience within their work. Often these stories told throughout their music via the use of both the actual music itself involving the lyrics and the music video aiding it are able to provide the audience with further knowledge on the artist themselves. They either may be representing something or retelling a story which actually belongs to the artist themselves.

The concept of the artist attempting to tell a story where they are various different versions of herself is also conventional towards the soul genre as it implies certain connotations along with the conventional concept of applying a narrative. The idea of their being various different Faith's hints towards mental health conditions as often mental health illness portrayed throughout the media include the suffer seeing things which aren't really there or even possible. Another idea the tied images provide is that the artist is unsure of who she is, this is supported by the fact that all of these different versions of the artist have applied themselves with very differing uses of mise en scene. Although make up and hair styles differ the most noticeable is the change in the artists costume, each one seems to represent a different person entirely, indicating to the audience that the artist is unsure of who she really is. This is conventional to the  genre in a variety of different ways, for one it's artistic which follows codes and conventions towards the genre as artists of the soul genre are thought to take more care and pride into their work than others as it is thought that soul is a genuine talent which means a lot to it's beholders, soul artists are also known for putting on a show hence such a strange display is conventional of that as it implies the same kind of effects. This is also conventional as it may be perceived via some audience members are relatable. Often people go through life feeling confused as to who they are or not really knowing themselves this image for some audience members may be able to represent that as all of the figures of Faith are surrounding one which they all appear to be looking after, this version imparticular isn't wearing anything which suggests much at all her the mise en scene is all rather plain. This allows for the narrative to form that the artist feels as though she is drowning within herself and doesn't really know who she is yet she is forcing herself to carry on and try to find something with her life while trying to adopt certain roles so to carry on and achieve something with her life. Hence all being conventional towards the soul genre as it follows both the idea of providing the audience with a narrative as well as the concept of the artist obtaining a deeper mind-set than other artists and being able to enforce that into their work.

The version of the artist which is perceived to be the real Paloma the one who is struggling with herself is dressed in nothing but a rather revealing robe as it is falling off of her showcasing to the audience certain ideas of the artist which you wouldn't usually expect to be covered up. This follows Goodwin's theory as it demonstrates the idea of female artists being portrayed in a voyeuristic way for the audience to look at which the artist themselves in character doesn't realise. The character isn't allowing her robe to hang like this because she is aware of the audience and wants to attract them; fitting to the narrative she has no idea the narrative exists hence she is unaware of the manner in which she is being perceived. Often female artists are displayed within this way as is it highlights their attractiveness coursing them to be viewed as more desirable to the audience. This urges male members of the audience to be more interested in the artist as they are attracted to her and are hoping that she will soon reveal more as they are exited by the prospect of getting to see more of her. Where as female members often the audience particularly young and impression female members find themselves looking up to the artist as they view her attractiveness for themselves and admire it as well as noticing male members appreciating it which affects them as they begin to see this kind of attention as a positive thing and desire it for themselves. Meaning that they begin to look to the artist as a role model of sorts adopting her ways so to achieve the kind of attention she beholds from the opposite sex. However this does more than simply remind the audience of the artists well looked after, well appreciated figure this kind of admiration and desire the artist creates around themselves means that the audience are likely to remember  and recognise them more easily as they have set a spark within them and created a relationship of sorts. Hence as the artist has been able to capture an affect on the audience they register the artist with this remembering them more for it compared with other artists who they may see and hear of just as much but haven't had that connection with. It is important to artists to stay relevant within the minds of the audience as this means that they are maintaining the audiences interest. There was a trend which consisted of people complaining that a song was 'old' when a song was played which wasn't up to date or fresh. The same connotations are applied to an artist who is seen as being unheard of her a long amount of time, it suggests that they are out of date, almost obsolete and that they are no longer relevant hence meaning the audience is no longer interested.

Low key lighting is used to present the image, this is conventional towards the soul genre as it suggests themes of the artist and their music being fairly dark hence implying that it is quite serious and therefore meaningful to the artist. If this was to be an album advert for a music genre with happier connotations such as pop the lighting would be lighter applying cheery, happy connotations. Due to the lighting a rather mono tone colour scheme is used this emphasises the passion and meaning behind the artists work. This benefits the artist as it portrays that they care a great deal about their music and their fans as they are willing to embody their work with elements of their life which are so personal to them so to achieve a relationship with their audience whilst improving their work making it of a higher standard as it becomes something which not just anyone could create as it is original and personal to them as it comes for their own life experiences.

The setting used for the shot appears rather grand and dated, following codes and conventions of the soul genre as artists of said genre are known for their love of the classic vibes the genres applies, as the genre dates back to the 1950s-60s when the genre was originated in America. Unlike many other genres the soul genre hasn't developed much since it was created still maintaining those classic vibes hence the artist would choose such a location as it showcases that she has a good understanding of the genre and really labels her to it. It is important for the artist to make sure she is showcasing codes and conventions towards the genre within her work as it allows her to prove to her target audience that she really is good enough to stand for the genre. As well as maintaining a good enough knowledge of it to say that she is a fan of the genre and class herself as a part of it. Often audience members of genres are irritated when they feel that their chosen genre isn't being done justice or taken seriously enough. This can lead to members of the audience growing a strong dislike to the audience taking their views to social media platforms such as Twitter even taking their thoughts to the comments section on the artists music videos meaning that they opinion is heard more of and therefore considered more. It may be that other people read these comments and then decide that this was something that should have thought of or realised on their own and agree with that person. Hence it is important for the artist to be careful when portraying the genre; following these codes and conventions means that the artist is able to follow a structure which enables them to please their target audience.

The typography used for the advert is also conventional as it insinuates themes of being of the soul genre as it appears to be similar to the grand sort of writing which came from the period when the genre was created. It is similar to that of the writing expected to see when referring to popular novel 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald which was written just before the period the genre was created hence conventions of the period over lap as elements of said period where still alive as soul was forming. This style of typography benefits the artist in the typical way of displaying codes and conventions towards their chosen genre. It comforts the target audience (the audience of the soul genre) that the artist really is of their chosen genre hinting that the audience should enjoy their work and showcases the artists further knowledge of the genre which goes wider than their music and works of a kind of show stopping performance. Which is also conventional of the genre as soul artists are known for putting on big shows as they did when the genre began still using live original bands etc. as this was what has always been done within the genre.

There isn't much actual language which is beneficial as the audience is less likely to read it if there is a lot as it does interest them as the audience simply views an advert as a way of someone trying to sell them something so to earn money for themselves. However when there isn't much writing and it is presented nicely and boldly often the audience find they can't help but reading it even without noticing as their eyes automatically pick up on it as there isn't much there. However had there been more to it then the audiences attention wouldn't have gone to the writing at all as it would have appeared intimidating and automatically seem like to much writing for the audience. The actual choice of language itself is rather reminiscent of that of the time period in which the genre was created; "A perfect contradiction' the actual title of the album itself follows codes and conventions as it follows the ways in which people spoke within said period which is conventional as the genre hasn't developed much since said period as it's audience are known for adoring the classic vibes of the genre. Displaying this element to the genre is beneficial as it demonstrates the artists true passion and understanding for the genre making there work following it appear more respectable towards the genres audience.

The advert is able to promote the music genre throughout its variety of codes and conventions suiting towards the soul genre. For instance the typography and the use of golden filler lights as well as the use of a complex narrative help the audience to note that this is an album belonging to the soul genre as these are all conventional elements of the genre which the audience have been trained to pick up upon without even necessarily realising it. It is important to make a clear cut away from other genres and clearly display that this album is of the soul genre so that the audience is aware of which members should be purchasing the album due to who it is clearly targeted at. The artist needs to make this clear cut so to ensure that the right audience members are buying into their music as if audience members of the pop genre bought it without realsing then they would likely be disappointed and wouldn't enjoy the music as a member of the soul genre would. Not only is this a waste for said audience member but if enough people make this mistake and find that the don't enjoy the album (which they likely won't as it isn't catered to them) then soon word of the mouth goes around providing the album and the artist with negative connotations being that less and less people shall buy into the artists work or even bother listening to their music. Aside from this if the connotations of the albums genre are unclear then it may be not successful in terms of sales as generally people aren't looking to buy products but products are being made to attract consumers. Hence if the album isn't set to attractive members of the soul audience they aren't likely to purchase it as they won't realise that the album is suited to them. But it is also unlikely that it shall attract other people as it won't be set to any other genre. This demonstrates the important of clearly defining an artists album to its genre.

Paloma Faith's magazine album advert is successful in promoting both the artist as a figure and her upcoming album in a number of ways. The artist clearly constructs her music to the genre of soul which is beneficial as this means that the audience are made aware of the artists genre and therefore know what to expect; this shall prevent any disappointments if the audience are to think that the artist belongs to a different genre and therefore aren't happy with the music meaning that audience members may then go on to spread negative word of mouth surrounding the artist providing her with negative connotations. The artist is presented to be rather creative and artistic as the ideology behind the image presented on the advert is rather complex and edgy which applies more of the artists persona to the advert highlighting her as someone who is really into the arts which suggests that she shall be more able to create a complex and intriguing experience for her audience that other artists. The artists name is in bold and is a lot bigger than the rest of the writing which is important as this means that even if the audience aren't to read all of the information/text on the advert they are made aware of who the album belongs to and the  fact that the artist has a new album coming up; as well as reminding the audience of the artist which keeps her fresh in their minds resulting in her appearing more relevant to the audience as is someone they are easily able to remember. It is essential for an artist to appear relevant to the audience to gain large sums of success and without this negative connotations are applied to the artist suggesting that their work is out dated and that they aren't very good and therefore not worthy of buying into.

Another magazine album advert for a artist of the soul genre I shall be analysing is Adele's advert for her album 21:

The effect of the black and white filters used for both the image of the album itself and the main image presented of the artist are beneficial in promoting the album to its genre of soul. This works so well because the concept of black and white filters remains the audience of the periods when colour film wasn't an option. Hence providing connotations of going back in time which many audience members of the soul genre feel the genre provides for them. This happens as the genre hasn't developed much since the period it was created (1950s-1960s) hence this is conventional as it provides a similar form of escapism back in time for the audience.

The representation of the artist focuses away from the artists looks and more on her as a person. As although two images are show of the artist in both it is made to appear that the artist is unaware of the camera. This highlights to the audience that the artist cares more about creating their music than discovering fame for themselves. This is beneficial as it suggests to the audience that the artist puts more thought and effort into their music therefore conveying that it is of a better standard and quality compared with other artists who focus more on the promotion of themselves. Although like Duffy the artists eyes aren't seen the technique is used in different ways for different effects for the artists Adele doesn't appear to be shy or avoiding anyone as she doesn't appear to be in a rather public setting nor does her public language suggest that she is trying to close herself in as Duffy does as she appears to be keeping herself to herself. Adele simply appears to be in her own element minding her own business not concerned or even aware of anyone around her. This provides a much more confident streak to the artist which applies the concept that the artist has a rather big, powerful vocal chord which is also conventional towards the soul genre. This is because artists of the soul genre are recongised for putting on big stage performances which is naturally made easier by having a big voice as well as it being thought that people with big voices are more confident as they aren't so apposed to be heard. The camera lense is rather close to the artists face on both images applying for close ups which also provides an essence of confidence around the artist being confident as they are shying away from the camera. Also there is the perception that closer up to the camera imperfections are more focused upon hence portraying Adele to be more confident as this is thought to be one of the braver shots.

A yellow shade is also used for the outline of the artists album as well as some of the typography another conventional colour towards the soul genre as well as black and white, dating back to the time when the genre was captured the connotations of the yellow shade remind the audience of the genres element of performance. Conveying to the concept of big flashy lights focusing upon the artist etc.

The actual style of typography itself is rather plain and fairly basic this is beneficial as it demonstrates to the audience that the artist doesn't need to win them over with flashy fonts or even lots of different styles and images as both the advert and the album covers themselves are fairly plain suggesting that the actual quality of the music itself is enough to win the audience over.  This also works with the actual layout and design of the advert being fairly basic. Hence conveying that the music is of  strong content both in lyrical content and in the actual beat to the music as well as the tone of the artists voice. Following codes and conventions of the soul genre as soul artists are thought to be of a better standard and quality due to artists of other genres as they are known for being able to sing live without having to used auto tune etc.

The artists choice of language is also important "AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW" the concept of capitalising this phrase signifies it's importance to the audience. As well as making it seem as though this is going to be a big important event as the audience is use to seeing writing in capitals on adverts for these sorts of things hence this creates the concept that this is going to be a big important thing therefore they feel as though they need to purchase the album. Suggesting that Adele's newest album is set to be a big success therefore encouraging the audience to purchase the album now so that they can join the later hype. The actual choice of language itself also suggests that as the idea of the album being available everywhere suggests that its success is inevitable as 'everywhere' is stocking it. Thus adding further to this concept of this being a really big break through album for Adele which everyone should buy.

Even the Mise en scene of Adele's costume is conventional although not much notice is taken towards it as it is a simple black shirt which is all that is shown. However the colour being conventional helps as well as the idea of her costume being rather simplistic. Unlike artists of other genres including pop artists such as Katy Perry who are known for wearing big extravagant costumes which really grab the audiences attention and interest Adele has opted to wear something which shall not create much attention. Because the artist is portraying to the audience that she wants the focus to be on the quality of her music and not her as an individual. Again this adds to the idea that Adele doesn't need to add these gimmicks so to gain the audiences attention or admiration as her music is enough reinforcing the idea of the quality of her content.


The Mise en scene of the artists make up is also conventional towards the soul genre as it complies of that which you would expect from a woman to wear during the time period of which the genre was created. This is conventional due to the lack of change within the genre since it's birth that artists are still conforming to the genre in the same ways they always have hence also dressing and presenting themselves within the same fashion. Adele achieves this wearing fairly basic base make up, focusing more heavenly on her eyes which was often done throughout the genre. In fact it was often believed that a beautiful big eyed woman was the most beautiful kind within the period hence women focused more so on their eyes as it was what men were thought to be attracted to. This was a time when women cared a lot more about the male perception of them as this was a time when in both America and the UK that the male of the family was the bread winner hence women felt as though they needed a husband meaning that they also sort a mans approval therefore aiming themselves more towards the attraction of men. This is important as the main followers of the soul genre are from the UK and the USA. Adele follows this as her face make up isn't particularity noticeable, almost quite natural and her eyes appear to have a greater amount of attention put on them, her eyelashes look fuller and her eyelids have a clear amount of carefully applied eye-shadow upon them.

Typical representations of women in the 1950s/1960s (UK and America):

The advert is able to promote the music genre as through the use of it's various codes and conventions following towards the genre including the colour scheme, the artists choice of make up, design and layout etc the audience is able to note that the album is of the soul genre. Hence becoming aware of the content of the artists music. The soul genre is promoted in a rather good fashion as the advert appears classical, professional and certainly not over done maintaining the infamous 'classy' style the genre is known for.

Naturally the artist wants to focus the advertisement of her album to members of the soul audience as that is who her target audience is and therefore who the album has been marketed towards. Hence the artist has applied various different codes and conventions towards the soul genre throughout their advertisement so to attractive them. Including the colour scheme, choice of images, lay out and typography used as well as the various different connotations embodied throughout the advert conforming to the soul genre. 

Adele's magazine album advert is successful in promoting both the album and the artist as the advert is able to portray the artist as being someone who is a professional artist as the layout and colour scheme of the advert presents her in a rather professional manner. Keeping the layout and design of the album fairly basic is beneficial as it prevents to the audience that the artist knows how to present and is use to the ways of how the industry works. If the artist was to apply various different images etc. to her advert it would appear that she was trying to hard to impress/attractive the audience which connotes that she is fairly new to the music industry as is focusing too much on attracting the audience and not thinking enough about whether or not what she is creating is aesthetically pleasing and works well together. As well as actually promoting the artist as being true to her persona (the one she is trying to portray to the audience) as Adele promotes herself to be an artist of the soul genre it is important that her advert for her album presents this as otherwise this may lead to confusion with the audience. Often when the audience feel confused via forms of entertainment they simply loose interest as entertainment is meant to be simply be fun. The artist is clearly well suited to the codes and conventions of the soul genre as a black and white colour scheme is applied which is conventional towards the genre as it applies the idea of going back into the past. This is conventional as the soul genre hasn't developed much since it was born (1950s-1960s) hence it often provides the feel of going back in time for it's audience.  The artist is also presented to be a singer of the soul genre through the various uses of Mise en scene which capture the artist to the period the genre was created. As the advert is so simple it courses the audiences attention to be drawn towards the important parts of the advert for instance the artist and the album name itself. If various images were used throughout this would likely course the audience to look past it as it would look rather intimidating as it appears to be too much information which they wouldn't want to bother with. 

The advert is also successful in positively promoting the artist as she is conveyed to be an artist who cares more about her music than she does herself as she isn't shown trying to be flashy or show her body off etc. as many artists do but instead she is seen simply showing her face but nothing more without even appearing that she is particularly trying hard to pose in front of the cameras. This is beneficial as it urges the audience to feel that the artist is more talented as an artist because she focuses more on her actual music which suggests that it is on a high enough standard that she doesn't need to sell herself out by drawing the audiences attention to other areas. This also paints Adele to be a better role model for young girls as she encourages young girls to promote their talent. 

Advertising is a large part of the promotion of an album release. Without advertising the album to the right sector of the audience the artist is setting themselves up for failure as if members of different genres where to purchase the album and decide that they don't like the album which is likely as it isn't catered to them this can lead to a bad word of the mouth spreading regarding the album. Therefore tarnishing it's reputation as well as the artists. Hence it is important to focus on the right target audience for this reason as well as the fact that they are the most likely to buy an album from a soul artist.