LO1 Task 4: Cross media product case study (D1)

LO1 TASK 4: Cross media product case study

The brand I have studied is the widely popular ‘The Simpsons’ brand, this brand has proved popular with a mass audiences with a large range of ages due to the great appeal the product has and how it resonates with the target audience. Subsequently, the brand/ program originally released in 1989 has since diversified and adapted to suit a whole range of audiences and develop new products. These include things such as Simpson inspired products, magazines, books and most popularly the film. In this piece I will look specifically at the adaptation ‘The Simpsons Movie’ and how it reached it reached its specific target audience and to what success.

The majority of success for this adaption of the brand is as a result of the marketing and distribution used which reached a mass audience and engaged with a whole range of demographics. Both above and below the line marketing techniques have been used, traditional methods such teaser trailers, tv ads and radio promotions were all used in the build up to the release of the product. This was successful for the brand for several reasons, most noticeably this is seen to be successful as a result of synergy. The film produced by 20^th Century Fox Animation allowed for the use of horizontal and vertical integration across the larger conglomerate structure meaning it could use the company’s in the conglomerate to both produce, market and distribute the film this would also be cheaper to do so. For example the film was produced by 20^th Century Fox but then the product could also be marketed on channels such as Sky or Fox and distributed to consumers through the subsidiaries such a Hulu, this use of subsidiaries and cross promotion results in synergy across the brand and product thus maximising its success. One example of a piece of media which was used to promote the product is the tv review advert (https://vimeo.com/19417434) which was seen across the 20^th century fox network and was released in the run up to the release of the product with the intention to persuade the mass audiences to go view the product.

In addition to the above the line methods mentioned previously which involve the promotion across subsidiaries and reaching mass audiences, the adaption also used several below the line methods which targeted audiences on a smaller, individual scale. For example the distribution company ran several competitions and interactive pages in which the audiences are directly involved in, as pictured below there was a range of interactive games, contests and pages for the audience to undertake with something being suitable for every aspect of the target demographic.  Specifically, 20^th century fox’s marketing was effective at reaching a mass and large/ varied audience for this product. The marketing appealed to a younger demographic with the games and interactive web pages where as other aspects such as incorporating advertising into airline flight websites and petrol stations would be seen to be targeting an older more mature demographic.

Unlike many conventional media products it is seen that this brand appeals to a varied audience with a large age range. Conventionally, it is seen that the product appeals to a younger audience of around ten years as a result of the genre, in general the animated products are often seen to be featured on children’s channels and tailored to their needs with simple story lines and relatable characters. However, the product also appeals to other age brackets and both genders as the large amount of characters means the audience will likely have a character which resonates with them or that they can relate too. For example the main character of Homer; a balding early 40's fat man could be seen to appeal to an older demographic of a similar age range and lifestyle as the opinions expressed by this character would be relatable for such audiences. On the contrary, the product can also be seen to target a younger audience demographic from around the ages 18 and below as the teen character of Bart would have a greater appeal and reside better with this age range as again they can relate with this character and would likely have been a 'Bart' or known a 'Bart'.

The way in which said audiences access a product has changed. Technological convergence has impacted audiences and how they access the brand/ adaptation. Several black box devices derived from technological convergence are common place among many households now with devices such as ‘Smart’ internet enabled TVs, laptops, and mobile devices being seen and use by a large majority of media consumers. Such devices has changed how audiences access products as a whole, providing more convenient methods dependent on the situation. There are several ways in which the brand can now be consumed, for example both the episodes and the film from the brand Simpsons can now be easily downloaded to a device for viewing at a time and place which suits them, this is beneficial as by downloading the product to a black box device such as a smartphone it means it can be viewed at any time in any place, although this does require storage. Despite this other methods are still available as a result of technological convergence, for example on demand and streaming services can be used by audiences to view products unlike what could previously be achieved. All these developments in how audience’s access products are largely due to the development of web2.0 and the interactivity that it brought. These new methods are both advantageous for both the consumer and producers as the audience now has the ability to access the brand as and when they need whilst also being beneficial to the producer as they can still benefit from revenue created from such streaming companies which previously could not have been achieved due to the dependence on scheduled tv as the only medium in which the product could be accessed.

In order to reach a larger audience the use of cross promotion was key. This was achieved by diversifying the brand further than solely the film product alone. Twentieth century fox did this in several ways, not only was the film produced and released there was a large variation in products released alongside. This included such things as print products of books and comic puzzles to digital games and merchandise. Such diversification of the product allowed the brand/ adaptation to reach different and a larger range of demographics. For example the comic book style and colouring print based products could be seen to appeal to a younger audience of eight and below, this is because the nature of the content better appeals to a young demographic due to the simple imagery and tasks given. This therefore diversifies the brand as the product reaches a wider audience than what would ordinarily achieved due to the original film product being rated PG, which the regulatory body BBFC states that the content is best suited to those of eight years and over. Similarly, some of the merchandise distributed also appeals to the older demographics that may not primarily be targeted by the film itself. 

As a whole the adaptation of the brand Simpsons proved widely successful upon release, on the opening day the film earned $30,758,269 and went on to gain a total of $527.9 million in the box office [1]. In addition to this, The Simpsons Movie also won the award for the best animation at the ITV national movie awards [2], best comedy film at the British Comedy Awards [3] and best movie at the UK Nickelodeon Kids Choice wards beating box office hits such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean [4].

1 "Top Single Day Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-07-28.

2 Fiona Pryor (2007-09-28). "Potter wins film awards hat-trick". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-09-29.

3 "British Comedy Awards: winners' list". BBC News. 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2007-06-13.

4 Nick Levine (2007-10-20). "In full: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards UK winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2007-10-28.

LO1: Task 3: Technological convergence, advertising and distribution (M1)

LO1: Task 3: Technological convergence, advertising and distribution

Within the media industry advertising and distribution is key to the success of a product. Throughout time there have been numerous example of creative marketing techniques and methods in which companies have used to reach and promote a film to an audience. More recently, the line of social media marketing methods it often becoming more frequent. One example of this would be the marketing of the Avengers film. As part of their campaign Marvel used social media to directly engage with the audience and promote the film, this was achieved in several ways. Most noticeably, teaser trailers and videos were released up until the release of the film which create intrigue within the audience and ultimately interest, these videos were also uploaded to social medias such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all of which allow for customizability when publishing or promoting a post meaning it can be targeted directly to the target demographic and have a bigger impact. Another example of this below the line marketing method can be seen on Twitter where the fictional character ‘Iron Man’ has his own Twitter account with a following of 1.37m, from this account the trailers and stills from the film was tweeted, this was particularly effective as it can be perceived that the main users of such social media are digital natives and as a whole are a younger demographic which aligns with the younger target audience which the movie is aimed at. As a collective social media has benefited audiences in several ways, most commonly the use of social media when marketing products has given audiences a wider range of media products in which they can receive or interact with.

Audiences can also benefit from new ways of consuming products as result of technological convergence and web 2.0 which have seen a rise in the use of video on demand services for consumers. There are several on demand services available to the public in which they can consume media products, this platform has several advantages. For example catch up services such as ‘BBCIplayer’ or ‘4 OnDemand’ all provide the ability for an audience to consume a product at any time or anywhere making it a considerably more convenient method of viewing media products as it can be suited to the lifestyle and free time of the user. Another benefit of video on demand would be the function of being able to record a program or film, this would benefit the user as it could result in them being able to view a product they would not have originally been able to view for several reasons such as timing or clashing with other scheduled products. However, it can be seen that this method of viewing would decrease the popularity of conventional methods of viewing which is scheduled and set out to specific times, this is stated by Sonia Livingstone (1999) as the ‘death of the schedule’.

In addition to this technological convergence has impacted audiences and how they access products. Several black box devices derived from technological convergence are common place among many households now with devices such as ‘Smart’ internet enabled tvs, laptops, and mobile devices being seen and use by a large majority of media consumers. Such devices has changed how audiences access products and as a whole, providing more convenient methods dependent on the situation. There are several ways in which media can now be consumed, for example programs and films can now be easily downloaded to a device for viewing at a time and place which suits them, this is beneficial as by downloading the product to a black box device such as a smartphone it means it can be viewed at any time in any place, although this does require storage. Despite this other methods are still available as a result of technological convergence, for example as previously mentioned on demand and streaming services can be used by audiences to view products unlike what could previously be achieved. All these developments in how audience’s access products are largely due to the development of web2.0 and the interactivity that it brought, such interactivity can be seen to be utilized throughout many media sectors and is often seen through simulcasting. Simulcasting is when an audience can access the same product on different platforms at the same time, one example that is often seen is simulcasting on radio programs. The radio host may be distributing the audio of the radio show to its audience whilst also providing them with the ability to access a webcam in the studio on the website of social media account meaning that the product can view the same product in two different devices simultaneously. 

LO1 Task 2: Technological convergence and production techniques (P2)

LO1 Task 2: Technological convergence and production techniques

Within the media industry technological convergence has had a detrimental impact on how products are now produced and distributed to an audience. This convergence of technologies has benefited all stages of production including pre-production, production and post production for the producer whilst also positively benefiting the prosumer. Technological convergence can be defined by two or more technologies coming together to form a single device, one common example of this would be a smartphone. This ‘black box device’ as theorised by Henry Jenkins contains a large variety of technologies in one place, for example a phone, camera, light, touchscreen, web access in one small portable device which is now used by many on a daily basis. In addition to this, there are a large variety of new technologies which are at the disposal for producers which aid production and distribution/ marketing of an audio visual product as a result of the development of web2.0.

In the pre-production stage a large variety of tools and programs are at the disposal for creators to aid planning products. Most noticeably, online platforms are beneficial to producers as they allow for collaboration on projects and ideas, this is all available as a result of web 2.0. The development of web 2.0 allows for interactivity within websites, this is both beneficial for producers and prosumers as it offers customizability and a large range of tools at varying prices. One example of a free service which would be beneficial for pre-production would be Google docs, this word formatting app would allow for producers and script writers to all collaborate on a single piece in real time, this work can is then saved an uploaded to the cloud allowing for it to be accessed on a large variety of devices no matter on location. Another app which could be beneficial to pre-production would be the website ‘www.mindmapfree.com’, the interactive layout allows users to input there data and ideas in a creative way and to plan future products in a well formatted and easy to use way, which is also free to use.

Similarly production apps are also available for all aspects of this stage. For example on all Apple devices garage band is available which allows for the user to compose or edit music which can then be used in the production of the intended media product. Similar to the apps mentioned previously this app is also free however only specific to Apples devices, however this is often the industry standard brand for the media sector, making it suitable. One other main example of technological convergence in the production of an audio visual product would be the development of the DSLR camera. This device contain a large variety of technologies which provide a product in which a producer can use to film the planned product. The two main technologies would be the combination of video and audio recording which previously could not have been achieved simultaneously in a single easy to use product. This would have a positive impact on the product as it often saves times, is easy to use and provides quality audio and visuals, although unlike all things previously mentioned these devices can range dramatically in cost and easily exceed thousands of pounds which has to be accounted for in the budge of a production.

Finally, post production and distribution also benefits from convergent technologies. To edit and compose the audio visual products software such as Adobe Premiere can be used which is seen throughout the industry, this software provides a large array of tools which aid the editor in creating the final product which can be then rendered to be suitable for a large variety of devices making it more accessible to a wider audience. Services such as YouTube allow for Media Company’s distribute their work quickly and easily to a mass audience at little cost.  This website can be used for both large scale and smaller scale independent production companies. Most large scale production publish trailers to publicise and market a product whilst smaller productions are also uploaded to reach the targeted audience and reduce distribution/ marketing costs as it is free. This service also provides the ability for videos to be monetized meaning they would gain revenue from the ads placed on the video which positively impacts the producer whilst giving the ability to provide entertainment to the prosumer free of charge. 

One real world example of a product which has benefited from the convergence and development of new technologies is the development of films.  One key example being Planet of the Apes, this film utilises several technologies such as motion capture and cgi. Developments in motion capture have allowed for photo realistic creations of characters to be seamlessly integrated within films. Originally, similar effects were achieved using actors in costume as seen in the original King Kong, however now new technologies developed in motion capture allow actors faces and movements to be captured, then  C.G.I (computer generated imagery) to be overlaid on top which gives a much more realistic effect. This more realistic imagery and ability to create new adventurous ideas and plots due to no longer being as restricted by the limitations of CGI makes for new and original products which create a unique selling point and subsequently better appeal to audiences.

Original King Kong

Planet of the apes - Motion capture and CGI to create a similar effect...

LO1: Task 1 Media products in the audio visual industry. (P1)

LO1: Task 1 (P1) Media products in the audio visual industry.

As part of this unit i will be exploring the audio visual industry and how it works/ affects audiences.

Ownership:

Within the audio visual industry there are mainly two types of companies which can be classified accordingly. The first and most common type of company would be a conglomerate which operates with smaller companies called subsidiaries. Conglomerate companies often make use of cross media ownership and subsidiaries. Therefore, conglomerates are often seen to be larger more successful companies than that of independents as they can utilise there assets more efficiently in both the production and distribution of a product. One main example of a successful conglomerate in the audio visual industry would be 21st Century Fox. This conglomerate owns several subsidiaries such as Fox, The Sun, Sky and Hulu. The conglomerate structure allows for vertical and horizontal integration. Vertical integration is when the company is large enough to produce, distribute and have the ability to get the movie in cinemas and various other platforms. Whereas horizontal integration allows for the allows for the product to be distributed and promoted across the range of subsidiaries that 20th Century Fox owns. 

The other main type of company within this industry would be an independent company. Independent companies often specialise in a single product such as film or TV, this is because they don't have the funding and assets compared to those available in the larger conglomerate structure. One example of a successful independent company would be 'Warp Films', this company is similar too a conglomerate  in the sense that they produce the product. However, unlike the conglomerate, independents don't have the ability to distribute and market the product, despite this the rise of web 2.0 has allowed for distribution on online platforms. Although to distribute a product it is common practice for independent companies to partake in a joint venture to distribute and promote a product and is ultimately mutually beneficial for both companies. For example Warp films joined with Film 4 in order to promote and distribute there products to a larger audience than what would be available to the small independent company. 

Adaptation: 

Within the audio visual industry it is common practice for companies to use adaptation and create media products based of books or comics for example. The conglomerate 20th Century Fox has produced four box office films based of "one of the best-selling book series of all time", 'Diary of a wimpy kid'. The adaption is beneficial for both the company and the audience itself. Similar to the ideas of genre providing comfortable reassurance theorised by Patrick Phillips (1996) the idea of adaptation allows for the audience to gauge a sense of the content of the film and see as to whether it will fulfil the audiences expectations due to it following the predictable patterns first seen in the book series. In addition to this it is beneficial to the production company as the books can provide the basis to the narrative, story and themes of the film whilst also allowing for them to better target there specific target audience using the audiences of the book that has been previously sold. 

Brands:

Within the industry brands use cross media platforms to advertise the brand and appeal to there specific type of target audience. One popular example of this would be the popular tv series, The Simpsons by 20th Century Fox. The success is echoed on the info page with 20th Century Fox quoting that the program is "the longest-running scripted show in television history"[1] The brand is know throughout the world and has a well established brand among a mass audience with large range of ages and professions etc. Most noticeably, it is seen that the program is targeted at a younger demographic due to the genre and content. The animated program is broadcasted to a large audience at earlier times slot as it features little to no mature content and therefore has no need to be broadcasted after the watershed, unlike similar programs such as Family Guy which has an older target audience due to the content. The brand is not only promoted and advertised via the program itself, but by various other methods which 20th Century fox have used to reinforce the brand and its reach to a mass audience. For example the Simpsons brand can be seen in a large range of products and merchandise ranging from clothing, to food, to books and DVD's all of which feature the same style of the animation and the traits which are synonymous with the brand. On the contrary another example of a well established brand would be the TV show 'Top Gear' produced by the BBC. This brand uses a variety of platforms to reach a large audience and advertise its product. In addition to this is could be seen that the brand is targeting a larger audience by using the on demand service 'BBC Iplayer' which would have a greater appeal to the digital natives which is often a younger demographic. The Top Gear brand could also be seen to target an older demographic by using other media types such as print. This is because the magazine or books would be seen to target an older due to the content layout and common use of elaborate coding which is better understood by an older generation opposed to that of kids.

Audience Pleasures:

Furthermore, it could be perceived that these brands appeal to specific audience demographics through the use of audience pleasures. As theorised by Rick Altman (1999) all genres and media products offer pleasures. These include three main areas; emotional pleasures, for example the product make evoke a sense of happiness, sadness or nostalgia. The second being visceral pleasures where by the media product induces gut responses such as excitement or fear and finally intellectual puzzles which makes the audience think or create enigmas. As a whole it can be seen that the brand 'Simpsons' uses the specific audience pleasures of emotion to create interest and appeal to the product. It could be interpreted that the cartoon style animation and comedic aspects of the program evoke a sense of happiness with the audience and as a whole draws attention to the piece and appeals to the target audience. It can be perceived that this show targets a wide and varied audience through the use of different characters and story lines. For example the main character of Homer; a balding early 40's fat man could be seen to appeal to an older demographic of a similar age range and lifestyle   as the opinions expressed by this character would be relatable for such audiences. On the contrary, the product can also be seen to target a younger audience demographic from around the ages 18 and below as the teen character of Bart would have a greater appeal and reside better with this age range as again they can relate with this character and would likely have been a 'Bart' or known a 'Bart'. Furthermore, the peer to peer mode of address represented within the program would appeal to this age bracket and demographic. As a whole it is also seen that many similar programs and brands use intellectual puzzles and create enigmas with the intention to keep the audience engaged and subsequently be further influenced by the brand. The audience is likely to stay involved with the product as they feel compelled to watch the product in order to see the enigma resolution and resolve to the problems first set in the piece. In addition to this it could be seen to directly appeal to an older audience demographic as some of the puzzles or enigmas set in a media product may not be understood by younger child based audiences such as those who view The Simpsons, where as the puzzles set in crime dramas for example would appeal to  an older more intellectual audience or that of a majority ABC1 audience profile. Additionally, the audience gains pleasure in several other ways, for example McQuail (1972) theorised that media products are consumed for four main uses and gratifications these include; surveillance, building relationships, building personal identity and escapism. Most commonly, media products are used as a form of escapism by audiences this can be seen in all the previous examples stated as they all provide a form of entertainment and distraction from reality. The products and brands could also be seen to be building personal relationships as the brand creates talking points within an audience, this is as a result of several reasons such as relatable storylines, interesting points portrayed or common similarities within the specific target audiences all of which would create talking points and interest as a whole, the talking points and discussion of said product would also be beneficial to the larger conglomerate as it is seen to be basic form of advertising for the brand/ product . Therefore, it is key for the producers and conglomerates to create a product inline with the uses and gratifications of the intended audience and the pleasures it gives them. 

[1] www.fox.co.uk/the-simpsons-season-17