Q2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I believe that as a whole, the main product and the ancillary texts work well together despite the link between the video and the album cover/website not being visually obvious. Perhaps this could have been improved by Absynth making a cameo appearance in her video.  However, there is a universal theme which all three products share and that is that they all focus on the music. This was a theme that we run throughout our marketing campaign, deciding that the artist is there to compliment the music, which is the most important thing. Not the other way around. 

For instance the observational style of filming means that the Panda is not the focus of everything. Although he stands out, there is a lot attention made to the things around him, his surroundings and the people. We felt this reflects our artist as again it does not draw the attention away from the music. The observational style allows viewers to get lost in the video and the track simultaneously

Our artist identity is fun but hidden; the name ‘Absynth’ doesn’t reveal the artists true identity leaving an element of the unknown which helps sell our artist. This decision creates an enigmatic atmosphere, which urges the audience to want to find out more about the artist. This is how our website and video work in synergy, the element of the unknown sends them to the website, thus creating a symbiotic relationship between the two products. Once they reach the website they are rewarded with information about the artist from the word go. 

There is an image of the artist on the home page which shows the audience who Absynth is, where as the news and bio pages also inform the reader with a variety of content which serves to uncover the secrecy of the video. However, this decision did not come easily to us, as after all Absynth is a debut artist and we needed to make a connection between her and the audience. However, after research into other genres we realised that this enigmatic style of branding was common for artists in the dance genre. For instance the original artists Daft Punk also use narrative for this video in the form of an animal centred sequence.

Nerco's cameo is subtle

Like our video, this video gives nothing away about the artist, urging their audiences to go online and to find out more about the her. Daft Punk were not alone in using this method, Skrillex for example, although a slightly different genre of dance music, does not feature, where as Nero only performed in a cameo role in their debut single ‘Me and you’, which is a narratively driven video. We created the persona of Absynth and chose for her to be absent from the video as her stance is that the music is the most important thing, music is her passion, she wants her music to be famous and not her, a stance shared by most top DJs in the dance genre.

Narrative based story line

Skrillex-  Artist not featured

           

Music player is predominately black, however pink still reveals artist identiy 

This focus on music is also evident on the website, with the media player streaming the single ‘one more time’, where as the appearance of Absynth serves to compliment the music. The first thing our audience notice is the sound of the track, like the video, the website focusses on music. However the track is feel good dance track, and planning how we would link this factor to the website to this was the tricky part, we had to make the decision if we wanted our artist to be fun and childish like a Panda or cool and trendy like a standard DJ. We decided that Absynth would be a combination the two, cool and trendy but with a fun side. The website is sleek and trendy, with the black colour scheme conventional of websites from the dance genre.

Black colour scheme is conventional of Djs

However, our use of purple and bright colourful pictures of our artist who is smiling and having fun still reflects the feel good nature of the video. We felt this was important in our overall campaign, Absynth is unique to other DJs as she is young and fun, the pose of Dj Shortee above shows quite a serious attitude, however her style of dance is more gritty and suitable for this. Absynth creates a bridge between pop and dance, her music is all about having a good time, a personality which we were influenced by the repeating line ‘lets celebrate’ in the track that we used. Both the Panda, comedy and absurdity of the video create this feel good atmosphere which works alongside the friendly photos of Abysnth.

The website can be seen as the hub of the artist, home to a multi-sensory experience for the audience as they both see the appearance of his logo and hear the song playing.  Furthermore, the home page gives fans an immediate insight into the artist with two static images promoting merchandise and the album, offering them chances to interact. We also offer interaction on the home page with quick links to social network sites, as well as a live twitter feed on the news page. What is more, the home page features a news real, exposing fans to multiple aspects of the artist, ranging from her personal life and involvement in WFF and her music.

Promoting artist

The WFF is where our video and website come together. We wanted a way to connect the artist to the fun Panda theme. Although, this was done through the fun of the panda, we thought that her kind and friendly personality can be displayed through her love for wildlife and animals. The video therefore serves to raise awareness about WWF, although we do not present the dangers facing Panda’s the the video creates a buzz about them that only when fans visit the website do they see the reasons behind it. As well as mentioning this in her bio, the issue has a whole page from the news section dedicated to Absynth and her conservation work, giving fans a connection with her that they haven’t been able to make with a lack of video. 

Absynth and WWF. 

The option for a webcam chat with her on the home page and news page further offers fan interactivity, as well as the use of social networking sites, which specifically appeal to our young, target audience who are big users of social media. 

The website and the album cover work perfectly together, and unlike the video are clearly related.

For our website, we have two primary colours, purple and black and secondary colour of white, a colour scheme which is symbiotic with our digipack, thus the two products support each other.

There were three fonts which we used across the website, in order to make it simple, yet add some variety. However, one of the fonts which we used was the same one that was used on the album cover in order to create synergy, and make the font directly link the website to the album cover. Both feature the Absynth font which acts as her logo. Furthermore, the website features the options to buy into the brand, as well as selling the album cover we offer merchandise, some of which reflects the themes of the video, others which reflects the artist identity.

Using a font as branding is not unheard of, for instance the DJ avicii uses a distinctive font that doubles as both his name and logo.

Based on the fact that Absynth is a debut artist, every page offers uses the chance to invest or get involved in her brand. With purchasing opportunities on the home page, a dedicated online store, and banners on all pages but photos offering interactivity. 

Online store offers interactivity and chance to buy into the brand

Online stores are essential, our store features products related specifically to the video, another example of how our website and video have a symbiotic relationship.  We use our website as a chance to sell both music and merchandise, nicely separated into categories. This was inspired by the Red Hot Chilli Pepper's online store which we felt was chaotic and disorganised. It offers no distinction between male and female clothing let alone music and merchandise. As I have mentioned our target audience want what their content fast. The objective of a website is to keep the user on it for as long as possible in order to sell the artist. Easy navigation provides this.

We aimed to perfect the concept of an online store

We have a 360 degree interactivity campaign, constantly giving people the opportunity to get involved. Furthermore, we utilise social network sites with the opportunity to tweet or like news articles. , Through using such interactivity sites, it has a broader appeal and would be able to reach a wider audience, possibly through word of mouth on the internet. Our enter site page features the album on its own, making it stand outfitting as it was the main focus and aim of the website.

The theme of music being the focus and Absynth's passion is again present in the album cover. It is the factor which truly links all our products together. 


Once again the emphasis on her passion for music is demonstrated through the dominant headphones on the front cover and they also feature on the inside cover. Although direct address, the pose doesn't play up to the camera or try to sell the artist. Instead she holds her headphones, creating the impression that she is lost in her music. Furthermore,  a music related prop features on every side of the cover, the boombox, the DJ set up and of course the headphones on the final panel. The brushes that have been applied to the back, also imply trance and music. 

Music is dominant