Evaluation Q3

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

One of the most important parts of creating a complete marketing campaign for any brand, product or media text is a strong sense of continuity between all aspects/components of the campaign. By achieving this, the different elements will have cohesion together and will all be recognized by similarities and iconic recognizable points such as titles, taglines, logos and characters. This way when an individual component of the campaign is seen it will be instantly recognizable to the audience and slowly build an iconic ‘identity’ for the product or in this case film.

I feel that this continuity has been achieved across our campaign. The most prominent features of continuity are the title and the use of the same protagonist character from the trailer in both print based elements as well. This will effectively introduce the central character and begin to build a bond or recognition with this person well before the release of the film, encouraging people to connect with later marketing tools such as the theatrical trailer. The title will also be positioned in the mind of the audience so when later advertised it will connect with this initial teaser campaign and prompt an interest or at least recognition in the more developed later advertising products. The font used for the title is similar across both the poster and magazine cover to increase the continuity across these elements. However, it does differ in the trailer, as we wanted a simpler font, so as to not distract from the complex visual elements of the trailer, whereas in the still image texts font is an important tool to convey tone and genre without the versatility available with moving image.

Another way in which continuity is established is with the tagline of our whole campaign which features in all three elements, ‘there’s always someone watching’ this is an appropriate tagline to go with the theme of stalking evident within the trailer. The use of a tagline is very effective in increasing continuity and an identity for the film as it is a short, memorable phrase but it carries the connotations of the main theme of our trailer and so becomes an iconic and recognizable symbol or tool for our whole campaign.

The use of colour and image is also continuous across the products. As many people noticed from my audience feedback and is a prominent feature, the image of the dark woods is used in both print components to add cohesion and recognition. The image is also appropriate in connoting the sinister and mysterious tone and themes of the campaign. The woods also feature in the end of the trailer to further synchronize the products. The dark colour palette used across the texts also establishes continuity.

Finally, the tone and mood created through all three products is eerie, sinister and appropriate for the plot and genre. This was supported by audience feedback ‘the mysterious tone was strong throughout’. The consistency of this mise en scene and atmosphere may be the most potentially powerful tool in creating brand recognition, as if a feeling can be induced and associated with the campaign then there may be constant reminders and a very strong connection with all elements of this and future marketing campaigns. This would work in concordance with the hypodermic audience theories and other theories that suggest an active response from audiences.

So altogether, across the campaign, a strong continuity is established and a recognizable identity for the film has been created.