Magazine advert analysis - Miss Miller

Magazine advert

A magazine album advert has many different purposes, for example, it could be used as a marketing technique to advertise the album and to promote the artist, which helps to make an audience aware that the album is soon to be sold, therefore encouraging sales. Another purpose of a magazine advert could be to promote the new album to a wider target audience, as there may be some people who are avid readers of the magazine but might not have heard of the album or artist before, therefore reading about the artist could interest a newer audience into searching songs that the artist has already brought out, and if they like what they hear they will be more inclined to buy the new album. Also, a magazine advert helps to creates a 'buzz' around the new album because it acts as a constant reminder of the upcoming album and has the potential to create anticipation within the target audience for the release of the album. Furthermore, a magazine album could link in with other forms of advertisements for the album in order to create more marketing, for example, billboards, this therefore increases the albums exposure and makes a wider audience aware of its release. As well as being beneficial for the artist by promoting the new album, a magazine advert could potentially benefit the magazine also because in return for the exposure the artist could participate in an interview for the magazine which will draw fans of the artist into reading the magazine, which could boost sales of the magazine because people are more likely to read the magazine if they feel as though they will be learning new information about the artist. Therefore, the magazine advert also benefits the target audience who, through an interview will be able to find out more about an artist, due to the fact that personal questions are usually asked in order to entice them. The use of a magazine advert may also help the music industry to get support from these other companies that have their own target audience and avid readers which could potentially have the power of pushing sales further by encouraging their readers to buy the album.

The first magazine advert that I have chosen to analyse is 'English rain' by Gabrielle Aplin which was her debut album. We decided on this magazine advert due to the fact that she is the artist that we have chosen to base our final media project on, therefore we will want to find out more about her individual style so that we can create a music video and magazine advert that incorporates some of her own individual style that an audience will be able to associate with her and the indie genre. Another magazine advert that I have chosen to analyse is '+' by Ed Sheeran due to the fact that he is another example of a successful indie artist. We want to be able to compare Gabrielle Aplin with another indie artist in order to see what she does differently to Ed Sheeran, but also to see what they do the same which may be conventional to the indie genre that I should consider including in my own magazine advert.

The magazine advert represents Gabrielle Aplin as being carefree, due to the fact that the visuals of an umbrella suggests that it is raining, however, the small, white dress that she is wearing is not the outfit you would expect someone to wear in that weather. Gabrielle Aplin is also represented as being fragile due to the fact that her body positioning, which shows her as tightly gripping onto the umbrella, and one of her feet being off the group, makes it look as though she is being blown away. The idea of Aplin being small and vulnerable could represent the fact that 'English rain' is her debut album, therefore she is being introduced into a large music industry, and she does not know for sure whether her album will be successful or if she will become a product of the music industry, therefore she is taking a risk and putting herself on the line. Furthermore, the digipak also represents Gabrielle Aplin as being conventional to the indie genre due to the use of simple and emotional colours, including black and white, which could suggests that her songs are more personal and have a deeper meaning to them, which is conventional to the indie genre as the audience will be able to get to know more about her through her music, which is often based on real life experiences. The magazine advert could also represent Gabrielle Aplin as wanting to be the centre of attention, due to the fact that she is holding onto an umbrella which is the only colourful image on the cover, therefore the audience are drawn into looking at her. This could be due to the fact that she is trying to promote and create exposure for herself in order to better her chances of being successful in the music industry. Also, by not looking forward on the cover, Gabrielle Aplin could be represented as mysterious because the audience do not know much about her but she is not showing them a clear image of her face which they will be able to associate her music with. Gabrielle Aplin conforms to Goodwin's theory in the sense that she is represented as being talented due to the idea that she has to ability to write her own songs as well as perform them.

The album being called 'English rain' could suggest that the songs are personal to the artist due to the fact that she is from England, which therefore implies that she is singing about what she knows. This could also suggest that her songs, including 'Please don't say you love me' and 'Home' are based on real life experiences, which may interest the audience into buying the album because they will feel as though they are getting to know more about Gabrielle Aplin, which is important considering this was her debut album which means not many people would have known who she was, therefore she would have needed to build up a following in order to sell her music. The use of the colours black and white could suggest that her songs are also black and white in the sense that they are pretty self expiatory and that she does not have anything to hide, which could suggest that she is telling the audience that her songs are personal and do not sugar coat her life to make it seem better than it is, which is conventional to the indie genre because indie songs are often based on real life experiences.

The top half of the album cover is a light blue, white colour, which could represent the sky which helps to create an emotional feel to the atmosphere of the album, which is arguably conventional to the indie genre because indie songs are often based on real life experiences, therefore they are often more emotional and personal to the artist. Furthermore, the colour blue could represent the idea that the indie genre is often associated with artists who create emotional, and deep and meaningful songs that are often based on real life experiences, which could links in with the term 'feeling blue' and suggests that the audience can expect to hear sad songs on her album. The use of the colours black, white and grey for the majority of the magazine advert could suggest that Gabrielle Aplin's songs are pretty self explanatory and that they will allow an audience to get to know more about her, which is beneficial to both her and the audience because she is new to the industry and has yet to build up a fan base to target her music to. The bottom half of the advert is a black and grey colour, which helps the white writing on the advert to stand out, which is beneficial to Gabrielle Aplin because the white writing is the key information that the audience need to know about the album, for example, the release date and song names. Also, some of the songs from the album will have been released before the album itself, therefore, if the audience have listened to these songs and like them, they will be more inclined to buy the album. The lack of colours also helps Gabrielle Aplin to stand out, which implies that she is one of the most important aspects on the advert due to the fact that she is promoting her first album, therefore the audience need to know who she is. Gabrielle Aplin looks miniature on the advert cover wearing a white, light yellow coloured dress, colours that could be used to represent her innocence, due to the fact that 'English rain' was her debut album, meaning she is still new to the industry and has not become a product of the music industry yet, therefore her music is still her own and has not been adapted to appeal to a specific group of people. The multi-coloured umbrella that she is holding is the only actual colour used on the cover, which could suggest that she wants to be the centre of attention due to the fact that the audience are drawn to looking at her. These choice of colours are beneficial to Aplin because 'English rain' was her debut album, therefore she needs to promote and expose herself and her music as part of the large and diverse music industry.

The layout of the advert cover looks similar to that of a book, like the ones that celebrities and artists often write about themselves in order to tell their personal stories to an audience, which could therefore suggest to the audience that the album is personal to Aplin and that the songs are based on real life experiences, which is arguably beneficial to Gabrielle Aplin due to the fact that 'English rain' was her debut album, therefore the audience will want to get to know more about her, in order for her to establish who she is going to be aiming and selling her future music to. The design and layout of the magazine advert is pretty plain and simple due to the fact that there are not too many details which could potentially draw the audiences focus away from the artist and her music. This could also help the artist to stand out and suggests that she and her music are the most important aspects of the magazine advert. The lack of details is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are usually solely focused on selling their music, and therefore do not want to take away from this.

The magazine advert shows the audience a small image of Gabrielle Aplin standing in a field, holding a multi-coloured umbrella which looks as though she is being blown away. These visuals of the umbrella links in with the album title 'English rain', which could suggest that there is a theme to the advert and album which is quite emotional, due to the fact that rain often connotes the idea of sadness and being miserable. The use of a long shot image is arguably unconventional to the indie genre, due to the fact that indie artists often use close ups to show the audience how they are feeling, and to help the audience understand that their music is more emotional. Also, the umbrella is the only multi-coloured image on the cover, which could therefore suggest that Aplin wants to be the centre of attention, due to the fact that the audience are drawn into looking at the artist. Even though the audience can see the artist, the image is only small which arguably creates a sense of mystery about her and interests the audience into wanting to find out more about her. However, the choice of image is arguably conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as being more interested in selling their music than selling themselves, which tells the audience that although she is important, she cares more about sharing her music. Furthermore, the image on the magazine advert is the same image that can be seen on the album, which means that the audience are more likely to recognise the album when they are looking for it in the shops. Also, the use of an isolated looking location for the backdrop of the magazine advert is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists often want to do their own thing and not what everybody else is doing, which arguably helps them to stand out as an individual in a diverse and large industry.

To begin with her name is a lot larger than all of the other words written on the magazine cover, which therefore suggests that she is one of the most important aspects of the advert, due to the fact that she is new to the music industry, therefore she will need to promote herself in order to establish an audience that she is going to direct her music towards. The words 'English rain' are written in dainty, feminine writing which suggests that it has been handwritten, similar to that of a signature, which helps to give the album more of a personal feel and could imply that the songs on the album have been written by the artist herself, which links into Goodwin's theory and the idea that an artist must be extraordinary, and is conventional to the indie genre due to the fact that indie songs are often based on real life experiences which helps the audience to build an emotional connection with the song. There are also some of the names of her songs, including 'Please Don't Say You Love Me', 'Panic Cord' and 'The Power Of Love' which featured on the John Lewis Christmas advert, which the audience will associate Gabrielle Aplin with due to the fact that they were released before the album itself, therefore if the audience will have listened to these songs and if they like them, they will be more likely to buy the album when it is released. Furthermore, these names suggest that the songs are going to be about love, which is conventional to the indie genre due to the fact that indie artists often based their songs on real life experiences, in particular, songs about relationships.

The date '13 May', which is the release date helps to make the audience aware of the release of the album, and therefore the audience may anticipate the release of the album and know when it will be available for them to buy. This is important, due to the fact that the album will not sell if the audience do not know when it is being sold. The advert also tells the audience that the album can be bought on both a CD and Vinyl, which is arguably quite a vintage way of listening to music due to the fact that not many people own vinyl's nowadays because of the development in technology, however, this is conventional to the indie genre which is often perceived as being old fashioned which may appeal to her TA who are more likely to own vinyl players compared to those who are avid listeners of the pop or rap genre, genres that are mainly played on the radio.


The magazine advert promotes the indie genre as being quite simple and relaxed, for example, the use of dull colours suggests the indie genre to be emotional and sad, and that the music may be based on real life experiences that can be told to the audience through the use of a narrative. Also, the use of small images of Gabrielle Aplin suggests that the indie artists do not want to be seen as taking away from the music, which is conventional because most indie artists aim to share their music with as many people as they can. The use of simple colours such as black and white may reflect Gabrielle Aplin as a person, for example, the colour suggest that she is an easy going, which suggests that she is someone that the audience will be able to relate to in the sense that most people within the music industry are perceived as being materialistic orientated. Also, the use of a small image that prevents the audience from being able to see her face helps to create a sense of mystery about her, which could be use to interest and draw the audience into wanting to know more about her, which they will be able to do by buying her album and listening to her music because her songs have such personal names, for example, 'home'. Through the use of small images of Gabrielle Aplin, a sense of mystery is created around her due to the fact that the audience cannot see what she looks like and are not given much information about her, which may entice them into buying the album because they will be curious to know more about her. Also, the representation of Gabrielle Aplin may help to attract an audience because she comes across as being someone who is down to earth that the audience will be able to relate to, which makes it easier for them to view as being similar to themselves because she does not have the typical artist image which suggests them to be rich, materialistic and concerned with setting and keeping up with current fashion trends.

'+' by Ed Sheeran

Through the use of facial expressions, the audience can see that Ed Sheeran is smiling, which could suggest that he is a happy person and that he is passionate about his music, which therefore implies that his songs will have a happy vibe to them that the audience will enjoy listening to. Also, the use of the colour orange will help the audience to associate the advert with Ed Sheeran due to the fact that he is well known for his ginger hair, therefore this could suggest that he is confident in who he is as a person and as an artist, and that he is using his diverse traits to help him stand out in a competitive and diverse industry, and to build an image that an audience can recognise him by. Furthermore, the magazine advert represents Ed Sheeran as being relatable due to the fact that he can be seen wearing affordable clothing and no expensive pieces of jewellery, which is relatable because the audience may not be able to afford designer brands that mainstream genres of music associate themselves with. This also suggests that he is more focused on promoting his music, rather than keeping up with current fashion trends or becoming a fashion icon in the eyes of his audience.

Due to the fact that the name of his album is ‘+’, a sense of mystery is created around Ed Sheeran and his music because the name does not give the audience a clear understanding of what his songs are going to be about and the audience do not know what ‘+’ means to Ed Sheeran. This could therefore suggest that his songs are going to have a deeper meaning to them which is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists often base their songs on real life experiences that allow the audience to get to know more about their life.

The use of the colour orange for the basis of the magazine colour may help the audience to associate the album and this specific magazine advert with Ed Sheeran due to the fact that he is well known for his ginger hair. This could suggest that he is confident in who he is as a person and as an artist, and that he is using his diverse traits to help him stand out in a competitive and diverse industry, and to build an image that an audience can recognise him by. Also, the use of colours that are easy on the eye, for example light orange and white, could compliment how laid back the indie genre is perceived as being and could also suggest that Ed Sheeran is an easy going person, and does not view himself as being better than everyone else because of how talented he is. Furthermore, the orange writing between the lines of white helps the words "no. 1 album" to stand out, and this change in colour arguably highlights how important this information is and implies that the artist wants this key information to be read by the audience, due to the fact that it suggests to the audience that his album is popular and that Ed Sheeran is a successful artist within the music industry. The use of black coloured clothing could suggest that Ed Sheeran has a very simple, laid back taste in fashion, and does not care to much about wearing branded clothing which some of the audience may not be able to afford, which therefore makes him appear more relatable.

The design and layout of the magazine cover looks similar to that of a book, like the autobiographies and biographies that celebrities often release to allow their fans to get to know more about them, which could therefore suggest that the music on the album that he is promoting in the magazine will include songs that are personal to Ed Sheeran and will allow his audience to get to know more about him, which may encourage them to buy the album due to the fact they will be interested to know more about his private life which may include things that they don’t already know about him. Also, the positioning of the writing helps the audience to know that the writing is going to be about Ed Sheeran and his new album, which therefore suggests the writing to be informative, and the audience may feel more inclined to read on due to the fact that they may feel like it is something they need to know. Furthermore, the writing is positioned down the page, which is the same way that the audiences eyes will move when they read the advert, this therefore ensures that the audience do not miss any of the information and that the advert is easy on the eye, making the audience more inclined to read it.

The magazine advert for ‘+’ consists of a large image of Ed Sheeran’s smiling face, which shows the audience how happy and passionate he is about promoting his music, as well as suggesting that he is the most important aspect of the magazine advert. This image of Ed Sheeran could also tell the audience that he is not in the music industry for the money, and that he is passionate about what he does and cares about what his fans think. This choice of image helps Ed Sheeran to represent himself as being relatable because the picture does not look as though it was taken for the purpose of a magazine, it looks as though someone else has taken a candid shot of him, which also suggests that he is a naturally happy person, which may make the audience feel as though his music will have happier vibes, as opposed to emotional songs that may sometimes be perceived as depressing. Also, in the image Ed Sheeran can be seen wearing just a plain black top and no expensive items of jewellery, the use of affordable clothing will help him to come across as being more relatable due to the fact that some of his fans may not be able to afford designer brands that some of the mainstream genres of music, for example, pop, associate themselves with. Furthermore, there is also a small image of his album cover in the corner of the magazine advert, which is beneficial to Ed Sheeran who is promoting his album as well as himself due to the fact that he wants the audience to buy his album, therefore this image shows them what to look out for in the shops.

The typography compliments the indie genre, especially the words on the magazine advert, for example, Ed Sheeran’s name, look as though they have been written on an old fashioned typewriter, which is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as having a vintage style and as not being in time with current trends, which includes the developments in technology, for example, computers and iPads. The use of this typography helps to represent Ed Sheeran as having his own individual style, which may appeal to his audience due to the fact that they enjoy the indie genre, therefore it is likely that they will not fit into the mainstream. Also, the style of language used on the magazine advert helps to promotes Ed Sheeran and his album, for example, the names of some of his songs "The A team" and "Lego House" may persuade the audience to buy his album due to the fact that they were released before the album itself, therefore the audience may have already listened to these songs, and if they liked them they will be more likely to want to buy his full album. Furthermore, there may be some people who have heard those songs before but did not know who sung them, therefore by including them on the magazine advert the audience are informed that Ed Sheeran is the artist and they may want to listen to more of his music. Also, at the bottom of the magazine advert there is a review of his new album which is beneficial to Ed Sheeran due to the fact that there may be some members of his audience who take into account what other people think, and this review will show the audience that his album is worth buying, due to the fact that it received high praises from someone within the music industry who is likely to know what they are talking about.

The magazine advert promotes Ed Sheeran as being a relatable and happy person, especially through the use of facial expressions which show his smiling, and plain clothing that appears more affordable and less materialistic. Ed Sheeran is promoted as being someone whom the audience can look up to, due to the fact that he appears confident in who he is and passionate about his career. This representation of the artist may help the advert to attract an audience, due to the fact that he is perceived as being similar to the audience in the sense that he does not flaunt his wealth or look as though the picture of him has been staged, which may have made the audience feel as though he was being fake or only in the music industry for the money. Furthermore, the mentioning of the song names "the A team" and "Lego House" will entice an audience due to the fact that these songs were released as singles before the album itself, therefore the audience may have already heard these songs and if they like them they will be more inclined to buy the whole album. Also, there may be some people who have heard the songs but do not know who the artist is, therefore the audience will be attracted to the advert because it will allow them to find out more about Ed Sheeran.

In conclusion, by analysing these two magazine adverts we were able to see the differences and similarities that the magazine adverts have, and therefore find out what is conventional to the indie genre, for example, both of the artists are represented as being down to earth, especially Ed Sheeran who is a well know, successful musician, but still comes across as humble through his facial expressions and the way he dresses in affordable clothing. When I am creating my own magazine advert, the artist will be dressed in non branded clothing that will appear more relatable to the audience and will not suggest wealth or materialism. Furthermore, both artists appear to be passionate about their music because they do not take the attention away from the information on the advert, for example, the key information on Ed Sheeran's advert has been written in different colours, whereas the image of Gabrielle Aplin is only small, therefore the audience will not necessarily be drawn into looking at it. Also, the use of colours light, calming colours that have a dull feel to them compliments the idea that the indie genre is often perceived as being based on emotional experiences that allow an artist to express to their audience how they are feeling, therefore, I will use colours such as light blue, pink and purple when creating my own magazine advert.