Explore the marketing strategies used by your selected industry.

Nirvana were a grunge band from the 1990's that aided the creation of the sub genre 'Grunge'. This genres ideology was based around influences from rock/punk and pop. The bands values were orientated around anti materialistic and anti capitalism, these values being included in their most successful album 'Nevermind' as the cover features a baby swimming chasing money, representing how society on the whole is dictated by money. Nirvana were originally signed to the record label Sub pop, realising their first album 'Bleach' being a niche heavy rock based album. However, this record label was not large enough in order for the band to reach the masses of the mainstream. As a result the band signed with Geffen, realising their second album 'Nevermind'. In addition, as the label could target the mainstream, their second album became a more mainstream based album, still featuring conventions of grunge.

As the Internet was not readily available for Nirvana to use, their strategies were different in comparison to Radiohead and Lady Gaga, in which used online social media to promote and increase awareness. In particular, as rebellion is a theme of their music this was included in live performances to promote through the word of mouth. An example includes on the Jonathan Ross show the band were originally supposed to play 'lithium' this being a pop based single that would gratify the masses of mainstream, however, the band chosen to play a different song being territorial pissing that has connotations of heavy loud distortion being conventions of the grittiness of grunge. Teenagers were gratified by this theme and therefore this became a discussion point with social integration becoming dominant.

Nirvana relied on other forms of digital technology in order to promote their music. MTV was a show that allowed for the band to illustrate their ideologies with public stunts similar to the Jonathan Ross show. Specifically, on a episode of 'Top of the Pop's" the band mimed the playing of their instruments with loud distortion, whilst Kurt Cobain the front man sang very out of tune on purpose. Again this was a typical strategy in order to have an impact on its audience, presenting the impression of mocking and rebelling against set rules and regulations of society.

B4 “Most media target a range of audience” How true is this for your chosen text?

Lost is a successful science fiction and adventure based programme that has attracted a huge audience over its duration.  The programme is Hybrid genre, therefore it has not only attracted one audience, but has expanded appealing to huge mainstream audience. In this case, the target audience would be those who enjoy adventure or science fiction programmes. The use of this hybrid genre, represents how postmodernism has been an efficient method to draw in a greater audience. In particular the setting of the neutral location in the first series of the episode of ‘pilot 2’, most certainly gratified a passive audience as this location is not relatable to any members of the audience, therefore the audience take away the gratification of escapism from everyday life. The use of the ensemble cast has engaged the mass audience as members can identify with specific characters, as there is a range of cultures and ethnicity's with clear relationships illustrated in the text. Specifically, Jack is labelled as the ‘hero’ in a sequence from the episode this being obvious without the use of dialogue, however this allows for a passive audience to understand the roles and characters relationships. In the title sequence, the use of non-diegetic sound builds the tension, suggesting uncertainty, as the tone of the sound is very mysterious, presenting an indication to the audience that something is about to happen.

Most media texts target a wide range of audiences, how rue is this to your chosen texts?

Madmen written by Matthew Wiener is a successful US drama, this is illustrated by the 5th series and 11th episode having over 3 million views for the episode 'The Other Woman". The programme highlights gender roles and relationships in the 60's presenting a historical gratification for a niche audience, including feminism and racism. The preferred audience being aged between 30 and 40 years of age are targeted through the use of several techniques such as a polysemic meanings.

The programme attracts its audience through the use of a aesthetically pleasing cast, the audience identify and base their models of behaviour around the roles included, this being another attraction that gratifies its niche audience.

This active preferred audience have to use their own initiative, as complex character relationships and roles are included. This gratifying the audience as an engagement has to be made and involves the audience to be active, in comparison to a mainstream programme.

The scheduling for the programme on Sky Atlantic is 10 o'clock in the UK. Again this is a typical as Sky Atlantic is independently a channel in which an audience has to pay a subscription fee. As the scheduling is later, this attracts a active niche audience as a mainstream programme would be scheduled earlier to attract a wider audience of the passive mainstream.

In summary following on from my analysis I believe the statement of "Most media texts target a wide range of audiences , how true is this of your chosen text?" is a correct statement as a mainstream audience  target the masses through the use of various codes in regards to Mad Men.

Discuss the audience appeal of your three main texts

In the specific text of ‘Madman’ season 5, episode 11 titled ‘The Other Women’, as the scene concludes Don Draper is viewed as weak and powerless as he holds Peggy’s hand as she resigns from her occupation role in the company.

 In the sequence Don Draper is sitting down kissing Peggy’s hand, being in a dominated position. Whereas, Peggy remains the figure with authority as she is standing suppressing Don Drapper, presenting her character with authority. In addition, this is a controversial issue that is identified, this being because the 1960’s are referred to as the decade of female equality progression and the gain for rights. This is a contrast to Don Draper’s role in the text, as he is perceived as the dominant protagonist. In addition, in reference to Don’s character, the scene where Peggy has money thrown directly at her face by Don, illustrates how power fluctuates in the text between females and males being relevant to this era.

In comparison to this episode and text, ‘Suits’ is a modern influence of the text, displaying how the cultivation theory has taken place and as a consequence has seen the increase in business-orientated dramas. This programme targets a mass mainstream audience including simplistic roles and relationships allowing for the audience to clearly understand the sequence, being a passive type of audience. Scenes include quicker paced framework and explosive elements to attract its audience. Techniques such as non-diegetic sound are used to build the tension, clearly identifying the atmosphere, ensuring the audience can understand key aspects of the text. On the other hand, the preferred audience of ‘Madmen’ are considered an active audience, as complex relationships and roles are incorporated. The text does not use any non-diegetic sound, this is because this technique is too obvious for an active audience. The idea behind this is that the audience of madmen are active, therefore the relationships and roles are not simplistic and in fact complex, requiring the audience to use their own initiative.

Digital technology has been used in various ways to aid sales of all three of my chosen texts. 

'Radiohead' are a unique Indie/Rock band that has established a huge fan base over the years. The album 'King of Limbs' sold between 300-400 thousand copies. The band was previously sighed to the record company E.M.I, where they built strong bonds with their fan base. In addition this allowed them to release their most recent album, independently. The Internet is a form of digital technology the band used to sell the album. Through their own website they were able to give details on the albums release date. The band had the idea to have a range of formats to sell the album e.g. the MP3 format costing £6, the WAV download costing £9 and other forms including a vinyl edition to target the vast audience.  'YouTube' was used efficiently to sell the album by uploading a music video of the single 'Lotus Flower'. Furthermore, this gave preview to a diverse audience, supporting the album sales.

Lady Gaga is a controversial artist who has used the wider social media and digital technology of the 21st century, to aid sales and make herself a product worth millions. Her album 'Fame' under the record label 'Interscope Records' received huge success. The 5 singles that promoted and sold the album include, 'Just Dance', 'Poker Face', 'Eh Eh', 'Love Game' and 'Paparazzi'. These tracks advertised and promoted the album through the use of YouTube. 'Just Dance' has currently 156 million views on YouTube, supporting how Lady Gaga's music reaches a wider audience internationally. One other form of digital technology Lady Gaga uses efficiently is the social network site Twitter. She currently has 33 million followers on the networking site, giving her access to her fan base being able to communicate and constantly promote herself as a brand/product. Facebook is another form of modern day technology allowing Lady Gaga to maintain a strong relationship with her fan base, attracting huge investment regarding brands and other types of business. 

Nirvanas were a grunge band that has been extremely successful although 21st digital technology was not available to use. Nirvana could be described as the older model of a band that has used older forms of the digital media to promote there critically acclaimed album 'Nevermind'. Nirvana promoted independent music into the mainstream along with themselves on various chat shows, e.g. The Jonathan Ross Show.  The main form of digital technology the band used was MTV. This programme would broadcast to a huge mainstream audience. As a result of MTV broadcasts, awareness of the band spread along with promotion, aiding sales. In addition, other forms consisted of word of mouth amongst the bands audience and generally throughout the music industry. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' arguably one of the most successful singles of Nirvana included the ideology of rebellion. This idea was found within a variety of their music and displayed in performances on 'Top of the pops' and other shows. The band began to typically destroy equipment, symbolizing rebellion after their shows, this increased the public’s attention. In the long term, 21st century technology has helped the band with sales, contributing to the albums 30 million copies sold.

Discuss issues of representation of gender and race

In District 9 the issues regarding gender and race vary. Throughout the film there are negative representations of those who have roles of power, become terrible and commit atrocities.

The white people on the whole are represented as the dominant race with the power and money. In addition, with the white people having the higher roles, they are portrayed as injustice carrying out terrible acts. Connotations include them as being money orientated and double crossing.

The Nigerians are perceived very negatively, with a gangster organised crime type image. These Nigerians have traits including cannibalism, with various connotations of crime such as prostitution, arms dealing and breaking of a number of other laws.

The aliens known as ‘Prawns’ are also shown as chaotic and less intellectual compared to human beings.

Women have a representation of weak and dependant on the male figures. Women roles are not vital for the storyline therefore they are not essential, being considered as being underrepresented. A representation of men on the whole refer too them as being killing machines, presenting the idea to the audience that humans are scared when uncertain about outsiders.

Discuss how typical the text is of its genre

The genre of the film is a science fiction with elements of a documentary style. Conventions of the science fiction genre include the aliens, futuristic weapons and the mother ship. Conventions of the documentary style genre are the hand held camera, interviews, with the use of the found footage and stock footage. Furthermore, the acknowledgement of the camera is another convention of a documentary styled genre.

How is the film postmodern?

The film is postmodern as it pays homage to the film fly. The hybrid genre consists of the science fiction genre with a documentary style included, this being a strand of postmodernism.

What is the contextual cultural content in the text?

The Apartheid is a major part of the cultural context. This event was where there was large segregation between white and black people in South Africa. Blacks, for the most part, were kept separate from whites.Moreover, when there was an overlap, there were very clearly delineated hierarchies of where people were allowed to go. Those ideas are presented with the ‘prawns’, being referred to the black community representing how they suffered.

Fish Tank Scene Analysis

As a group, we explored the genre conventions of ‘fish tank’. The genre of this piece is social realism.  This type of genre is portrayed through the use of hand held camera, social issues and non- diegetic issues. Through the use of the hand held camera, the audience becomes more involved in the scene as they see through the eyes of Mia. In addition, the use of non-diegetic sound enhances this effect presenting the audience with the realisation of being within the scene. An example of this is when Mia is asking a man for directions. Whilst walking down the road we see a hand held shot from behind her, the audience view the movement of her head, with camera following as she enters conversation. The use non-diegetic sound supports this statement as the urban scenario is reprsentated with interruption of vehicles passing as conversation continues. Another strong convention through the film, appearing in the scene, is social realism of relationship issues. The issues between Connor and Mia, that include under age sex demonstrated when Connor kisses Mia in the car symbolising isolation around the issue, disagreement as Connor drags Mia always from the house to confront her in a private environment as if he is ashamed and feelings of young love shown my Mia throughout, an example of her body language and facial expressions at the train station reflecting on her actions . The audience can relate to this through personal identification due to the fact they witness this on a personal level.