Evaluation

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

What have I learned from my audience feedback? 

Final Billboard

The billboard promotes the brand identity of my magazine to the public.  To convey the brand identity of my magazine I have used the same colour scheme, fonts and emphasised the masthead.  My billboard is gender neutral because it doesn't contain any features that are especially feminine or masculine, this conveys that the magazine is gender neutral.   My billboard mixes 2-D graphics and 3-D human limbs to create a collage effect that is fun and 'funky'.  The leg kicking behind the main heading resembles the logo the 2-D logo of the boot print on my magazine front cover.  Also, the finger pointing at the website and Twitter address place an emphasis on the fact I want my readers to interact with the magazine. 

Another Audience Feedback Corrections

Since the addition of the angel wings to my billboard I sat down again with the same focus group who had given me the feedback to add more features to see if the billboard now appealed to them.  I got positive feedback from the finger pointing at the links and the Twitter bird, however, they didn't understand the concept of having the wings around 'out now'.  Instead, I showed them a draft of the billboard without the wings and they preferred it much more.

Changes to Planned design for the billboard

Due to the criticism that my billboard seemed 'plain' near the side more to the right, I have added angel wings around 'out now'. The angel wings correlate with the angelic rays around the magazine.  Also, the finger that was pointing at 'out now' is now pointing at the magazine's website address and Twitter address.  With this, I have put the Twitter logo next to the Twitter address to clarify what platform the address is for.

Audience Feedback

When I was creating the plan for my billboard I kept in mind the feedback I got from my audience research to make a product that would attract them to my magazine and give them relevant information.  The feedback they gave me was to keep the billboard minimal and include information on platforms they can interact with the magazine such as Twitter and the magazine website, which I have done. The feedback I received was very positive and they especially liked combination of the random limbs with 2-D graphics.

However, some criticism I received is that my billboard seemed a bit plain near the right side of the billboard.  With this, my audience suggested that I should add another graphic element. To correlate with the angelic rays surrounding the magazine, I will create angel wings around 'out now'  

Additional Feature to My Billboard

The idea of my billboard is based around, 'comics' and 'collages'. The mixture of the 2-D and 3-D images creates a 'funky' mode of address that is random and fun to attract a young audience where as formal images create an advert targeted towards an older demographic. Also, the mixture of 2-D and 3-D reflects the imagination of a youth's mind.




An addition I have made to my billboard that I didn't include in my original plan was graphic rays of sun/halo rays around the image of my magazine front cover.  This suggests the importance and the greatness of the magazine that the people viewing the billboard should invest in.

Photography for Billboard

To edit the images I have used Adobe Photoshop. On my plan, I wanted to use a low angle shot of a real leg kicking that will convey the logo of a boot print. To do this I took the original image, cropped the background. 

The combination of the 2-D print and 3-D leg creates a 'collage' effect which makes the advert seem more immature and fun fro a young audience than serious and realistic. 

I went through the same process of cropping and placing with my hands holding the magazine.  However, to make the magazine stand out more, I replaced the hardcopy the the front cover with a digital image of the front cover. 

Plan for Billboard Advertisement

Audience Research

From my analysis of various billboards I found that billboards either contain a lot of information or hardly any. With this I asked my people of the age demographic that my magazine is aimed at as to which they prefer and what information would be beneficial for them to see on a billboard.  

The majority voted for the brand name, the cover issue and ways in which they can contact the magazine.  This is will be beneficial because billboards are to glance at and these pieces of information do not reveal anything about the content which will entice people to buy the magazine to find out what it is about.  

Software and Dimensions

The softwares I am going to use to produce the billboard are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign.  I will be using Photoshop to manipulate the images, such as brightening colours and cutting around the images I will take. 

The table below shows the different dimensions for a billboard advertisement.  

Placement of Billboards

The placement of a billboard is equally as important as the design.  The billboard has to be in an area where a large audience is able to see it. For the placement of the billboard I am creating that is  promoting my regional magazine, and  targeted towards teenagers, the ideal area to place my billboard would be near a school. This is because I'd be reaching a mass of my target audience as students in school's are diverse in age and interests and would see this advertisement every weekday. For example, this billboard is located on the same lane as my school:

As well, the billboard is located next to a roundabout and will gain the attention and various types of people who are driving past, from the area and beyond. 

Below, the billboard for Time Out London placed in the underground.  This is the perfect location to attract their audience as it is the common travel for people living in London so it will gain a lot of attraction. Also the advertisement is for a show that the contributors to the magazine recommend which may entice their target audience of young people to by the magazine to find out what else they recommend.  

Analysis of Billboards

The Resident Magazine Billboard Advertisement

Now that I know the what makes an effective billboard, this case study on London's regional magazine. 

Resident Magazine is one of London's regional magazines. This actually, was the only billboard advertisement for a regional magazine I could find.  Maybe the lack of advertising is the reason regional magazines are not as successful compared to other magazine is because of this. However, the billboard is on a railway bridge near a train station and it will be seen by a variety of people including; drivers, train passengers and people passing by. 

LED Billbaords Vs Vinyl Billboards

The digitalisation of print media products, such as the normal vinyl billboards into a LED billboards has become an effective advertising medium for outdoor and indoor use.  In Wolverhampton, there are no LED billboards to advertise on, so I will be creating a vinyl billboard.

Advantages of vinyl billboards:

Durability- Vinyl is thick and strong, hence it can last for a long duration.  It has a high amount of flexibility so can withstand different weather conditions such as torrential rain, wind and snow.  As well, vinyl is water resistant and UV Protected. This means water will not was colours away or seep into the vinyl sheet.

Printing and cost- The process of digitally printing a vinyl signage is faster and cost effective. Also this ensures that the vinyl can be shipped across the globe without print getting damaged.

Visibility- Vinyl will provide high visibility because of the placement, size and vibrant colours of digital printing.  As a result, it is going to attract more people and create a high brand visibility.

How to Make an Effective Billboard

Now that I have finished my radio advertisement I can start the process of planning for my billboard advertisement.  The radio advert and the billboard together will be effective for drivers particularly  as the radio advert gives more details about the magazine whilst people are driving and the billboard serves a s a visual aid to illustrate what has been said in the radio advert.  Billboard advertising is one traditional medium that has remained virtually unchanged.  The increase of internet and social media use created these 'new rules of marketing' however billboard advertising hasn't conformed.  Because our brief includes billboard as advertising tool to market our magazine I want to know what I have to include in ours to make it effective and a reliable strategy to gain buyers.

Final Radio Advertisement

My final radio advertisement lasts just over 30 seconds which is typical time for an advert to be on the airway. With this, listeners will not get bored or forget the reason for the advert.  During my advert I have mentioned the name of my magazine at the beginning, during the middle and at the end of the advert as a constant reminder of the product also this will notify listeners who have tuned in later what the advert is about.  Furthermore,  I used the magazine name as a pun at the end, 'kick back and enjoy this issue' to make the name more memorable.

The soundtrack is upbeat suggesting the joyful brand identity of my magazine and will attract the audience when they first listen.  However it is much quieter than the voiceover so people can hear the information and not get distracted.

The voices are of a teenage female and male to indicate that the magazine is unisex. Also the voices convey the regional accent which promotes the fact it is a regional magazine.

The radio advertisement concludes with where to buy the magazine and platforms to connect with the magazine like on Twitter.

Uploading My Radio Advertisment to iTunes and YouTube

I uploaded my radio advertisement to iTunes and YouTube so that promotion of my magazine will reach a larger audience.  These two platforms were the ideal choice because they are popularly used amongst teenagers and because these platforms promote new content themselves increasing the chances my audience will come across my radio advertisement.