PLAN B Album Advert

This album advert is for Plan B, a British Rapper.

This advert was given a whole page in ‘Short List’ free magazine which handed out on the London Underground Tube network weekly.

Immediately, this tells the audience that Plan B is trying to appeal to the British audience as the ‘London Underground’ is heavily associated with Britain.

Moreover, the magazine is handed out to people of all ages so I believe this to be a way of reaching multiple target audiences.

HOWEVER………… The advert itself has intertextual references suggesting that it wants to have a gritty, American noir feel to it. For example, I think that the colour scheme and style lends itself from classic American crime films such as The Godfather and Scarface as the same colours are used along with the black and white images.

The use of dark, masculine colours and lack of bright and neon colours imply that the primary target audience is adult males and the advert certainly connotes that well.

Unlike the Muse advert, this one doesn’t have any details about the album except for the name. Although this could easily be criticized, it is a method of getting the audience to do their own research and this further connects them with the product.

A feature of this advert which wasn’t featured on the Muse one is the reviews. By having a variety of reviews from big and popular magazines/newspapers, it reassures readers that the product is ‘genuinely good’ and will make them want to buy it. Also by having more than one rating and putting all the stars perfectly aligned, it gives the illusion of having many more stars than there actually is.

Another way in which it encourages readers to buy the album is by featuring an image of the album itself, so people know what exactly they are buying.

The artist himself is represent in a very mysterious way, partly down to the photo editing and the fact that not all of his face can be seen, hinting that the music may be much less superficial and deeper that other artists. The grainy, black and white image connotes a cool, noir and nostalgic feeling which is likely to capture the imagination of adults and make them want to almost ‘be’ like Plan B. The bold and red font (with the artist name) immediately catches your attention so it is easily recognizable to know who the artist is.