Magazine Advert Analysis

By Nishat Hossain & Fahad Miah

The picture of Rihanna seems to overlap the magazine cover ‘Billboard’ which implies how dominant and powerful Rihanna is. It also shows how the ‘Billboard’ magazine is successful as customers will still be able to identify the name of it.

Masthead – the billboard logo is seen on every single edition of the magazine. It is bold and recognisable and the writing is somewhat formal indicating that it is for the younger audience. Also the colours on it are neither feminine nor masculine therefore indicating that it is for both sexes.

Main image – the picture of Rihanna on the front is certainly provocative which fits in well with the male gaze theory. Her white top could connote innocence however because the gun tattoo is apparent and because it is revealing it could tell the audience that we don’t really know the real Rihanna. The vibrant hair colour could connote the passion she feels for her music and her fiery personality. The red is a very powerful colour and contrasts with the purple background as all eyes are drawn to her hair straight away.

Rihanna’s name is written in large capital font indicating once again her powerfulness and her dominance. The white font against the purple background catches our eye and once again indicates purity and innocence.

TEXT FONT – the main font is written in a free hands style. It is the biggest bit of writing on the advertisement and is the band name, ‘marina & the diamonds’. This could be because, although they are a well known popular indie genre, their aim is to make themselves known to a much more mainstream audience. On top if the band name is the album name written in a much smaller font which makes it slightly harder for the audience to understand what is being advertised. At the bottom of the advertisement in a much smaller font is the promotion of the singles in the album. Because the font is quite small it is not that clear to see.

STYLE – the general style of this particular advert gives off a somewhat old fashioned 1950’s style which ties in well with the indie pop genre of the band and the album.

IMAGE – the colours from this advert seem washed out combination of yellow and greens giving a antique effect. This emphasizes the bands indie pop genre as it shows that they are not conforming to mainstream vibrant advertisements. The album cover for the band is placed at the bottom which promotes it making the advert therefore promote album and single.

The central character of this advert is Marina who is also the main singer. Her skin looks clear however her features seem to have been darkened making her look immediately striking. Because she is looking straight at the camera it makes it feel as if she is connecting with the audience.

IMAGE – because Ellie Goulding is looking up it makes her immediately look intriguing to the audience. The dark colours make the image look mysterious suggesting that her music video would be too.

The quotes from well known newspaper articles highlight just how good the music and artist is which makes the audience passing by this advert seem more impressed and intrigued.

The green in the background implies there is a somewhat naturalistic theme to her albums songs.

The image also looks slightly edited making it look somewhat cartoony without looking comical.

The artists name is in vibrant white which stands out well against the black background. Additionally, the artists achievements are also features on the advert making it even more appealing to the audience.

The artists name is positioned right at the top which draws the readers attention. The font is in white and stands out and easier to read. Also the fact that there is no capital letters goes well with the image of the singer in the middle as she looks serene and calm which could imply her music may be soft and gentle.

The text saying the album is out now however is in bold capital letters throughout adding a sense of urgency for the audience to buy it. it emphasizes the fact that it is out now.

The record company logo is placed at the bottom of the advert which allows them to get some recognition. It is fairly small so it doesn’t take the attention away from the actual advertisement purpose – promoting the album.

The stars represent how much recognition the albums received. Because there are many ratings given by different organisations it could attract the audience as they have said many good things about the album.

The picture used on the magazine advert is actually the same picture used on the album cover. This allows the audience to immediately know who the target audience is.