LO2: Be able to use research methods to inform
Research
Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company, now know as Dickies, was found in Byron, Texas in 1918 as the U.S Overall Company. Since then, Dickies has become the largest work wear manufacturer in the world. As they were renowned for hard-wearing products, Dickies was sequestered by the American Government to produce millions of uniforms for the armed services during World War II.
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The company saw further growth in the 1950's distributing globally; Texan oilmen introduced Dickies work wear to Middle Eastern oil fields while Dickies entered the European market. During the 1990's Dickies work wear became popular amongst American youth; attracting the interest of skateboarders, resulting in Dickies becoming a cult fashion brand.
Today most organisations require a broad spectrum of garments to meet the different requirements of its workforce; Dickies distribute an extensive collection of coveralls, trousers, shirts, jackets, fleeces and body-warmers which all carry the distinctive Dickies® logo and fit the majority of those requirements. Dickies own two UK websites , Dickies Work Wear, which provides clothes for tradesmen, and Dickies Life, which sells the brands everyday clothing line.
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The advert Dickies produced for their Junction 32 store features short snappy shots of the companies product in use. This is effective because the audience gets an insight into how well Dickies work wear performs in-action while multiple trades are targeted within the ads 30 second duration. The advert also features slow motion shots of the grime that we associate with these rugged activities which tells the audience that Dickies has their back no matter how tough it gets. The advert is supported by suspensive music that creates tension for the audience reinforcing the idea that Dickies are tough.
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I believe this particular shot is extremely effective as the shot speeds into a slow motion shot of a character being sprayed with hot water yet their Dickies garments are protecting them completely. This closing shot sways any doubt a consumer would have about the brand because it proofs that Dickies can produce to the standard (if not better than) they have been renowned for since 1918.
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When researching into Dickies current advertisements I found that the majority of their adverts focus solely on work wear and do not advertise Dickies as a brand that can suit anyone. For our collection of adverts we would like to produce four 10 second adverts that target Dickies individual audiences along with a 30 second advert that targets all of the companies audiences and conveys the message that Dickies is for everyone.
References
Dickies Life. (2016). Dickies Life. Available: https://www.dickieslife.com/en/blog/dickies-life-mission. Last accessed 27/04/17.
HIVIS. (2016). Dickies Accessories. Available: http://www.hivis.net/c440/workwear/workwear-accessories/dickies-accessories/. Last accessed 27/05/17.
Dickies - Junction 32. (2017). Dickies at Junction 32 Advert. [Online Video]. 10 July 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCRYNilxEAg. [Accessed: 27 April 2017].
Dickies. (2017). About. Available: https://www.dickiesworkwear.com/en/about-dickies/about-dickies. Last accessed 27/04/17.
HIVIS. (2016). Dickies Accessories. Available: http://www.hivis.net/c440/workwear/workwear-accessories/dickies-accessories/. Last accessed 27/05/17.
Dickies - Junction 32. (2017). Dickies at Junction 32 Advert. [Online Video]. 10 July 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCRYNilxEAg. [Accessed: 27 April 2017].
Dickies. (2017). About. Available: https://www.dickiesworkwear.com/en/about-dickies/about-dickies. Last accessed 27/04/17.
Medium - Advertising
Advertising is how companies encourage consumers to buy their product in a promotional format. Adverts exist in all media such as on the internet, television, radio, newspapers and companies use them to convince audiences that their product is better than their competitors. This may be supported by comparisons or reviews, however the effect the advert has on the consumer, e.g how the audience remember the ad, influences them to decide whether they would like to purchase the product. For our production, we would like to create a series of adverts that target a variety audiences and feature on multiple platforms.
informational advertising
Informational advertising provides factual and relevant information about the product or service. It focuses on the products beneficial elements, performance and comparison with its competitors which lead consumers to logical and informed decisions over whether they should buy the product. It is used when a new product is put on the market on when an old product has been re-launched or updated and should be compatible with the companies image. |
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The Colgate advert is an example of informational advertising as it exactly what the product is and how it works as well as why it is better than the companies competitors. The presenters states that it is the "only toothpaste with clinical proof of its effectiveness". This draws the product away from its competitors and influences the audience to take action and purchase the product.
persuasive advertising
Persuasive advertising is a technique that encourages consumers to change brands and develop customer loyalty to their new product. Prior to purchasing, the quality of the product will dictate whether the customer will buy more of the product. A persuasive advert will tell the audience why they should switch brands, usually because their product is superior to it's competitors, and some sort of comparison is made in the advert. A customer is more likely to purchase a product that can show how it beats it's competitors and why the customer is better off purchasing from their company over others. The Fairy Liquid television advert is a clear example of persuasive advertising because the company show how their product last 50% longer than its competitors. This is shown with an animation of one and a half bottles taking the same time to run out as the fairy liquid bottle and gives the audience a perfect reason as to why they should change brands. The advert is also successful because it uses the young boy who can't wait for the bottle to run out so he can make a rocket ship.
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This is entertaining because the boy takes the positive fact that fairy liquid lasts longer than its competitors, and makes it a problem because he needs the empty bottle. This makes the adult audience feel included because the child doesn't understand the financial impact of a longer lasting bottle and so the feel like and exclusive group of people who fully understand why they should purchase the product.
Reminder advertising
This type of advertising reinforces previous promotional information the company have distributed. The name of the product or brand and customer responses are repeated to remind existing customers of the product as well as introduce new customers. Coca-Cola is an established brand which uses reminder advertising.They annually distribute a Christmas advert to remind their customers of the brand and reinforce their promotional information.
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Irrational techniques
Irrational techniques are used in adverts to appeal to the audience's emotions. Depending on how the advert makes the consumer feel determines the decision they will make after watching. This can be deciding to purchase the product or follow the example the company is trying to set. A successful advert that uses irrational techniques will cause the consumer to make a change based on their feelings drawn from the advert. Loyal customer who trust certain brands are more inclined to make decisions based on judgment rather than logic.
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This means emotional appeals won't work when people don't trust or don't know the advertiser, so before companies use irrational techniques they should make sure their customers are loyal and hold a good trust in the company otherwise they may not get a positive response. The road safety advert uses irrational techniques and appeals to the audiences emotions because it features child who has been hit by a car. When young children are used in adverts the audience make an instant connection to their preciousness and vulnerability to the real world. The advert reverses the accident and we see the child's broken bones, cuts and bruises fix. The shots of her broken bones fixing create a really disturbing image for the audience, especially because the character is a child, and an emotional appeal is created. Also the characters possessions such as her rucksack and ring give her personality telling the audience she is a human being with a life to look forward too. The emotional appeal causes the viewer to stick to the speed limit specifically in built up areas because the advert highlights how a smaller speed could save lives and that you could hit anyone who walks into the road. This advert is successful as it causes the audience to act on an emotional response and hopefully make Britains roads safer.
As we are creating multiple adverts for Dickies, we plan on using a number of techniques for each. The collection of short adverts will use reminder advertising as we will be reminding each of our target consumer groups about a product relative to them, reinforcing our message that Dickies is made for everyone. Our full length ads will use reminder advertising combined with irrational techniques that include the audience and influence their response based on their emotions. I believe if we use these techniques correctly, our adverts will make our target audiences feel included within the brand itself by an emotional connection, and influence them to purchase Dickies products.
Psychographic profiling
Psychographic profiling is a study into personality, attitudes, values, interests and lifestyles. Investigations into a person's psychographic gives us the ability to make a generalisation of what the individual will like and which people we can categorise them with. We can then use this information to determine what products they may like/dislike as well as how to best advertise to the audience we are targeting. Adverts containing psyhcographic appeal commonly use elements of aspiration, inspiration, motivation, sympathy and guilt.
aSPIRATIONThe Quorn advert appeals to young athletes aspiring to be like Mo Farah, an Olympian who stars in the feature. The target audience make the connection that Mo Farah uses the product advertised and is a very successful athlete. This encourages the target audience to buy the product as they aspire to be like Mo Farah.
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inspirationAn example of an advert that inspires its audience is 'Lurpak Spreadable - Freestyle'. It montages through lots of characters preparing and cooking delicious food; all of them using Lurpak. The ad inspires because it emphasises the possibilities the consumer has with the product and encourages them to ask the question 'if they can cook that with Lurpak, why can't I?'. That inspiration may influence the audiences decision to purchase Lurpak Spreadable.
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MotivationThe Nike advert from 2016 is directed at athletes. It motivates them to break their limits and put in the work to become whatever they like. Nike display all sorts of sports in the video, broadening the adverts target audience, appealing to more people. What motivates the audience is the characters will to be better than the norm, telling us Nike believe anything is possible. This motivates the consumer to go and practice their talent, but also means they are purchasing from a brand that believe anyone can be the best at what they love.
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SympathyAdverts that use sympathy to gain a response from the audience usually are not advertising a product, but encouraging their audience to make some sort of change in their lifestyle. In this anti-bullying advert the audience show sympathy towards the boy being bullied because of the colour of his hair and feel that someone should stand up to it. Towards the end of the ad, another character dyes his hair the same colour, and the bullies do not bother the boy. This gives the audience hope that we can stand up to bullying. Both the sympathy and inspiration they have drawn from the ad causes the audience to make a change in lifestyle and not tolerate bullying.
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guiltThis ad is directed at smokers who have children. It has a guilt appeal because we see the boy lose his mother amongst the crowd when really she has died due to being a smoker. The setting and situation makes the advert very effective because the audience believes the boy has just lost his mother within the crowd, but we find out the ad is an anti-smoking campaign right at the end. The ad makes parent smokers feel guilty because they would not want their child to be without a parent and smoking increases the chances of it happening. It makes the parent feel guilty because they are putting their addiction before their child/children which makes the advert extremely successful.
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For our production, we would like to create a series of adverts that inspire our target audiences to wear the Dickies brand for themselves, whatever the task. For example if a teenager sees a skater wearing Dickies in an advert, our goal is for that teenager to want to wear the same clothes when they skate. This idea would be more effective if the actor was actually a professional skateboarder as the the audiences aspiration to be like them is almost guaranteed .
References
Boykin, G. (). How Does Advertising Influence People?. Available: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advertising-influence-people-57377.html. Last accessed 27th April 2017.
Boundless. (2016). Informative, Persuasive, and Reminder Advertising. Available: https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/advertising-and-public-relations-13/the-advertising-campaign-88/informative-persuasive-and-reminder-advertising-438-219/. Last accessed 27th April 2017.
Colgate Ad. (1950). Advertising Basic informative advertising Colgate. [Online Video]. 24 March 2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC7urUfk81Q. [Accessed: 28 April 2017].
Fairyconomy . (2015). Fairy - Fairyconomy Spaceship 2015 Advert. [Online Video]. 1 January 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb7neUBxEhc. [Accessed: 28 April 2017].
Catch. (2012). Coke 2012 Commercial: "Catch" starring NE_Bear. [Online Video]. 3 February 2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nBBMbjS8w. [Accessed: 28 April 2017].
Think UK - it's 30 for a reason. (2000). It's 30 for a reason road safety advert. [Online Video]. 11 February 2009. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeUX6LABCEA. [Accessed: 2 May 2017].
Meredith, A. (2013). How to Use Psychographics in Your Marketing: A Beginner's Guide. Available: https://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/marketing-psychographics. Last accessed 04/05/17.
Weatherall, E. (2014). Psychographic Profiling: Identifying New Levels of Customer Understanding. Available: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/psychographic-profiling-identifying-new-levels-of-customer-understanding/787. Last accessed 04/05/17.
Quorn Mo Farah Healthy Protein . (2014). Quorn Mo Farah Advert Healthy Protein 2014. [Online Video]. 3 January 2014. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQiPe4hGhs4. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Lurpak® Spreadable - Freestyle. (2015). Lurpak® Spreadable - Freestyle. [Online Video]. 18 April 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBE7GuGQLGo. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Nike: Unlimited You. (2016). Nike: Unlimited You. [Online Video]. 4 August 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEX7KhIA3bU. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Swedish Friends #1. (2006). Anti-Bullying ad. [Online Video]. 21 April 2006. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Anti Smoking Campaign. (2008). Quit Smoking commercial . [Online Video]. 31 October 2008. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfAxUpeVhCg. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Boundless. (2016). Informative, Persuasive, and Reminder Advertising. Available: https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/advertising-and-public-relations-13/the-advertising-campaign-88/informative-persuasive-and-reminder-advertising-438-219/. Last accessed 27th April 2017.
Colgate Ad. (1950). Advertising Basic informative advertising Colgate. [Online Video]. 24 March 2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC7urUfk81Q. [Accessed: 28 April 2017].
Fairyconomy . (2015). Fairy - Fairyconomy Spaceship 2015 Advert. [Online Video]. 1 January 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb7neUBxEhc. [Accessed: 28 April 2017].
Catch. (2012). Coke 2012 Commercial: "Catch" starring NE_Bear. [Online Video]. 3 February 2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nBBMbjS8w. [Accessed: 28 April 2017].
Think UK - it's 30 for a reason. (2000). It's 30 for a reason road safety advert. [Online Video]. 11 February 2009. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeUX6LABCEA. [Accessed: 2 May 2017].
Meredith, A. (2013). How to Use Psychographics in Your Marketing: A Beginner's Guide. Available: https://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/marketing-psychographics. Last accessed 04/05/17.
Weatherall, E. (2014). Psychographic Profiling: Identifying New Levels of Customer Understanding. Available: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/psychographic-profiling-identifying-new-levels-of-customer-understanding/787. Last accessed 04/05/17.
Quorn Mo Farah Healthy Protein . (2014). Quorn Mo Farah Advert Healthy Protein 2014. [Online Video]. 3 January 2014. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQiPe4hGhs4. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Lurpak® Spreadable - Freestyle. (2015). Lurpak® Spreadable - Freestyle. [Online Video]. 18 April 2015. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBE7GuGQLGo. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Nike: Unlimited You. (2016). Nike: Unlimited You. [Online Video]. 4 August 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEX7KhIA3bU. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Swedish Friends #1. (2006). Anti-Bullying ad. [Online Video]. 21 April 2006. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Anti Smoking Campaign. (2008). Quit Smoking commercial . [Online Video]. 31 October 2008. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfAxUpeVhCg. [Accessed: 4 May 2017].
Genre
Realist |
Realist narrative adverts base facts and concerns of everyday life or society within the media product. The aim is to present the viewer with a 'real life' account as if the content they are watching is realistic and believable. Realist adverts often seem more reliable to customers as the purpose of the product is shown legitimately so they know what to expect when purchasing. This causes the target audience to feel and think that they need the product/service in their lives.
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The Karcher Vacuum advert from 2017 is set in a realistic environment; a house hold, and features believable characters; the mother and children. The video suggests this is a normal day to day occurrence in the family's household and addresses the issue customers may face when cleaning dirty windows. The problem is resolved by using the product advertised. The Karcher advert is successful in using an appropriate realist narrative structure as it advertises the purpose of the product in a real life situation in the space of 30 seconds. This tells the consumer how the product can assist them in their daily lifestyle.
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Due to the large window in the house, the advert stays well lit as if it were a sunny day; this does not change and remains true to the realist style. The Karcher window cleaning advert uses a range of shots to emphasise how useful the product is and why it is something the consumer needs rather than wants.
Medium shots as well as close ups are used in the advert to introduce characters and convey emotions towards the product. Every time the female character changes facial expression, the camera is on her, reinforcing the clear direction of the advert that establishes the effect the product will have on the consumer. These two shots contrast with each other; one being taken just before the problem occurred and the other in the process of fixing things. The character appears happier now that the product has resolved the problem with ease and little mess.
The final image is a long shot of the character in front of her now clean windows. This shot is used to exaggerate the power of the product and uses a good example of a window the product can be used on. The window takes up the majority of the shot to emphasise the scale of which the customer can work on. From this shot the audience can immediately see how easy Karcher makes it to clean windows indoors along with the quality of the product results and performance.
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Something I found particularly interesting about the Karcher advert is that it can be understood without the narration in the background. Even without an actor speaking over the footage, the purpose of the product as well as an example of a real life situation is made clear to the audience. This is a technique I would like to include in the production. If our adverts can visually display the purpose of our products in a straight forward way, the adverts we produce will be successful.
Apple released their advert for the new iPhone feature 'Siri' in 2011. This 30 second piece shows customers how Siri can assist them in their everyday lives and follows a realist narrative. It is clear the advert had to be realistic because the company are advertising their own artificial intelligence; any unrealistic elements may lead to customers becoming misinformed. The advert is successful because of the wide range of audiences it is targeted at and tells customers Siri can help everyone.
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The short advert is rather fast paced as lots of characters are shown using Siri during their day to day activities. The editing for this advert is successful because each clip is cut to continue the pace of the video, for example the female running outside cuts to a male walking through an office. The jump cut creates a step forward into another activity yet the pace of the advert is not lost.
Another successful element this advert features is the way Apple highlight the product within real life situations. Throughout the advert, Apple make the iPhone the main focal point of each shot, while the background features ordinary settings the target audiences are used to. For example, in this shot, the product and character are the first images the audience draw their eyes to as they are in the foreground.
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The audience then notice the open refrigerator, out of focus in the background. This tells us that Siri can be used at anytime because the character in this shot is using it while checking how much food is in their fridge, reinforcing Apple's message that Siri can improve lifestyles in all sorts of situations. I would like to include this in our short adverts because it is a powerful technique that highlights the companies product while applying it to every day life. I believe an advert that visually explains the purpose of the product is more successful than one that features a character that explains verbally because the audience are more likely to remember the advert when there is a visual story they can follow.
We would like to integrate a realist narrative into our productions as it will show the consumer the purpose of the Dickies products - their work wear is for everyone. By providing the target audiences with a believable narrative, the purpose of each product will become clear and the audience can relate to the real life situations where Dickies can be worn. This will influence the audiences decision to purchase the product or not based on how well they can relate to the advert.
References
Buchan, E , Teacher at East Norfolk Sixth Form College. (2013). Adverts: Structures and Styles. Available: https://www.slideshare.net/elliebuchan9/adverts-structures-and-styles. Last accessed 05/05/17.
Karcher Window Vacuum TV Advert. (2017). Karcher Window Vacuum TV advert 2017. [Online Video]. 4 May 2017. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpJUfCUGIXk. [Accessed: 8 May 2017].
iPhone 4S Advert. (2017). iPhone 4S Advert. [Online Video]. 20 October 2011. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD7sZdAaS2M&feature=youtu.be. [Accessed: 8 May 2017].
Karcher Window Vacuum TV Advert. (2017). Karcher Window Vacuum TV advert 2017. [Online Video]. 4 May 2017. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpJUfCUGIXk. [Accessed: 8 May 2017].
iPhone 4S Advert. (2017). iPhone 4S Advert. [Online Video]. 20 October 2011. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD7sZdAaS2M&feature=youtu.be. [Accessed: 8 May 2017].
target audience
As we a producing a series of adverts that convey the message 'Dickies is for everyone', we need to establish who our target audiences are and allocate which advert will be directed at them. Dickies traditionally produced work wear, and continue to distribute work clothing & safety wear product ranges for the professional tradesman & worker. However, Dickies reputation as global brand leader in terms of value for money, quality & durability has reached consumers they did not expect and furthermore entered Dickies into the casual wear and street wear and markets. To ensure we create adverts with a clear target audience, Dickies potential customers must be explored and then we can devise a correct narrative, depending on the consumer. To create a profile for each target audience, I need to use both primary and secondary research that will establish audience gender, age and other brands they take interest in. Below is the survey conducted to determine each of our target audiences profiles, followed by an infographic to present the results.
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work wear
Originally established as the U.S. Overall Company in 1918, Dickies have built a reputation for themselves as a company that provide tradesmen with high quality products that perform exceptionally. Today, Dickies work and safety wear targets tradesmen such as construction workers, plumbers, electricians and gardeners. As shown on their 'Dickies Work Wear' website home page, Dickies provide a wide range of products from overalls to personal protective equipment. This indiactes the majority of their customers are loyal because all the clothing items a tradesman may need is available in one place. A wider range of products means customers don't have to order from multiple websites.
This means at least one of our short adverts must be targeted at the some sort of trade. This could be a plumber fitting pipes or a builder mixing cement - they will need to be wearing a pair of Dickies work pants so the target audience can associate the company with their own trade and consider purchasing a product. For our work wear adverts, it is likely they will star a male trade worker as the majority of target audience will not be female. However, to appeal to a female audience we should consider how we can integrate a female character into a trade.
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target Audience profileThe infographic summarises our results from the survey, and we can now create profiles for each of our target audiences.
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casual wear
Aside to their work wear website, Dickies run a sister website - 'Dickies Life' that produce a Dickies 'lifestyle' range of clothing and accessories. The products they sell are for casual wear, but continue to maintain the quality Dickies are renowned for. Dickies Life produce items from jackets to shoes that will suit consumers of all ages.
The site does not offer a 'men's' or 'women's' line of products which suggests they are for both genders, however, all the products are in men's sizes which may limit a female audiences buying options. The home page on the website is the only page that features models (who are male) while the products themselves are shown as is (without a model) suggesting Dickies are trying to target both genders. It is likely that the majority of Dickies Life customers are male, due to the sizing and models featured on the home page, however the results we gain from our target audience survey will determine which gender will fit the 'casual wear' profile; it may even be the case that we target both genders. |
Target audience profile |
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Skateboarding
Due to Dickies reputation of high quality products that perform well, the company has entered a $5 billion industry: skateboarding. In the last 5 years or so the classic Dickies 874 work pant has become part of the sub culture with pro skaters such as Sean Pablo and Sage Elsesser seen wearing them in videos from 2011/2012.
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Supreme is an extremely popular street wear / skate brand that was founded in 1994. In 2014, Supreme released their first full-length video, 'Cherry' that was extremely successful and made a huge impact on skateboard culture influencing skateboarding fashion and how skateboarding videos are made. After the video was released, skaters started purchasing Converse Chuck Taylors and Dickies work pants to skate in. This caught the name the 'Cherrington Effect'. Today the Dickies 874 work pant has become an essential part of some skaters attire, resulting in Dickies being recognised as a brand that caters for skateboarding.
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Seeing as skateboarding has opened up a huge audience for Dickies, for one of our short adverts we would like to target skateboarders. As the 874 work pant has become so popular amongst the culture we would like that product to be the main focus in the short advert.
target audience profile |
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references
Images from:
Dickies Work Wear - Home Page . Available: https://www.dickiesstore.co.uk/?gclid=COmg2evu59MCFZ2p7Qodk30Nkg. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Dickies Life - Home Page. Available: https://www.dickieslife.com/en/shop. Last accessed 11/05/17
Dickies Life - T-Shirts. Available: https://www.dickieslife.com/en/cat/tops/t-shirts. Last accessed 11/05/17.
N/A. (2017). Dickies ◆ 874 ◆ workpants ◆ DICKIES 874. Available: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/fabrics/item/874/. Last accessed 12/05/17.
mildly large city. (2013). mildly large city. [Online Video]. 25 June 2013. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3xgFGH6smU. [Accessed: 11 May 2017]
N/A. (2016). Sean Pablo & Sage Elsesser Are the Stars of Logan Lara's New Skate Flick 'Sean & Sage'. Available: http://hypebeast.com/?post=1774363&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hypebeast%2Ffeed+%28Hypebeast%29. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Videos from:
Supreme 'Cherry' Trailer. (2014). Supreme New York "Cherry" Skatevideo (Official Trailer). [Online Video]. 28 February 2014. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ThJmXit50&feature=youtu.be. [Accessed: 11 May 2017].
Dickies Work Wear - Home Page . Available: https://www.dickiesstore.co.uk/?gclid=COmg2evu59MCFZ2p7Qodk30Nkg. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Dickies Life - Home Page. Available: https://www.dickieslife.com/en/shop. Last accessed 11/05/17
Dickies Life - T-Shirts. Available: https://www.dickieslife.com/en/cat/tops/t-shirts. Last accessed 11/05/17.
N/A. (2017). Dickies ◆ 874 ◆ workpants ◆ DICKIES 874. Available: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/fabrics/item/874/. Last accessed 12/05/17.
mildly large city. (2013). mildly large city. [Online Video]. 25 June 2013. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3xgFGH6smU. [Accessed: 11 May 2017]
N/A. (2016). Sean Pablo & Sage Elsesser Are the Stars of Logan Lara's New Skate Flick 'Sean & Sage'. Available: http://hypebeast.com/?post=1774363&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hypebeast%2Ffeed+%28Hypebeast%29. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Videos from:
Supreme 'Cherry' Trailer. (2014). Supreme New York "Cherry" Skatevideo (Official Trailer). [Online Video]. 28 February 2014. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ThJmXit50&feature=youtu.be. [Accessed: 11 May 2017].
Artists/professionals
Founded in Detroit, Michigan, 1889, Hamilton Carhartt made work clothing for railroad workers' who needed durable and long lasting work overalls. Similar to Dickies, Carhartt targets both work wear and street wear markets which makes their company very large and popular amongst all ages. Today Carhartt clothing is commonly found on construction sites, farms and ranches, among other job sites. Carhartt also operate a Carhart Work in Progress (WIP), a street wear version of the brand that targets consumers associated with other street wear brands like Supreme, A Bathing Ape and Stussy.
This is Carhartt's new advert for spring 2017, it montages through history where the audience see Carhartt clothing being worn for many different tasks. It starts in 1889 for rail workers, then moves on to 1918 where we see images of world war one. The advert then shows workers from the 1920s/30s building Americas sky scrapers before bringing us forward to the present day. Throughout the advertisement Carhartt shows the audience examples of tasks they clothe for, broadening their target audience as the advertisement plays.
The use of slow motion in the beginning of the advert makes each scene more dramatic and helps build the pace of the piece as it progresses. It features particularly when lots of movement is taking place, for example when Hamilton Carhatt is riding the horse and cart or during the WW1 scene, and this helps each scene run smoothly into the next. Carhartt also integrate their products into the images very well by clothing the characters while they carry out rugged activities.
This shot in particular is effective because the character has clearly been hard at work, as she is covered in mud, and looks good in the Carhartt beanie. Her actions and the brands product are both shown clearly and this presents Carhartt professionally as a work wear company. This shot is also a very important aspect because this character holds the most female screen time within the advert and also reminds the consumer that Carhartt is for both men and women.
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A continuity I noticed within this advert was at 0:55, where a male character chops a tree stump with his axe. Just before the axe comes to contact with the stump in the shot on the left, we cut to a closer shot of the stump creating the impression both shots happen in real-time together. In fact the closer shot was recorded at a different time because the two stumps are completely different, but this is hard to pick out as the shots change very quickly along with the characters movement. If I were to edit this I would have jump cut while the axe was slicing through the stump, as the two would not have been as easily distinguishable and the continuity would be hard to identify.
The 92 days of spring concept is successful because it identifies the season we are about to enter and gives the consumer a a clothing solution to all the weather we are likely to expect. The phrase "we've got your back for every single one" is very powerful in assuring the audience that Carhartt is a brand they can trust, like a friend, that provides quality every time. The voice actor playing Hamilton Carhartt gives the impression of a man who loves his country and looking after it. This would encourage patriot Americans to purchase the brand as it supports Carhartts notorious 'made in America' reputation.
To create an advert as successful as Carhartt's there are some conventions we would have to cover in our production. Firstly we would have to include variety. Carhartt do a very good job of presenting their brand as one that clothes for everyone; the advert shows cowboys, farmers, builders, blacksmiths, woodworkers as well as many more wearing the brand. If we want our adverts to appeal to as many consumers as possible, we need to ensure they understand Dickies can also clothe anyone. This means our adverts should include a variety of characters working on their trade / carrying out their tasks in Dickies work wear to increase the chances of our target audiences relating and purchasing the products advertised. Another element Carhartt include in their advert is a powerful slogan - "There are 92 unpredictable days of spring. We've got your back for every single one." If we want our audiences to remember our adverts we need one similar to Carhartts. Currently our slogan is "Dickies, Doing Duty"; it works because it states clearly what we are advertising but could also be revised into something more powerful. It may just be the case that we need to find a particular font the slogan will work best with and include it in our adverts.
Levi Strauss & Co. is an American clothing company founded in 1853 know for it's line of denim jeans. They were the first company to release blue work jeans in 1873 but today their products include trousers, shorts, shirts, jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, T-shirts, underwear,socks, accessories, shoes, dresses, skirts, belts, overalls, and jumpsuits. Similar to both Dickies and Carhartt, Levi's originally produced work wear for men of trade, but as time has progressed, they have become and extremely popular clothing company that is recognised worldwide.
Above is Levi's latest advert for 2017. It is set at a party where all of the characters are on their mobile phones except two, a male and female. They are both suited in Levi clothes and meet before jumping in the pool together. Throughout the advert there is a blue essence to each shot, whether it's the lighting, character clothing or even the pool, that represents Levi's classic blue jeans.
The two main characters in the advert are both dressed in Levis clothing which is presented clearly to the audience. The classic red Levis logo appears at the end of the ad but is easily distinguishable on their clothes throughout the piece. The product placement appears subtle because the logo is so small yet the red contrasts with the blue theme so the audience can identify that the production is for Levi's. .
The company are successful in keeping their product placement low key so that the audience are not smothered in Levi's products. For example, when the two characters walk towards each other, we see a frontal shot of the male while a rear view of the female. The audience have established the advert is for Levi Strauss & Co already, so they don not need confirmation that the male character is wearing Levi's jeans as well, therefore a frontal shot of the male creates a better product image, as the audience get to see how a pair of their jeans look rather than just the logo. This also creates a variety of shots, keeping the advert exciting and non-repetitive.
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The jump cutting in the advert represents real time, so each continues the story without moving forward or back. I believe the jump cutting in this advert is very successful as it keeps the production moving at a steady pace; the shots are quit short and move quickly between each other so the audience do not lose focus, which you would expect in a 1 minute commercial.
The closing image of the advert is extremely powerful for a number of reasons. The slogan 'Live in Levi's' targets everyone watching the advert because it tells the audience to do what they love or what they establish as 'living' when they wear the brand. This create an image for Levi's as a brand that supports people who try to live their lives to the fullest, whatever they do, just like the two characters kissing in the pool; encouraging the consumer to 'live' in the Levi's brand. The red text also contrasts very well with the background, defining both the slogan and the blue pool the two characters are kissing in that represents Levi's original blue jeans.
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To produce an advert that could compete with Levi's "Sea of Blue" commercial, there are some items Levi's use that we would like to integrate into our production. One particular technique they were successful in capturing is the subtle product placement that features throughout the advert. We could pursue this by having close ups of our characters wearing clothes with the Dickies logo showing but, similar to Levi's, not often enough that the audience lose focus of the narrative or get spoiled by product placement. Levi's use a range of shots where their logo can be identified, for example a close up with a short duration shows the logo on the girls jacket while a mid shot with a longer duration shows the logo on the males shirt. Our adverts will be successful if we can remind the audience that we are advertising Dickies by providing the a variety of shots, keeping the narrative exciting and non repetitive.
Another element I would like to include from the Levi's commercial is a logo that contrasts with the background. After research into Dickies, I think the best logo we could use is the black and white logo because all our productions will be filmed in colour and we need to use the logo for more than one advertisement. If we used the classic coloured Dickies logo, it may not contrast well with the background for every advert where as a black and white logo will contrast with heavy colour. Our plan is to use the same logo on each because we are creating a series of adverts that need to follow a particular structure therefore any inconsistencies will result in the production not being as effective.
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references
Carhartt, 92 Unpredictable Days of Spring. (2017). 92 Unpredictable Days of Spring - TV Commercial (2017). [Online Video]. 17 April 2017. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky-tIQw68Og&feature=youtu.be. [Accessed: 9 May 2017].
Sea of Blue. (2017). Levi’s® "Sea of Blue" 2017 Commercial. [Online Video]. 13 February 2017. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4wijnEVOWM. [Accessed: 10 May 2017].
N/A. (2017). Our Company . Available: http://www.levi.co.uk/US/en_US/about/our-company. Last accessed 10th May .
Sea of Blue. (2017). Levi’s® "Sea of Blue" 2017 Commercial. [Online Video]. 13 February 2017. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4wijnEVOWM. [Accessed: 10 May 2017].
N/A. (2017). Our Company . Available: http://www.levi.co.uk/US/en_US/about/our-company. Last accessed 10th May .
Platforms
As we are creating a collection of short adverts for Dickies, one of the best platforms we could use to broadcast on is Youtube. It has a larger audience than television and our adverts could be displayed before a YouTube video plays where the viewer has the option to skip the ad or continue watching.
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Youtube Advertising formats
Google provide a formats list for companies planning to advertise on Youtube. The list explains where adverts can be displayed on the website as well as the properties of each format so companies can decide on a correct placement for their commercial.
Standard in-stream adsStandard in-stream ads can appear before, during or after a video on YouTube. The audience cannot skip the advert and must view it before the Youtube Partner content starts. The adverts can be up to 15 seconds long and can often be accompanied by a display ad (see image) where the company displays the product advertised in more detail to the right of the commercial while it plays. For our short adverts, we would like to use the non-skippable ad format so that the commercials are short, clear and our audience watches them from start to finish.
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The Magnum Double advert from 2016 is an example of an effective non skippable-ad. The product is shown clearly and a narrative is established even though it is only 10 seconds long. The product itself is well advertised as the audience get an insight into the Magnum wrapper as well as what to expect when purchasing the product. This shot is particularly effective because it shows the product alone; the melting chocolate and caramel is extremely inviting to a chocolate lover and the two layers seems almost naughty - hens 'release the beast'. I think the length of the feature is appropriate for a non-skippable advert as it is fast paced and does not exceed a length that would cause the audience to lose engagement.
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In-stream select ads
In-stream select ads are displayed before, during or after a youtube video and gives the audience the choice to skip the advert after 5 seconds or continue to watch before the Youtube video starts. This particular advertising format allows videos up to 30 seconds long and is a good way to advertise products in more depth than a standard in-stream ad. Our longer advert that targets all of Dickies audiences could feature as an in-stream select ad where the audience can choose whether to skip or not.
retaining audience engagementTo ensure the audience does not press the 'skip ad' button, our 30 second advert must tell a story that reachers out to the right people and progresses beyond the first 5 seconds. YouTube streams over 4 billion videos a day, and their targeting tools can advertise to anyone around the world. This means we could target specific types of YouTube channels such as Builders, Plumbers and Gardeners as there is a high chance they will be interested in Dickies work wear. YouTube allows companies to target by:
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This McDonalds advert from 2011 is a 30 second commercial that suits the in-stream select format. The message of the advert is that McDonalds breakfast is so good you can get lost in it, and this is shown through comedy. The mistake the female character makes creates a humorous narrative the audience will remember and may influence their breakfast choice in the morning. As it is only 30 seconds, the advert is paced well with fast cuts; the audience does not lose focus from the action.
For our advert to fit the in-stream select format we need to include a fast pace to retain audience engagment and create an opening that causes the audience not too skip the ad. |
- Demographic: Target by age, gender or both
- Geographic: Target by country, state, DMA or zip code
- Language: Target by the language settings of their browser or YouTube account
- Interest Category: People whose past viewing behavior indicates interest in a particular category of content
- Remarketing: Viewers who have previously visited your site, YouTube Brand Channel or watched one of your YouTube videos
- 3rd Party Audience Data: Shoppers whose visits to other websites indicate they’re in the market for particular goods or services, based on third-party data from sources like BlueKai
- User type: Selected by their self-declared YouTube user type, such as Director, Musician, Comedian, Guru, Politician or Partner
- Uploader: Visitors who have often (or recently) uploaded video to YouTube
To ensure adverts reach the correct audience we could use YouTube's targeting tools resulting in less viewers skipping the ad. Our main targeting strategy would be through the interest category; advertising to accounts that indicate an interest in Dickies work wear would be our best approach as the viewer is more likely to watch the advert and potentially follow up to the Dickies website. Candidates that fall in to the interest category would be people who watch videos that include work wear product reviews, trade videos (e.g gardening tutorials), fashion halls, skateboarding videos and shows such as Grand Designs and DIY SOS. We could also advertise to potential customers using 3rd party audience data; targeting suitable audiences who shop on other sites that indicate they are in the market for Dickies. This could be candidates that have bought products from companies such as Levi's, Carhartt, DeWalt, CAT, Stanley, Supreme and Thrasher. This information can be drawn from the companies sites themselves or electronic-commerce companies like Amazon or eBay using third-party data from sources like BlueKai.
references
Google Support. (2017). YouTube advertising formats . Available: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2467968?hl=en-GB. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Google Support. (2017). Non-skippable in-stream ads. Available: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/188038. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Release the Beast - 10 second cut. (2017). Magnum Double Advert 2016: Release the Beast - 10 second cut. [Online Video]. 7 April 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeFZRxMXFTA. [Accessed: 15 May 2017].
Google. (2012). YouTube In-Stream Ads. Available: static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.youtube.com/en//yt/advertise/medias/pdfs/instream-onesheeter-en.pdf. Last accessed 15/05/17.
Google. (2012). YouTube Targeting. Available: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.youtube.com/en//yt/advertise/medias/pdfs/targeting-onesheeter-en.pdf. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Google. (2015). Think with Google. Available: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/infographics/to-skip-or-not-to-skip.html. Last accessed 15/05/17.
Google Support. (2017). Non-skippable in-stream ads. Available: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/188038. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Release the Beast - 10 second cut. (2017). Magnum Double Advert 2016: Release the Beast - 10 second cut. [Online Video]. 7 April 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeFZRxMXFTA. [Accessed: 15 May 2017].
Google. (2012). YouTube In-Stream Ads. Available: static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.youtube.com/en//yt/advertise/medias/pdfs/instream-onesheeter-en.pdf. Last accessed 15/05/17.
Google. (2012). YouTube Targeting. Available: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.youtube.com/en//yt/advertise/medias/pdfs/targeting-onesheeter-en.pdf. Last accessed 11/05/17.
Google. (2015). Think with Google. Available: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/infographics/to-skip-or-not-to-skip.html. Last accessed 15/05/17.
Contingency plan
weather |
The weather could be a problem for our production team when filming outside as rain or thunder can effect both the filming equipment and setting. To avoid finding our selves on location with wet equipment and no content to film, we will regularly check the weather channel for updates on the conditions of our locations. We must also take into account that weather predictions become less accurate the further away the date. For this reason, we will film our outside scenes on dates we are certain the weather will be fair.
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Equipment error |
There are a number of problems we may run into when shooting with electronic equipment:
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actors |
If our actors fail to show up when needed, I have decided I will step in to act in that role. We have chosen reliable actors for the production as we have worked with them on past projects and have not run into any issues; if all goes well, neither will we during this production. To ensure actors show up when required, we will contact them and establish dates we would like to film 2 weeks before shooting.
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legal and ethical issues
Copyright/Plagiarism |
To avoid our adverts being taken down from copyright claims, we will use royalty free sound effects and music provided in programs such as Final Cut Pro and GarageBand. If we cannot find these, we shall create the sounds ourselves (foley). Our slogan is not plagiarised and original which adds a personal touch to our Dickies adverts and also ensures Dickies or any other companies can claim we copied their slogan.
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locations |
If we shoot on locations without permission, out production will be put on hold when we are asked to stop. To ensure this does not happen we will get permission from residence to film on their property and shoot in public places where there are few people. For example we were shooting a scene in a field, we would shoot at a public playing field rather than a private owned farmer's field.
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Products |
As we are shooting a collection of Dickies adverts, our productions must feature Dickies products only. To avoid false advertising, any branded products worn in the adverts (such as shoes) will not be shot in focus and its brand will not be distinguishable to the audience. The majority of our actors will be wearing Dickies products if the shot requires them to do so.
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Governing bodies
Available: https://www.gov.uk/marketing-advertising-law/overview