Album Promotional Advert Research 1

This advert is for Madonna's greatest hits album entitled 'Celebration'. It uses a heavy retro theme, which is shown through the vibrant colours which are used. These colours were used in the 1980's, when Madonna was first in the spotlight, and so the familiarity of them would attract her older fans- who the album would most likely be specifically targeted at. Another way of telling who the target audience would be is where the advert is placed; from the picture we can see that it's being displayed in what looks like a train station which would commonly be filled with commuting adults who would be more familiar with Madonna's older songs.

There is a similarity between this album cover and the famous pop art interpretation of Marilyn Monroe which was painted by Andy Warhol. Pop art was very popular during the 80's which once again would attract an older audience. The resemblance between Madonna and Marilyn Monroe marks Madonna as a cultural icon, like Marilyn Monroe. It is highlighting the fact that Madonna is now a household name, and will be recognised by the majority of people showing how important she is.

Andy Warhols interpretation of Marilyn Monroe

The style of the text may also link to the 1980's. The text has splatters of brightly coloured paint surrounding it and has the look of a strip of paint. This could link back to the 1980's and the rebellious behaviour that was displayed at that time, in particular the use of graffiti on streets. This could mean that the advert is identifying Madonna's music, and career, as quite rebellious risky.

However, Madonna's cover seems quite faded in background colour – the main background consists of a brown colour which can be connected to old paper. This can connote the fact that Madonna is now seen as part of the older generation of pop and is not in her prime anymore. Also, it links with the fact that she is selling her greatest hits which will consist of a lot of her older songs and so implies the age of some of her songs.

The adverts main focus is Madonna and so the advert has a dual purpose of not only selling the album but the artist as well. Also, the fact that Madonna is so widely recognised will attract attention from passers-by, and so can also be used as a selling technique; as people know her they are more likely to buy the album. This is also enhanced by the use of text. Neither Madonna's name or the album are the main focus and so it suggests that these are second to Madonna herself. Other text used, such as the example of her most famous songs, is displayed in a small font at the bottom of the page signifying and lack of importance. It also shows off Madonna's talent and fame as people don't really need to be reminded of her songs, they already know them.

The text is all capitalised which makes a statement on the importance of the album, it also resembles the style of writing used in newspaper headlines, which are also all capitalised. This connotes that Madonna is newsworthy and makes headlines. The subtle imprint of the newspaper text which you can see in the background also suggests this. Madonna has been talked about in the media for decades and so this links with her fame and gives familiarity for even the people who are not as familiar with her music as with her fame status. The use of newspaper print when combined with the faded background may also mean that Madonna's music is 'old news' and shows that she is moving onto to another stage in her life. This is supported by the recent release of a film that she has directed. The fact that the album is a greatest hits also reinforces this as many artists release a greatest hits near the end of their career.