Album Promotional Advert Research 2

Rihanna's advert for her Album 'Loud' is very different to the one that Madonna uses. The first noticeable difference is the fact that this is obviously aimed at a much younger audience than the previous advert. Its selling an artist which is at the prime of her career and so uses quite modern techniques to show this.

This advert creates a more emotive response from the audience than the Madonna poster and has a few themes running through it. The first being isolation and the feeling of being lost. This is shown by Rihanna being centred in the advert as it enhances the fact that she is alone. The fact that she is situated in a plain field also enhances this as it shows that there is nothing else around her but the grass. It also suggests the idea of isolation as it links with the countryside, which is usually used in the media to create a sense of being lost and alone.

There is also a sense of freedom being expressed in this advert. Rihanna is naked in the photograph which shows vulnerability as she is on show to the world and has nothing to hide behind; this could be analysed in a way to suggest that this album, which is so different to Rihanna's previous work, is exposing the real Rihanna and is raw in the sense that is shows how vulnerable she is. However, she does cover herself in a red dress which may symbolise how she hides her real self from the public and so she is trying to mask her vulnerability. Rihanna is looking off into the distance in the picture rather then looking at the camera, and therefore at her audience. This could show a certain reluctance in being so exposed to her audience, which suggests realism to her audience stating that she feels no different than they would. The spread out font of the text also may connote an idea of freedom as there is a big amount of space in between each letter which could represent having the space to be free.

Pain is also being created here. Rihanna is kneeling on the floor which symbolises that she is not in control of what is happening. It could also mean that she is feeling small compared to the rest of the world which contrasts to what her fans would think of her. The way that she is clutching her stomach could also suggest pain as that movement is suggested with pain, either physical or emotional. The vibrant red of the dress could also be associated with blood and therefore wounds and pain.

The idea of creating such strong feelings from her audience would suggest that the album is aimed at a young audience, most likely to be girls. This relates to the fact that teenage girls are seen as very emotionally vulnerable and so Rihanna is showing them that she is alike to them and can relate to how they're feeling. It almost tells the audience that Rihanna is human and so she is giving a positive message out for girls to just be themselves. This is reinforced by the name of her songs, for example 'The Only Girl (In The World.'

The advert is slightly faded at the top and bottom into black. This could suggest that this album is look at what Rihanna is like but it is only a snippet and not the whole picture. Her logo 'R' is also situated on the black area which suggests that her fame persona is the black which suggests that it's mysterious and feared and also tends to hold quite negative connotations.

Similar to the techniques used in Madonna's poster, Rihanna uses familiarity to attract fans. Rihanna's logo 'R' is placed in the top left corner of the poster (where your eyes will first look) and this symbol is common on all of Rihanna's albums. However, the style of the font has changed drastically in comparison to her previous work. It is very simple and straight-forward here and is rounded, showing a aura of softness. This stripped back feeling relates to my previous point on the target audience but also creates a heavy contrast with the bold, artistic fonts that have previously been used on her albums.

The colour scheme used is also different to her previous albums. Rather than using the bright colours that Rihanna is known for, there is a constant use of red. Red has many connotations, most can be related to this album, in particular the symbolisation of love and danger.

Another similarity with Madonna's advert is the concept of selling the artist and not just the album as Rihanna is the centre of the poster. Like Madonna, Rihanna is also recognised by the majority of people and so people could see her and recognise her bringing attention to the advert. This advert also uses the name of her latest single to bring in the audience as people who know the song would possibly buy the album.

Rihanna uses similar techniques in the selling of this album as a whole. Her album cover uses photography similar to this and the theme is even spread into her music videos which once again creates familiarity.