Ancilary Research - Magazine Advert Research

The main functions of an advert placed in a magazine is to be eye catching to promote that artist to the desired target audience in order to sell their product - eg, a song or album that they have produced. Whilst doing research I have found several conventions that many magazine promotions/adverts tend to have:

• The artists name - this is so that the audience reading/fans know who the artist is
• The title of the album/song - in large letters depending on the artist and genre (some may have a larger image than text)
• The release date of the upcoming song or album being advertised - this is so the target market know when the song/album are able to be bought
• Image of the album cover - this is what usually grabs the readers attention/people are able to know what the product looks like
• Where you can purchase it - this is often if there is a particular deal with a specific super market eg, "get this exclusively at Tesco - this week only" however the common audience/reader knows that the music more often that not will be available to stream online via spotify/iTunes. 
• Social media links - this is important for the band as it makes them appear more human and available to interact with their fans and receive updates. 
• Tour dates - some adverts for albums/songs can include tour dates to remind fans/readers that they can buy tickets to see them live
• Price - this is useful for readers so they know how much it will cost before they buy it
• Information about record label - this isn't reoccurring with every advert however it gives the reader a good impression of what kind of music the band may play if they have never heard them before. 

Examples:

• This advert is from the band Bastille and it includes many of the aforementioned conventions, including a main image in the background of a car rather than the band creating an enigma. This form of breaking the conventions is allowed as they are a well established band - performing at Glastonbury etc. and this is their third tour 'bad blood part 3'. The name of the band is at the top of the page so that readers' eyes are immediately drawn to it followed by the product they are selling beneath - their tour. This is then supported by tour dates under the main image with the date and city in bold and the venue in large letters. In smaller letters at the bottom it tells the audiences where they are able to get tickets and contact information. 

• This advert is from the rock band kings of leon. This advert has the album artwork as the main attraction which is a common convention with rock bands and their albums. It has their name at the top and the album name across the bottom in the same font. It has the information at the bottom about the record label and where you can stream the album and when it is coming out.