Learning Process

The past week has been mentally busy, and setting out all of my key insights from my research, the most important insight has to be regarding brand terrorism, and the context of the term in its entirety. This insight, as previously pointed by the tutors present at the presentation last week, is already known to the general public, but what has been done to solve such a problem?

Examples such as Logorama by H5/François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain & Kapitaal by Studio Smack both note the problems that the terrorising messages become meaningless as a moral through a visual narrative. On the other hand, Deleting Space by Christopher Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf’s outdoor methods of erasing brands on the high street created an impact through the erasure of noise, the response from the audience were clear. But the underlying point is that those examples do not suggest what can be done to avoid the meaningless messages as a whole.

While this key insight serves more direction towards the outcome, it has brought another insight that in fact, the essence of this project is about raising awareness about something that is already known to everyone; raising awareness about something familiar. As it is an analogy to state that rather than making a point by proving that the problem with media is constantly pointing out the negativities within society to provide the shock value for its audience, as Gerbner (as cited from Seward Barry, p.306) states

Under the umbrella theory of "cultivation process" Gerbner has traced how "mean world syndrome" can come about when, with the repeated exposure to negative messages, people can become convinced that the world they live in is an inherently dangerous and primarily mean one...when people believe what they see and what they see is a world enmeshed in violence, they expect violence to happen to them...and inadvertently actualize what they fear – all without understanding how the process has worked or the actual reality behind the fears.

This draws insight that I had raised towards the beginning of my Major Project on the exposure of negative media, but there are not as many suggestions as to how to improve their negative findings.
   
So how would I be able to raise awareness about something that is already known to the audience?

Had a think (not necessarily in a dark room though, as my tutor had suggested) over the output, a web interface with a type of humourous and engaging shock for the audience; the stats and facts will connect with the different scenarios that will be asked, with metaphoric titles such as "Rise and shine" – asking the audience what they do when they first get up; some may go to the bathroom, some may use their phone to check their social networking sites / emails etc., or their daily commute, with small analogies such as "we spend x time watching/seeing ads about health/fitness products that would equate to x amount of hours spent at the gym". The important message behind this site to be engaging and informative. Thusly, creating the creative co-ordinates of
   

• engaging
• informative
• which directs contemporary.

The tone of voice which directs the site still requires work, as there may be multiple dynamics that I am adding as a result of utilising both analogies and metaphors within the language; the interpretations of them would be different for all.

Importantly, the outcome brings learning about brand exposure to a more informational extent by using such analogies, and it can help at the end of the interactive survey by offering suggestions on purchasing (such as making search terms more direct, and to spread the news of awareness on this site), creating the link from my key point, to offer positives in light of the negative discovery. Whether or not it would create the realisation that branding is the contemporary method of escapism for the audience is up to the individual.
   
Sketches of the site are being created as I write up; on a 12 column grid to retain the simplicity that would be required to keep in line with the creative co-ordinates. The name of this campaign, or essentially, the brand, has currently been proposed as “Brandology” – literally, meaning the study of branding. (Still subject to change)

For the purpose of online viewing, I have attached Logorama and Kapitaal for your viewing pleasure.

Bibliography
Seward Barry, A (1997) Visual Intelligence: Perception, Image, and Manipulation in Visual Communication. State University of New York: New York.

Video
H5/François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain (2009) Logorama [video online] Available at:

<>

[Accessed 10 May 2011]

Studio Smack (2006) Kapitaal [video online] Available at:

<>

[Accessed 4 October 2011]

Website
http://www.steinbrener-dempf.com/index.php?article_id=5 [Accessed 1 October 2011]

Visual experiments ad continuum – the majority of the logomarks to which the target audience associated themselves to, as gathered from the Brand Index 2011, were red, continuing from the previous discussion on colour psychology, to further this, the red logos were complimented with yellow, to signify both speed and happiness. When the logomarks were overlaid on top of each other, it simply became a “visual noise”, where little to no information can be interpreted from the result. I then repeated with the characters and mascots of the brands; there used to be more characters, but in recent years, many corporations decided to retire the majority of them, notably Ronald McDonald, one of the most recognised brand mascots of all time, due to their link and the glorification of unhealthy eating and fast food.

This most certainly reflects upon the situation of the modern world of communication, let alone in the land of advertising; ridiculous amounts of noise is generated from the bombardment of constructed media messages telling everyone to do this, do that, eat this, don’t eat that. Where does it stop?

Speaking of the yellow character, or the colour yellow itself, I read a very interesting article regarding the semiotics of The Simpsons, and how the messages behind the animation itself does not challenge the audience that watch the animation to be able to read the sign behind the animation itself; the purpose of entertainment, particularly for this show, “does not require viewers to have background knowledge of the culture, nor does it require them to really think while watching the show…” (Fakhoury, N et al.)
   
Spent an interesting day exploring the concrete jungle with a visual communication graduate, now flight attendant. His mix of knowledge of travelling to different places, soaking in many diverse cultures, combined with his knowledge of visual communication had meant that he provided some great insight onto the placement and interaction of an idea. One interesting insight he provided was a window; it acts as a barrier between the interaction of the view between the viewer and the outside. When one sits from a different position, for example, below the window ledge, the interaction between the viewer and the view is obstructed by the window’s bars, whereas, if you sit up close to the window, the interaction is more complete, and you become more in sync with your surroundings and the nature; when people look at properties they look for ones with large windows. This was an interesting insight because I started to ponder whether this concept can be applied to television screens and the media being displayed.
   
We also visited WHAT_architecture, who had previously completed a project with a school in North London involving LEGO bricks; the exterior of the school was created with LEGO walls, decorated and built by students, parents and architects in a collaborative project. The semiotics of this type of product placement revolves around using LEGO signifying nostalgia for the adults, and as its tagline suggests, “serious play” for the child; the children that aid in the construction of the school, to them, it is creativity and a chance to add a piece of themselves, to become part of the school as a contribution. For the adults, it retains an infatuation of childhood that altogether contributes towards a positive brand image for both old and young audiences.
   
This is where it brings me to gather all my previous weeks of progress reports and consider what the final outcome of this project shall be, and the intention of the project; the two main questions that I have been asking throughout are:
   

• Can positive brand images be implanted into children through product placement?
• What are the impact of brands on childhood?

   
The second question can effectively be answered visually by one of my original ideas from reading Elizabeth Tucker’s Dramatization of Children’s Narratives, and where ideas derive from. I’ve been interested in the idea of fairytales and how it provides a platform for children’s narratives for awhile. So it is more than likely that it’ll be related to such; a brand can present itself with an emotional attachment for the child in the form of a character to build the initial relationship between the audience and the brand. It can be placed from the perspective if I was to say that the signifier became the television screen, children who become raised in a room with a television may develop unrealistic emotional relationships with the bombardment of stories, through television shows. All media messages are constructed with the aid of language, as Alfred North Whitehead once said "Language foists on us exact concepts as though they represented the immediate deliverance of experience." (Whitehead as cited by Chandler, 2000)

Bibliography
Chandler, D. (2000) [Online] Biases of the Ear and Eye. Available at: <http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/litoral/litoral4.html> (accessed 2 September 2011)
Michaels, S. (2011) [Online] A Conversation With JR, Intrepid French Street Artist. The Atlantic. Available at: <http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/09/a-conversation-with-jr-intrepid-french-street-artist/244518/> (Accessed 6 September 2011)
Lyons, J.; Fakhoury, N.; Hsieh, T. and Jahazi, H. [no date] [Online] Reading Television?: The Simpsons. Available at: <http://www.yorku.ca/mlc/4318/projects/simp.html>(Accessed 5 September 2011)
http://www.prweek.com/go/kidsbrandindex/ (Accessed 28 August 2011)

ad continuum So does product placement become the modern adulthood to the modern childhood?
     
Wording for the keywords have been changed to gain a better understanding with fewer (or more) words:
   
Product placement is a form of advertising that embeds brands into forms of media; it implants ideas that provides an emotional platform between the brand and the consumer.
   
Branding targets the psychosocial implications, expressive, terminal，as well as social values, in order to create the ultimate brand loyalty between itself and the consumer.
   
Childhood is a period where cognitive, physical, social and emotional capacities are being developed, and product placement have increasingly exploited such to deliver brands and manipulate their perceptions.
   
Branding is a multi-faceted aspect within the world of design, and from the experimentation and research that I’ve been conducting in the recent weeks, it is about an implementation of an idea, particularly within the world of product placement. I can now relate my current progress back to my original research question: “Whether product placement can have a positive brand exposure towards children”, but rather, to put it simply, it is questioning “whether product placement can implement a positive idea towards children”
This opportunity has opened my eyes to experience unique perspectives on the city; the small moments we don't always pay too much attention to in the chaos that is the bombardment of brands.
   
When I was calculating the brand index scores of the brands that children aged 8-12 (this phase is also known as ‘tweens’) from data that I had gathered, I found some surprising results; even though we live in an increasingly digital world, where more things are done on the internet, from the findings from the brand index scores, tweens are actually the most influenced by sweets and chocolate, followed by electronic gadgets, rather than websites, or TV shows. From this piece of discovery, however, it has to be considered where the source of influence, as well as the content of the influence.

From the brand index data, I started compiling the colour wheel of brands that my target audience associate themselves with, I have realised that more and more are red, or yellow mostly; the colour psychologies of yellow and red combines the attention seeking energy of red with the happiness and optimistic yellow; McDonald’s is the perfect example that combines these two colours – the promise of a ‘good time’, with the excitement and movement and palpitations that it induces by attractive their customers with their insignia is surely a win. A more recent gradual decline of the use of red favour of adopting a more natural tone to their overall tone probably inclines with the quiet background murmurs of ethics within the fast food industry.
   
Whilst compiling the colour wheel, there were moments where I had to pause and reconsider which part of the colour spectrum the logo itself belonged to, as the colour of some brands, where their packaging colour is intact throughout their range, was also considered.
   
I finally began some primary research onto my surroundings; finding product placements, implanting of ideas that encompassed me left, right and centre.  Watching media that was perhaps, a little too naïve for yours truly, but the more I look into this subject, the more I become hooked into it, it is almost like as if all of these brands have amassed into a giant narrative within play, and has become a dictation towards me rather than an influence. This reminded me of a conversation that I had with an Accountant-cum-Politics-graduate, whom had a anecdote to share:

I was watching television with my cousin once, and the age difference is rather large – 10 years apart, so naturally, and watching his, his type of programmes on television…God, I couldn’t even handle the break in between the shows; the products that are associated with the cartoon is played to entice the viewer. Jeez, that gave me a headache.

What she said reminded me of Steve Jobs's saying (Mitchell, 2011)

"When you’re young, you look at television and think - There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought."

— Steve Jobs

Our generation is a generation that is the advertised, as well as the advertiser; branding has become the dictator to children, to childhood.

Bibliography

http://blog.sirmitchell.com/

This week, I managed to also get in touch with members of mumsnet, the online community for parents, by parents; Sharna Jackson of Tate Kids, as well as some raw data on the public’s acknowledgement of product placement from OFCOM, all of which will add great data towards my research. The main problem that I have been experiencing with this subject is that, due to the nature of this subject, and the fact that this is still relatively new, it is hard to gather raw data to create visualisations to show the flow of process.
   
Definitions of the three main keywords/phrases so far as gathered from my research:
   
Product placement is about implanting an idea of purchasing purposes within media; a communication tool that is integrated into the media
Branding is about providing the terminal values for the consumer to build the ultimate brand loyalty relationship between themselves and the brand
Childhood is a period their mentalities are still in development, and therefore should be a period where any form of communication exposed to them should allow to continue to grow; the idea of childhood nowadays is more about consumption and consumerism rather than a process of developing their own identities; their own brand.
   
Carrying on from the previous week on fairytales and fables; the main objective of these stories was to provide a sense of morals for the reader, and to allow them to develop a sense of morals on their own accord. Fairytales and fables are not much different from branding, where both stem from the idea of storytelling, and to create a relationship between the narrative and the reader themselves; to create an emotional link, and to allow the children to relate themselves to the appropriate characters.
   
We, as designers/creative thinkers/design philosophers/all of the above, have objectives, one of those perhaps, is to improve society with future changing concepts, wanting to add some meaning to the society. These life-changing decisions? They are adult concepts. They were influenced by what we were exposed to ourselves, or other ideas. So can it be said that ideas are also adult concepts? If so, how about starting from where we began ourselves? Childhood. 
   
As previously said, childhood nowadays has become a term that is associated with materialistic values, where children grow up surrounded by brands, and are branded themselves, this categorising by sub-culture creates an tidal wave effect of wanting to seek out the latest gadgetry to fit within their evocative values that the children themselves want to see themselves become associated with.
   
By influencing perceptions from a young age, we can change the future from the beginning.  An idea of influencing perceptions is where this final major project was stemmed from; the recent lift of the product placement ban to its essentials, is about the placement of ideas or a concept. On the discovery that children are becoming increasingly obsessive about consumption, this can be interpreted in different ways; whether in food or other products, we are becoming increasingly materialistic in our values, and the age of desiring and obtaining materialistic luxuries are getting younger. Why? One thing is clear; advertising. 
   
Advertising’s role in brands are important in their own right, as advertising becomes the first point of contact in establishing a link between the consumer and the brand itself. How about the products that are targeted towards children? The juxtaposition of promoting a product for children with an advertising campaign that is an adult concept, what effect would this have on children psychologically?
   
The stressful lifestyle that the majority face in this metropolis are beginning to show strains and their children are also noticing too, as the gradual increase of both parents having a full-time job, the amount of time that can be devoted to their children has decreased significantly; “working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes each day looking after their children – including mealtimes.” (Donnelly, 2011)
The parents’ role to their children are supposed to be setting an example on growing up and providing a positive mental attitude towards their developing, but as adults begin to go through the routine of wake up, eat sleep and work, and less time is being spent with children; bills to pay, mouths to feed, their children will also begin to be exposed to the routine of becoming slaves to the clock.

Upon reading more on the origins of fairytales, and its psychologies, it provided the most wonderful insight that very much links my research on how ideas and implanted in the first place, with the impacts and function of branding. This is a crucial turning point within the project, as this is about gaining an understanding of the metaphors that became idealised, or branded, and its utilisation of them in today’s society within many contexts.

Combining this with the strategic methods of advertising, particularly, product placement and the overload of information everywhere; on billboards, television, on the internet, that even we, ourselves, as young adults, are being influenced, sometimes unconsciously in light of product placement, where this project began. There seems to be nowhere to hide, and we are being brought up in an environment where advertising is the norm that one probably gets exposed to more than their homework or more time spent with advertising than their own parents; branding is no longer child's play, but  rather, a materialistic maturity for the growing youth in the way that this can be classified coined as a brand terrorism; where brands bombard so much that they dictate our own lifestyle and we inherently lose our freedom of choice.
   
So has branding become the modern adulthood to the modern childhood?

   
Bibliography
Donnelly, L. (2011) Working mothers send 81 minutes a day looking after their children The Guardian [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8408503/Working-mothers-spend-81-minut...> [Accessed 22 August, 2011]

From 7/7 – Tutorial Feedback on 2.3 & 2.4

• Justify imagery within Visual Summary and provide narratives
• Consider the legibility of imagery and text critically

The feedback was extremely useful in providing different ideas and further progress for research; the initial worry before the tutorial was that there may not have been enough cope for visual experimentation. This progress report will deconstruct the ideas that were discussed during the tutorial.

The main topic of discussion that during the tutorial was the main starting point to this post-Major Project Proposal: where product placement can be found, by concentrating on one aspect, such as the legislation imposed on this controversial issue, further investigations can be found. One such extension would be to question the 9pm watershed that has been imposed on television shows, and its real impact on the ones that the watershed is aimed towards, and also the main audience for my Major Project; 7-12 year olds. Do social classes affect children’s choice (or restrictions) on media access after that time? With the availability of technology, doesn’t it simply mean that they can have access to the same material online even if they are in their rooms with their devices other than a television? By stating considerations such as social class, the restrictions imposed by parents are very much different between, for example, a middle-class family, than a working class family; bedtimes may actually be imposed on children from 7-12 years old within the middle-class family, but such may not exist for a working class family. With such points in mind, then is the watershed a time-sensitive issue or simply a red herring?

Product placement is about the placement of an idea within media, not just television anymore, so if a programme were to have an idea already embedded, i.e. having a purpose within the show, would this also be considered product placement, and would this mean that United Kingdom, or sometimes politically known as a ‘Nanny State’ be considered manipulative towards its inhabitants? What is considered positive and what is considered negative?

Campaigns such as Jamie Oliver’s ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’ or ‘Jamie’s Dream School’ aimed to improve children’s lives by promoting healthy eating and also to learn the importance of education – by showing both the negatives and positives of each aspect. By negative points, one means that, for example, in ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’, scenes of school dinners where foods that lack in nutrition are showcased in canteens, with overweight children munching away. The show then shows the alternative by suggesting different healthier foods being served that is packed with nutrition, followed by footage of smiling school children tucking into their healthy school meals, as improved by Chef Jamie Oliver. The positives and negatives are emphasised by editing the right footage for emphasis, followed by colours used within the film filters to further influence the viewer unconsciously; as Alvin Schechter says that “Color isn’t the most important thing; it’s the only thing…color goes immediately to the psyche and can be a direct sales stimulus.” (cite from Alsop, D. 1984, p.37)

By having such a celebrity endorsing such a campaign, it would be natural that more people would watch it for the celebrity factor, the connection with a well-known human being, rather than for the main objective of the programme, in “Jamie’s School Dinners”’s case, to market the idea of healthy eating, and such a celebrity involvement would help to raise awareness on the issue. So would it mean that positive things can help people improve by making them attractive? If so, can be the same done for brands?

If campaigns are strong enough to create an impact in one’s long-term memory, the idea of the campaign will eventually become a brand. From this, it can be said that anything can be considered as a brand nowadays; products, companies, people, even metaphors and gestures. Gestures such as the ‘thumbs up’, ‘thumbs down’, ‘OK’, the Crucifix and their behaviours as a result of the usage are well-known internationally, can we therefore brand with gestures due to the known significance of them?

Bibliography
Alsop, D. “Color Grows More Important in Catching Consumers’ Eyes” Wall Street Journal, 29 November 1984, 37.

Introduction
 
The catalyst to this project began from an article, which the Mothers’ Union chief executive Reg Bailey (Fig.1) stated that ‘Society has become increasingly full of sexualised imagery…this has created a wallpaper to children’s lives’, accompanied by my personal interest in consumer influences as a result of brand exposure from different outlets, a fundamental aim of this research project is to learn and understand the importance of brand strategy, as well as the functions of product placement within media as a mechanism within branding and identity.
 
Brand strategy is important in any type of media; brands can encompass products, services, and more recently, people. Personal branding has become a new age phenomena where consumers now consider their purchases to emphasise on their individualism and ideals. So it has become more fundamental than ever for brands to stand out in order to catch the audiences’ attention.
 
One of my main objectives of embarking on a Masters course is to better my knowledge on design decisions and its influence on consumers. There is extensive research on product placement and its impact on purchasing influences, but lacks in the study of its impact on children, particularly in the United Kingdom, as her regulator policies forbids targeted advertising towards them; are our instated purchasing decisions also regulated within this nanny state of protectionism?
 
Research Question
 
Can product placement have a positive brand exposure towards children?
 
Aims and objectives
 
Aims
 
    •    Learn the importance of brand strategy within media
    •    Understand the function of product placement within media
    •    Question whether the project outcome will affect perceptions in the real-world and contribute towards a better understanding of the inner workings of branding and identity
    •    Collect a series of media as data collection – material such as television shows, movies, advertisements
    •    Consult experts in the field of advertising, marketing and branding
    •    Examine and document the visual language and messaging in the material gathered
    •    Determine whether the method of information processing can lead to universal application within branding and identity.
Objectives
 
    •    Find relevant data sources and establish experts in the field
    •    Set criteria for media scope
    •    Develop and apply a method of deconstruction for collecting material using semiotic and visual theories
    •    Establish a brand related theory from analysis of data
    •    Report and documents findings, processes, outcomes at every stage of the project
    •    Investigate if the influence of product placement can affect all age groups
    •    Based on the research, determine product placement’s effectiveness as a mechanism within branding and identity
    •    Collect reports and utilise them towards an overall written thesis, as informed by the reflection on the reports.
 
 
Audience
 
    •    Media watchers – the largest target audience which this project will aim towards, media watchers (or consumers) are the main user group that will be most exposed to the brands displayed
    •    Marketers and advertisers – the drivers behind-the-scenes of consumer choices, marketers and advertisers can work collaboratively if a gap in the market can be discovered within the media
    •    Visual researchers – this group of audience have to be constantly informed on the latest trends and hot topics for different age groups, making their knowledge invaluable
 
 
Context
 
Area/field of study
 
The consumer gives shape to a brand article, largely on the basis of what the ‘brand manufacturer’ offers: a tangible product, advertising. The brand article is much more complex than the tangible product, it is made up of emotions, associations and a fleeting whole that can nonetheless live on for a long time.
(Franzen and Holzhauer, 1987, cited by Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.144)
 
The big world of media is the most important tool for communication in the twenty-first century, and more brands than ever are competing against each other to maximise their marketing methods and brand exposure, but as Franzen and Bouwman rightly defines that


Marketing science considers brands as nothing more than identification means for products and services of suppliers. (Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, xvii)
 
The general area of study for this project is the promotional tactics used in both fictional and non-fictional media, also known as product placement. First introduced in the 1980s, this can take place in different forms; brands are integrated within, for example, a television show, thus guaranteeing an exposure of a product to its viewers; areas of research within this project will include
 
    •    Branding and identity within media
    •    Advertising techniques
 
Survey
 
In the United Kingdom, the Product Placement ban was recently lifted on British television as an attempt to stimulate the economy by allowing advertisers to pay for their products to be integrated into programmes, albeit with restrictions – the ban is still enforced in current affairs and children’s programmes.
 
The projected position of product placement for children is frowned upon as news sources inform that such placement as children are the most vulnerable to brand exposure in all different types of media. As previous research shows that
 
children as young as two have already developed preferences for national brands above shop brands, even if the shop brands tasted better. (Hite and Hite, 1995, cited by Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.122)
 
Review
 
Those around the age of 16-17 begin to develop their own sense of individualism and will begin to choose brands in order to express their ideals, but what of the impact of placement on viewers that are younger? What of the product placement targeted towards adults and its impact on children if they are exposed to such integrated advertising that is of a more mature nature? The media as a whole has become an integral part of our society as a tool for communication, combined with the conspicuous consumption of our society means that marketers have to find ways in advertising that provides ‘information on brands that make long enough of an impression on an individual is stored in the long-term memory’ (Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.135).
 
In relation to branding, this form of integrated advertising relies on good brand management to which marketers and advertisers utilise to reach as many different user groups as possible in order to increase their brand’s exposure and maximum outlets for generating revenue; academia (Spurlock, cited in Ruggie, 2011) noted in the movie Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold that ‘What makes consumers happy isn’t the product itself, but what that product is a conduit to.’
 
The UK government’s intention on the product placement ban on children’s programmes is due to the idea that children are more susceptible to manipulation than adults; from the collected material from various media sources reveal that marketers have been emphasising on what advertising does best; influencing children’s likes and dislikes by showing this young group of target audience exactly what they want, thereby developing a ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ complex towards product consumption.
 
The question remains as to whether such brand exposure has to be considered as negative exposure to children; with such great parental, as well as governmental, control over children’s purchasing decisions, what other sources of media are brands influencing children with apart from television?
Research Methodology
 
From the Unit 2.3 research topics, it was realised that most, if not all research investigated the idea of personal branding from different aspects of culture’s impact of perceptions in society. However, the research topics previously became problematic; the research became too self-referential, a closed circle; certain topics were also too specific in the lack of flexibility to consider the problem on a wider scale.
 
The complexity in exploring the different media methods that integrate product placement aimed towards children will allow the investigation of the seemingly negative brand exposure, and addressing how brands are accessed can change this.
 
Primary Research
    •    Establishing marketing strategies within product placement for different types of media – this sets the catalyst for the project in understanding how brands capture audiences in media
    •    Investigate the psychology of media influence
    •    Collate data on consumer purchasing choices
    •    Conduct interviews with advertising or marketing agencies to collect data on their strategies towards different user groups
Secondary Research
    •    What is product research?
    •    Which age group the most exposed to media?
    •    Which age group uses the most forms of media and technology?
    •    Collate findings of existing data of previous analysis of product placements
    •    Establish leaders in the field
    •    Referring to official / governmental websites and resources to clarify on the extent of the product placement legislation
 
Methods
The research methodology of this project will be mainly information gathering on different surveys as a collection for qualitative analysis, before undergoing interpretation with typologies and data visualisation techniques on aspects such as how different types of media is product placement integrated into as a starting point to quantitative analysis. Other components towards my methodology is as follows:
 
    •    Gather information on product placement as a whole
    ◦    Different types of media that product placement is now integrated into
    •    Establish a method of categorisation to create typologies of research gathered
    ◦    User groups and their media
    ◦    What products are most exposed to different groups
    ◦    Determine main user group – this is a crucial step as investigation and experimentations can be narrowed down for further criticism and analysis
    •    Generate constructed surveys to collect primary data
    ◦    Will be collated and analysed
    ◦    Determine what type, or types of media will be the focus of study
    •    Generate both qualitative and quantitative assessment of material gathered
    •    Filtering data to study extremes of both heavily integrated media and banned integrated media
    •    Literary research to extend understanding of main areas of study and analyse any findings on
    ◦    Brand strategies and theory
    ◦    Brand theory within media
    ◦    Advertising techniques
 
Resources
 
As previously mentioned, consultations may be conducted with tutors from London College of Communication, whom have experience in the advertising or branding industries, as well as setting up interviews with advertising agencies to gather primary research.
 
As product placement is a relatively topical issue since the recent lift on product placement within specified media, governmental websites may also be consulted for clarification on the extent of the product placement legislation as a whole.
Evaluation
 
As this proposal appears to be a research project about design, rather than a practical design problem, the most appropriate method of evaluation would be to employ critical reflection. This topical issue’s relevance is vast in today’s society where we are media and technology reliant; my focus on product placement towards children may face its occasional challenges due to governmental legislation rather than impracticalities.
 
The methods to evaluate the effectiveness of subject material will be reviewed by peers as well as tutors, which will then be reported in my milestone reports, which, currently, could take the form of a research blog. The research blog will be made public, thereby maximising sources for feedback from the public or amongst a wider research community.
 
Output
 
With applied research, the outcome will explore product placement and brand exposure towards children. I am specifying a written thesis as the outcome, as this project seems much more likely to be a critical discussion of product placement’s impact on children’s brand preferences. Producing a written output will still provide opportunities to acquire more technical and visual skills as part of the investigation, particularly in the form of a visual summary. With the context provided and research question outlined, I envisage the process of investigation will be broken down into a series of sub-projects in order to analyse different aspects of product placement and its influence on those exposed to such.
 
Any designed analysis produced for this project will involve a form of typographic and information design in order to present research findings, analysis and conclusions, and potential outcomes will be supported by an edited visual summary, as well as a research blog in addition to the final outcome.
Bibliography
 
Franzen, G and Bouwman, M. (2001) The Mental World of Brands – Mind, memory and brand success. Oxfordshire: World Advertising Research Center

Ruggie, A. Siegel and Gale, 2011. Morgan Spurlock is good for branding [online] Available at: <http://www.siegelgale.com/blog/morgan-spurlock-is-good-for-branding/>

Research Question

Can product placement have a positive brand exposure towards children?

Aims and objectives

Aims

• Learn the importance of brand strategy within media
• Understand the function of product placement within media
• Question whether the project outcome will affect perceptions in the real-world and contribute towards a better understanding of the inner workings of branding and identity
• Collect a series of media as data collection – material such as television shows, movies, advertisements
• Examine and document the visual language and messaging in the material gathered
• Determine whether the method of information processing can lead to universal application within branding and identity.

Objectives

• Find relevant data sources and establish experts in the field
• Set criteria for media scope
• Develop and apply a method of deconstruction for collecting material using semiotic and visual theories
• Report and documents findings, processes, outcomes at every stage of the project
• Investigate if the influence of product placement can affect all age groups
• Based on the research, determine product placement’s effectiveness as a mechanism within branding and identity
• Collect reports and utilise them towards an overall written thesis, as informed by the reflection on the reports.

Audience

• Media watchers – the largest target audience which this project will aim towards, media watchers (or consumers) are the main user group that will be most exposed to the brands displayed
• Marketers and advertisers – the drivers behind-the-scenes of consumer choices, marketers and advertisers can work collaboratively if a gap in the market can be discovered within the media
• Visual researchers – this group of audience have to be constantly informed on the latest trends and hot topics for different age groups, making their knowledge invaluable

Context

Area/field of study

The consumer gives shape to a brand article, largely on the basis of what the ‘brand manufacturer’ offers: a tangible product, advertising. The brand article is much more complex than the tangible product, it is made up of emotions, associations and a fleeting whole that can nonetheless live on for a long time.
(Franzen and Holzhauer, 1987, cited by Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.144)

The big world of media is the most important tool for communication in the twenty-first century, and more brands than ever are competing against each other to maximise their marketing methods and brand exposure, but as Franzen and Bouwman rightly defines that

Marketing science considers brands as nothing more than identification means for products and services of suppliers. (Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, xvii)

The general area of study for this project is the promotional tactics used in both fictional and non-fictional media, also known as product placement. First introduced in the 1980s, this can take place in different forms; brands are integrated within, for example, a television show, thus guaranteeing an exposure of a product to its viewers; areas of research within this project will include

• Branding and identity within media
• Advertising techniques

Survey

In the United Kingdom, the Product Placement ban was recently lifted on British television as an attempt to stimulate the economy by allowing advertisers to pay for their products to be integrated into programmes, albeit with restrictions – the ban is still enforced in current affairs and children’s programmes.

The projected position of product placement for children is frowned upon as news sources inform that such placement integrated into children’s programmes; children are the most vulnerable to brand exposure in all different types of media. As previous research shows that
   
children as young as two have already developed preferences for national brands above shop brands, even if the shop brands tasted better. (Hite and Hite, 1995, cited by Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.122)

Review

Those around the age of 16-17 begin to develop their own sense of individualism and will begin to choose brands in order to express their ideals, but what of the impact of placement on viewers that are younger? What of the product placement targeted towards adults and its impact on children if they are exposed to such integrated advertising that is of a more mature nature? The media as a whole has become an integral part of our society as a tool for communication, combined with the conspicuous consumption of our society means that marketers have to find ways in advertising that provides ‘information on brands that make long enough of an impression on an individual is stored in the long-term memory’ (Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.135).

In relation to branding, this form of integrated advertising relies on good brand management to which marketers and advertisers utilise to reach as many different user groups as possible in order to increase their brand’s exposure and maximum outlets for generating revenue; academia (Spurlock, cited in Ruggie, 2011) noted in the movie Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold that ‘What makes consumers happy isn’t the product itself, but what that product is a conduit to.’

The UK government’s intention on the product placement ban on children’s programmes is due to the idea that children are more susceptible to manipulation than adults; from the collected material from various media sources reveal that marketers have been emphasising on what advertising does best; influencing children’s likes and dislikes by showing this young group of target audience exactly what they want, thereby developing a ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ complex towards product consumption.

The question remains as to whether such brand exposure has to be considered as negative exposure to children; with such great parental, as well as governmental, control over children’s purchasing decisions, what other sources of media are brands influencing children with apart from television?Research Methodology

From the Unit 2.3 research topics, it was realised that most, if not all research investigated the idea of personal branding from different aspects of culture, and its impact of perceptions in society. However, the research topics previously became problematic; the research became too self-referential, a closed circle; certain topics were also too specific in the lack of flexibility to consider the problem on a wider scale.
The complexity in exploring the different media methods that integrate product placement aimed towards children allows the investigation of the seemingly assumed negative brand presence can be changed by addressing how information is accessed.

Primary Research

• Establishing marketing strategies within product placement for different types of media – this sets the catalyst for the project in understanding how brands capture audiences in media
• Conduct interviews with advertising or marketing agencies to collect data on their strategies towards different user groups

Secondary Research

• Investigate and collate findings of existing data of previous analysis of product placements
• Establish leaders in the field
• Referring to official / governmental websites and resources to clarify on the extent of the product placement legislation

Methods
The research methodology of this project will be mainly information gathering on different surveys as a collection for qualitative analysis, before undergoing interpretation with typologies and data visualisation techniques on aspects such as how different types of media is product placement integrated into as a starting point to quantitative analysis. Other components towards my methodology is as follows:

• Gather information on product placement as a whole
  • Different types of media that product placement is now integrated into
  • Establish a method of categorisation to create typologies of research gathered
  • User groups and their media
• What products are most exposed to different groups
  • Determine main user group – this is a crucial step as investigation and experimentations can be narrowed down for further criticism and analysis
  • Generate constructed surveys to collect primary data
  • Will be collated and analysed
• Determine what type, or types of media will be the focus of study
  • Generate both qualitative and quantitative assessment of material gathered
• Filtering data to study extremes of both heavily integrated media and banned integrated media
• Literary research to extend understanding of main areas of study and analyse any findings on
  • Brand strategies and theory
  • Brand theory within media
  • Advertising techniques

Resources

As previously mentioned, consultations may be conducted with tutors from London College of Communication, whom have experience in the advertising or branding industries, as well as setting up interviews with advertising agencies to gather primary research.

As product placement is a relatively topical issue since the recent lift on product placement within specified media, governmental websites may also be consulted for clarification on the extent of the product placement legislation as a whole.

Output

Potential final outcomes

With applied research, the outcome will explore product placement and brand exposure towards children. I am specifying a written thesis as the outcome, as this project seems much more likely to be a critical discussion of product placement’s impact on children’s brand preferences. Producing a written output will still provide opportunities to acquire more technical and visual skills as part of the investigation, particularly in the form of a visual summary. With the context provided and research question outlined, I envisage the process of investigation will be broken down into a series of sub-projects in order to analyse different aspects of product placement and its influence on those exposed to such.

Any designed analysis produced for this project will involve a form of typographic and information design in order to present research findings, analysis and conclusions, and potential outcomes will be supported by an edited visual summary, as well as a research blog in addition to the final outcome.Bibliography

Franzen, G and Bouwman, M. (2001) The Mental World of Brands – Mind, memory and brand success. Oxfordshire: World Advertising Research Center

Ruggie, A. Siegel and Gale, 2011. Morgan Spurlock is good for branding [online] Available at: <http://www.siegelgale.com/blog/morgan-spurlock-is-good-for-branding/>

Research Question

Can product placement have a positive brand exposure towards children?

Aims

»    Learn the importance of brand strategy within media
»    Understand the function of product placement within media
»    Question whether the project outcome will affect perceptions in the real-world and contribute towards a better understanding of the inner workings of branding and identity
»    Collect a series of media as data collection – material such as television shows, movies, advertisements
»    Examine and document the visual language and messaging in the material gathered
»    Determine whether the method of information processing can lead to universal application within branding and identity.

Objectives

»    Find relevant data sources and establish experts in the field
»    Set criteria for media scope
»    Develop and apply a method of deconstruction for collecting material using semiotic and visual theories
»    Report and documents findings, processes, outcomes at every stage of the project
»    Investigate if the influence of product placement can affect all age groups
»    Based on the research, determine product placement’s effectiveness as a mechanism within branding and identity
»    Collect reports and utilise them towards an overall written thesis, as informed by the reflection on the reports.

Audience

»    Media watchers – the largest target audience which this project will aim towards, media watchers (or consumers) are the main user group that will be most exposed to the brands displayed
»    Marketers and advertisers – the drivers behind-the-scenes of consumer choices, marketers and advertisers can work collaboratively if a gap in the market can be discovered within the media
»    Visual researchers – this group of audience have to be constantly informed on the latest trends and hot topics for different age groups, making their knowledge invaluable

Context

Area/field of study

The consumer gives shape to a brand article, largely on the basis of what the ‘brand manufacturer’ offers: a tangible product, advertising. The brand article is much more complex than the tangible product, it is made up of emotions, associations and a fleeting whole that can nonetheless live on for a long time.
(Franzen and Holzhauer, 1987, cited by Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.144)

The big world of media is the most important tool for communication in the twenty-first century, and more brands than ever are competing against each other to maximise their marketing methods and brand exposure, but as Franzen and Bouwman rightly defines that

Marketing science considers brands as nothing more than identification means for products and services of suppliers. (Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, xvii)

The general area of study for this project is the promotional tactics used in both fictional and non-fictional media, also known as product placement. First introduced in the 1980s, this can take place in different forms; brands are integrated within, for example, a television show, thus guaranteeing an exposure of a product to its viewers; areas of research within this project will include

»    Branding and identity within media
»    Advertising techniques

Survey

In the United Kingdom, the Product Placement ban was recently lifted on British television as an attempt to stimulate the economy by allowing advertisers to pay for their products to be integrated into programmes, albeit restrictions intact – the ban is still enforced in current affairs and children’s programmes.

The projected position of product placement for children is frowned upon as news sources inform that such placement integrated into children’s programmes would be harmful to their health; children are the most vulnerable to brand exposure in all different types of media; previous research shows that
   
children as young as two have already developed preferences for national brands above shop brands, even if the shop brands tasted better. (Hite and Hite, 1995, cited by Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.122)

Review

Those around the age of 16-17 begin to develop their own sense of individualism and will begin to choose brands in order to express their ideals, but what of children that are younger? The media as a whole has become an integral part of our society as a tool for communication; the increasingly busy lifestyle of a typical twenty-first century family, accompanied by conspicuous consumption, means that marketers have to find new and innovative ways in advertising which is not time-consuming or immune to viewers, yet so ‘information on brands that make long enough of an impression on an individual is stored in the long-term memory’ (Franzen and Bouwman, 2001, p.135).

In relation to branding and identity, this relatively new form of advertising has become a part of the branding mechanism to which marketers and advertisers utilise to reach as many different user groups as possible in order to increase their brand’s exposure and maximum outlets for generating revenue.

The UK government’s intention on the product placement ban on children’s programmes is due to the idea that children are more susceptible to manipulation than adults; from the collected material from various media sources reveal that marketers have been emphasising on what advertising does best; influencing children’s likes and dislikes by showing this young group of target audience exactly what they want. The question remains as to how children are still being exposed to brands; with such great parental, as well as governmental, control over children’s purchasing decisions, what other sources are brands influencing children with?

Research Methodology

From the Unit 2.3 research topics, it was realised that most, if not all research investigated the idea of personal branding from different aspects of culture, and its impact of perceptions in society. However, the research topics previously became problematic; the research became too self-referential, a closed circle; certain topics were also too specific in the lack of flexibility to consider the problem on a wider scale.
The complexity in exploring the different media methods that integrate product placement aimed towards children allows the investigation of the seemingly assumed negative brand presence can be changed by addressing how information is accessed.

Primary Research
»    Establishing marketing strategies within product placement for different types of media – this sets the catalyst for the project in understanding how brands capture audiences in media
»    Conduct interviews with advertising or marketing agencies to collect data on their strategies towards different user groups

Secondary Research
»    Investigate
»    Collate findings of existing data of previous analysis of product placements
»    Establish leaders in the field
»    Referring to official / governmental websites and resources to clarify on the extent of the product placement legislation

Methods
The research methodology of this project will be mainly information gathering on different surveys as a collection for qualitative analysis, before undergoing interpretation with typologies and data visualisation techniques on aspects such as how different types of media is product placement integrated into as a starting point to quantitative analysis. Other components towards my methodology is as follows:

»    Gather information on product placement as a whole

• Different types of media that product placement is now integrated into
• Different user groups – which groups use what type of media the most

»    Establish a method of categorisation to create typologies of research gathered

• User groups and their media
• What products are most exposed to different groups
• Determine main user group – this is a crucial step as investigation and experimentations can be narrowed down for further criticism and analysis

»    Generate constructed surveys to collect primary data

• Will be collated and analysed
• Determine what type, or types of media will be the focus of study

»    Generate both qualitative and quantitative assessment of material gathered

»    Filtering data to study extremes of both heavily integrated media and banned integrated media

»    Literary research to extend understanding of main areas of study and analyse any findings on

• Brand strategies and theory
• Brand theory within media
• Advertising techniques

Resources

As previously mentioned, consultations may be conducted with tutors from London College of Communication, whom have experience in the advertising or branding industries, as well as setting up interviews with advertising agencies to gather primary research.

As product placement is a relatively topical issue since the recent lift on product placement within specified media, governmental websites may also be consulted for clarification on the extent of the product placement legislation as a whole.

Evaluation

As this proposal appears to be a research project about design, rather than a practical design problem, the most appropriate method of evaluation would be to employ critical reflection. This topical issue’s relevance is vast in today’s society where we are media and technology reliant; my focus on product placement towards children may face its occasional challenges due to governmental legislation rather than impracticalities.

The methods to evaluate the effectiveness of subject material will be reviewed by peers as well as tutors, which will then be reported in my milestone reports, which, currently, could take the form of a research blog. The research blog will be made public, thereby maximising sources for feedback from the public or amongst a wider research community.

Output

With applied research, the outcome will explore product placement and brand exposure towards children. I am specifying a written thesis as the outcome, as this project seems much more likely to be a critical discussion of product placement’s impact on children’s brand preferences. Producing a written output will still provide opportunities to acquire more technical and visual skills as part of the investigation, particularly in the form of a visual summary. With the context provided and research question outlined, I envisage the process of investigation will be broken down into a series of sub-projects in order to analyse different aspects of product placement and its influence on those exposed to such.

Any designed analysis produced for this project will involve a form of typographic and information design in order to present research findings, analysis and conclusions, and potential outcomes will be supported by an edited visual summary, as well as a research blog in addition to the final outcome.

Bibliography

Franzen, G and Bouwman, M. (2001) The Mental World of Brands – Mind, memory and brand success. Oxfordshire: World Advertising Research Center

Research Question

What role does product placement have as a mechanism within branding and identity?

Aims

»      Learn the importance of brand strategy within media

»      Understand the function of product placement within media

»      Question whether the project outcome will affect perceptions in the real-world and contribute towards a better understanding of the inner workings of branding and identity

»      Collect a series of media as data collection – material such as television shows, movies, advertisements

»      Examine and document the visual language and messaging in the material gathered

»      Determine whether the method of information processing can lead to universal application within branding and identity.

Objectives

»      Find relevant data sources and establish experts in the field

»      Set criteria for media scope

»      Develop and apply a method of deconstruction for collecting material using semiotic and visual theories

»      Report and documents findings, processes, outcomes at every stage of the project

»      Investigate if the influence of product placement can affect all age groups

»      Based on the research, determine product placement’s effectiveness as a mechanism within branding and identity

»      Collect reports and utilise them towards an overall written thesis, as informed by the reflection on the reports.

Audience

»      Media watchers – the largest target audience which this project will aim towards, media watchers (or consumers) are the main user group that will be most exposed to the brands displayed

»      Marketers and advertisers – the drivers behind-the-scenes of consumer choices, marketers and advertisers can work collaboratively if a gap in the market can be discovered within the media

»      Visual researchers – this group of audience have to be constantly informed on the latest trends and hot topics for different age groups, making their knowledge invaluable

Context

Area/field of study

The media, as a whole, is the most important tool for communication in the twenty-first century. The general area of study for this project is the promotional tactics used in both fictional and non-fictional media, also known as product placement. This can take place in different forms, whereby brands are integrated within, for example, a television show, thus guaranteeing an exposure of a product to the viewers of the show; areas of research within this project will include and be within

»      Branding and identity within media

»      Advertising techniques

Survey

Product placement was first introduced in the 1980s, where advertisers pay for their products to be integrated within programmes; brands were in competition with each other to gain as much exposure as possible to consumers. In the United Kingdom, the Product Placement ban was recently lifted on British television, albeit with restrictions intact – the ban is still enforced in current affairs and children’s programmes.

The projected position of product placement for children is regarded negatively as news sources inform that such placement integrated into children’s programmes would be harmful

Review

The media as a whole has become an integral part of our society as a tool for communication; the increasingly busy lifestyle of a typical twenty-first century family, accompanied by conspicuous consumption, means that marketers have to find new and innovative ways in advertising that was not time-consuming, yet remaining memorable to the consumer.

In relation to branding and identity, this relatively new form of advertising has become a part of the branding mechanism to which marketers and advertisers utilise to reach as many different user groups as possible in order to increase their brand’s exposure and maximum outlets for generating revenue.

The UK government’s intention on the product placement ban on children’s programmes is due to the idea that children are more susceptible to manipulation than adults; from the collected material from various media sources reveal that marketers have been emphasising on what advertising does best; influencing children’s likes and dislikes by showing this young group of target audience exactly what they want. The question remains as to how children are still being exposed to the advertising of brands; with such great parental, as well as governmental, control over children’s purchasing decisions, what other sources are brands influencing children with?

My aim for this project is to explore the different media methods that integrate product placement aimed towards children, and looking at the different ways of addressing the problem of negativity of how the information is perceived by their parents and the government.

Action Plan 

Methods

»      Gather information on product placement as a whole 

o      Different types of media that product placement is now integrated into 

o      Different user groups – which groups use what type of media the most 

»      Generate constructed surveys to collect primary data

o      Will be collated and analysed 

»      Establish a method of categorisation to create typologies of research gathered 

o      User groups and their media 

o      What products are most exposed to different groups

»      Generate both qualitative and quantitative assessment of material gathered

»      Filtering data to study extremes of both heavily integrated media and banned integrated media