Integrating the Three Media Products

The Three Media Products
Both the CD and the website contain the still images that are seen as moving footage in the music video. One example of this is the colours used on the CD cover, as we used warm tones and intensified brightness to contrast to the rest of the song and album, which give a suggested theme of sadness. The images contradict this theme, meaning that audiences will be more likely to be srawn to the symbolism, drawing attention to the video aswell as the lyrics themselves. Consistency of themes I believe will be intergral to the marketing aspect of each product, as consumers will be able to clearly link props and characters such as the horse, to the CD, website and music video.

Channels of audience consumption;

1) Video ->Website -> CD
2) Website ->Video -> CD
3) Website -> CD -> Video
4) CD -> Website -> Video

Option 1 would most likely be the favoured order of distribution by the artist, as it would mean that consumers have directly exposed to the main product (music video), meaning if they like it they may research the band, leading them to the website, and later the CD. This format would usually effect consumers who are new to the bands music, and would most likely source it from watching music channels such as MTV-rocks or through youtube subscriptions as they are font of similar genres and products created by similar artists.

No matter how the audiences consume the products, in theory all three media platforms are likely to be accessed. However as snow patrol already have such a large fan base, if levels of distribution through number 1 fell or were minimal in comparison to number 4, it would suggest that their fan base is not expanding, and therefore the band are not adapting to the changing market that is music.

Clearly at some stage all consumers will have been a part of all four of the options above, as a band increases it's popularity through effective marketing seen in options 1 and 2, general consumption as seen in method 3 or consumers who are already aware of the bands existence. Bands will eventually reach a stretched audience and the fan base will plateau meaning more methods such as number 4 will become more frequent. This is apparent with snow patrol, who have been in the lime light for 14 years.

Audiences rely on a continuous band image so that they know what to expect, and what they are 'following'. To sell merchandise, it is vital that the band does exactly this, this is why the fan base will struggle to grow after a certain amount of time as band image will only appeal to a certain number of the market, and by changing band image, the artists risk loosing already loyal fans. This is why often, bands who were famous in the past stop producing and have a break, then pick up many years later, reinventing themselves with a new image, and creating a new client base.

Band image and identity is far easy to endorce with modern technological advances making products such as mugs, t-shirts and other merchandise easyer to produce and distribute to fans! In many cases, the band becomes a brand in its own right.