PROMOTIONAL VIDEO - ANALYSIS OF THE 6 VARIATIONS OF CORPORATE VIDEOS

Within a promotional video itself, there is many variations a company/establishment can take to advertise their products. The main of which is the sub-genre which allows the company to choice a direction in which to advertise their product, dependant on the type of product and what demographic it is aiming for.

PRODUCTION LAUNCH/MARKETING

1min 19 secs, Person holding iPad Air in the forest.

In 2013, Apple announced the iPad Air with the motto "The power of lightness", comparative to its predecessor 'iPad 4' (or 'iPad with Retina Display), which used the same physical design as the iPad 2 - released in 201l "Externally, November's iPad 4 looks almost identical to March's iPad 3, which looks almost identical to 2011's iPad 2" (Ritche, 2012). In this promotional video, we hear voiceovers of Jony Ive, Dan Riccio and Craig Fedherigi, describing the product continuously as 'powerful' and a 'breakthrough' in tablet design - with dialect to mention their 'lightning fast technology', appealing to tech enthuasiasts to become excited about the products capability, where as Apple cleverly target the general wider demographic as they're 'blinding the consumer with technology. This immediately entices the viewer to feel excitement over the product; Ive introduces the product with a narration, coinciding with a visual of the products thinness (7.5mm) - to emphasise the main selling point of the product compared to previous generations. This is furthermore represented when Ive discusses the structural integrity of the iPad, with images of children, someone using their iPad in the woods, alongside someone using it from a substantial height - this is to reinforce the idea that it is 'safe' to use wherever you go with it; in all scenarios. This production launch advertisement creates a sense of excitement for the viewer and for the release of the product - a plan to help increase sales during the products launch, Apple does this and it seems to work, due to the fans of the brand willing to line up outside their stores "Ezarik first lined up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 — spending approximately 48 hours in line by the time the Apple Store opened at 8 a.m. on Friday" (Alvarez, 2014).

PROMOTE KEY MESSAGES/VALUES

In the 2018 advert for Three UK, a mobile network carrier, they discuss the ideology and promote the idea that "Phones are good". The inspiration and stigma for this advert is stated in the introduction of the advert, following articles and news reports that state "Cells phones have changed society in a negative way. There are many reasons why cell phones are bad" (Walker, 2014). Three imitates this with their own spin on what life would have been like if mobile phones were invented during historical time periods - an example of this is the eventuality of the titanic which Three explores comedically, a phone lands in the a member of the ships crews hands, he runs to the captain as he spotted the iceberg [that struck the Titanic back in 1912]; this follows with the captain turning the wheel of the ship, and saying "that could have been a disaster" - this adds a comedic element to the

39 seconds, *supposed* Titanic, sailing past Iceberg

advertisement as it foreshadows that event, with the theme song to Titanic (the movie released in 1997) ; My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion, coinciding with the footage of the Titanic sailing past the iceberg. The advert constantly reverts from and to modern day technology in historical time periods, with elements of humour added to show how the eventuality could have changed positively with the invention of the smartphone. The advert finishes on the message "See, phones are good and they're even better on the best network for data!", so Three can advertise their brand itself.

SHOW-REELS

10 seconds - James establishing he is unlikely to get pregnant.

In 2019, Channel 4 released the show-reel trailer for season 2 of 'Derry Girls' - a comedy series that focuses upon "The personal exploits of a 16-year-old girl and her family and friends during the Troubles in the early 1990s"(IMDB, 2019). The trailer introduces itself through an establishing shot of the streets of Derry, alongside big bold text which establishes the year and place. We then cut to previews of the episodes that explore comedic references - this includes the clip with 'James' stating that he is unlikely to get pregnant, but followed by 'Granda Joe' saying "I wouldn't rule it out son", this is comical to active and passive audiences for numerous reasons. James was constantly picked on by his friends as they believed he was gay - due to him attending an all girls catholic school, despite him saying "i'm not gay"; an iconic line from the first series which active audiences will remember, it is funny to passive audiences as the comedy is very dry and lacks sense. The show-reel also features a thematic choice of soundtrack which can offer audiences a sense of nostalgia of the 90's - We hear the instrumental to the song 'Dreams' by The Cranberries, an Irish rock band that was notably famous for songs about the troubles such as 'Zombie'. I believe the show reel is a good way to allow new and familiar audiences towards the show, especially how channel 4 have incorporated this approach, due to them mentioning "the hit comedy show is back" at the end, reinforcing the point on how this comedy show has been their highest ranked comedy in 5 years.

EVENT COVERAGE

In 2018, Taylor Swift went on her Reputation Stadium world tour; in partnership with Netflix she released a movie covering the entire event. The entire trailer covers all aspects of the event, from shots of fans crying with happiness, Taylor performing on stage and trailers that are usually played during the song changes. The trailer features 4 songs off the Reputation album to allow fans to be intrigued, these are 'Look What You Made Me Do" "...Ready For It" "Gorgeous" and "Don't Blame Me". We can see the event in different aspects by the advertisement, it incorporates fast past editing, whilst including a montage of clips edited in slow motion. 

Bibliography:
IMDB, Accessed 9th April 2019, [online] IMDB.com 'Derry Girls - 2018'  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7120662/

Ricardo Avila Alvarez, 29th September 2014, [online] Pepperdine University Graphic - 'Surviving the iPhone Line' http://pepperdine-graphic.com/surviving-the-iphone-release/

Rene Ritche, 5th November 2012 [online] iMore.com - iPad 4 Review, https://www.imore.com/ipad-4-review

Xaviar Walker, 2014 (Accessed 9th April 2019), 'Cell Phones have changed Society in a negative way', University of Nebraska - Lincoln 1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA, Page 2-3.