Research : Branding and the Music Industry

Many bands and artists when releasing an album create a brand or an institution. For example of late mainstream band My Chemical Romance have created a story line behind their videos, each song released having a promo video with a story for each one. Seen as i am studying a niche audience to help me with my product I will be looking at Don Broco. In this run of music videos Don Broco create an image for themselves including a plan, an attractive girl and a geek in each of the videos.

A promotional video story line ;

Don Broco - Dreamboy

In this video, the protagonist Bobby D, lead singer pursues an attractive girl who is seen to be with a 'geeky' looking guy. Along the way his mates, the other band members of Don Broco each have a part in helping him get the girl. The video ends with him winning the girl and the geek looking sorry for himself and Bobby and the girl escape in a plane.

Don Broco - Beautiful Morning

In the follow up video for Don Broco's second single of their mini album they carry on the story line of the geek wanting to get his girl back. In this video he continuously tries everything in his power to get her back but Bobby D and the rest of the band prevent it from happening and at the end he still has the girl and exits again in his plane.

Don Broco - Top Of The World



In the most recent video of the story line, the geek returns again and tries to win the girl back, but this time he comes back as a James Bond style character with a new hair cut, no glasses and a new jacket. He challenges Bobby D to an arrow competition in order to impress his old girlfriend. He loses to the protagonist and decides to steal the girl, he also steals Bobby's plane and looks to get away. Bobby D then proceeds to try and win her back and shoots down the plane with his arrow skills and an explosion occurs. The geek looks to be gone and dead while Bobby saves his girl, and even moves the geek his enemy away from the next explosion. The geek is left there lifeless and you would expect him to be dead, but his hand moves and it sets up another video involving the story line which we are still expecting.

Branding

This then creates a brand image which will then be included on artwork, promotional banners and merchandise for a band in this case...

This is the artwork for the single Dreamboy, this indicates the branding created based on the plane in each of the videos.

This is some recent merchandise from Don Broco, featuring the ever so popular geek included in every one of their videos.

A little bit more on this is needed and another case study would be good too (another artist.)

Sum up their brand image in 3 words - analyse how we see it in their media products - look at the media language - mise en scene, cinematography. lighting etc...

Use arrows ( on word or a powerpoint) to annotate/label your images linking to the brand image of the artist.