Texts looked at so far

Gothic: The Evolution of a Dark Subculture- multiple authors

Monstrosity: The Human Monster in Visual Culture- Alexa Wright
Shock in Advertising- Dave Saunders
Mythologies- Barthes
Cultural Theory and Popular Culture fifth edition- John Storey
Language of vision- Gyorgy Kepes
Cant Buy My Love- Jean Kilbourne

http://www.theadvertisingclub.net/index.php/features/editorial/3290-the-effects-of-shock-The effects of Shock Advertising- Kiran Manral (blogger/journalist/author/advertising copywriter) 2011
'...there is another form of advertising, used less often but used amazingly well in certain campaigns where immediate attention and discussion is needed, namely shock advertising.'
'Some shock advertising might not use gory visuals but might use language or metaphors that are not acceptable culturally and which might shock. For instance the fashion brand French Connection got its moment of fame when it abbreviated French Connection, UK and got a word, FCUK, which it used.' -FASHION ADS-
' According to scientists, shocking ads bring out stronger feelings among consumers, with the ad getting more attention, remaining in the memory and influencing behaviour as well. Incidentally and not surprisingly, advertising that is shocking tends to be recalled better than regular advertising.'
'The positive impact of shock advertising, when it deals with social and cultural taboos is that it can sensitise people to other cultures and ways of life.

A negative fallout of shock advertising is that continuous exposure to them desensitizes us to them, and they become blind spots. To remain relevant, shock advertising should constant innovate, be topical and be something that touches a core belief or value in a way that shakes up the viewer.' ADD BEFORE END

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/900778/close-up-does-shock-advertising-work'The images are designed to shock viewers, but such has been the frequency of shocking ads in recent years, it is being questioned whether their impact is as effective as it once was. -BEFORE ENDING-
'As viewers become more familiar with shock tactics, agencies have to continuously look for new approaches to behavioural change issues. But, especially for charities, a well-handled ad that shocks viewers, and not purely for the sake of it, can be an effective way of raising important subjects.'
Read more at http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/900778/close-up-does-shock-advertising-work#1AYOxPdesE2HY5kx.99

http://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/4193/4103Extremely useful study which leads me to extracts by other writers specifically on shock advertising.

'the effectiveness of this method is questionable. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of shock advertising on Generation Y consumers in today’s society. Three variables were analyzed, namely, level of shock, norm violation and memory recall, with five different types of shock (impropriety, moral offensiveness, sexual references, disgusting images and religious taboos).' '300 university students were asked to complete questionnaires. The overall findings indicated that shock advertising has become obsolete and that marketers need to implement alternative ways of ‘breaking through the clutter’. '

'Although shock advertising is effective and possibly leads to increased brand awareness and an increase in sales volume (Waller, 2004), shock advertising might alienate consumers and create disgust towards the brand which could lead to brand boycotts (Klara, 2012; Hodge, 2007). Klara (2012) is of the opinion that shock advertising has been “done to death”, already by the late 1980s. In agreement with this statement, Lightfoot, Lilley & Kavanagh (2006) state that although shock advertising is ubiquitous, whether in movies, on television or advertisements, it is losing its shock value and thus is no longer as controversial as it used to be'


https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/feb/26/advertising GUCCI AD

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29894885 DRINK DRIVING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhuHeI4H00U NEW SMOKING AD

Study Task 05: Studio Brief 2 - Research

Task 1:

Relevant contextual research (genre if particular one is used, could be grouped in to popular at some point)

-Subcultures of the genre
-branding of the genre
-how the genre is advertised and portrayed in western society
-history of the genres album artwork aesthetics

Task 2:

Target audience research

-Western world region
-Western, young adults/music lovers, politically left wing, more non-religious,believe in the musicians artistry

Therefore, if I were to speak about Kanye's banned Dark Twisted Fantasy Cover and the hip hop genre,
as a success to 3 personas

1. Teenage black American male lover of hip hop culture
2. Young adult female long a fan of Kanye's career and an particular interest in fine art
3. Older man in the music industry a long time involvement in the hip hop music industry very aware of how
artists create their brand identity through mediums such as album artworks to push success

The tactic of shock gains more publicity for the musicians which is why they create such
unsettling images, the first thing seen when you look at their album. Mainly reflecting the
attitude of the musician/s, their identity/style and the themes of their lyrics.

Hip hop cover designs that benefitted their brands success

Task 3:www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/the-10-most-controversial-hip-hop-album-covers-of-all-time/

Kanye enlisted the artist to make this so the audience would feel visceral toward it, and while it got banned itwas still one of his best sold albums of all time, and was released after the uproar of his super-ego. Super-ego is agreed on, but dedicated fans of his music appreciate the next step he takes of artistry beyond the audio alone.

-Rhetoric, personification: Painting of an angel and painting of a devilish looking Kanye

Referencing slavery through the imagery makes his african american fanbase stronger inclined to his brand and
legacy, and what he stands for although the artwork is very unsettling the visual strengthens a unity of many of
his large African American fanbase.
-Rhetoric, Metonymy: Lashes symbolic for the suffering of African American slaves

Straight to the point self exploitation for attention to her album, is in line with her lyrical themes and brand identity and aesthetics shown within her music videos and images put out. Went viral as imagery of females implying sex always succesfully do due to the male gaze but also in the era of female empowerment which Nicki preaches, which concedes with this as a rather in your face statement of proud sexual nature.

,Things Fall Apart, the fourth studio album by The Roots, was a sign of the times when it was released in 1999. The artwork for Things Fall Apart reflected the world’s greatest turmoils—famine, violence, discrimination, and fear—through images that came to represent these negative aspects of society from years past.'Had The Roots gone with the original concept for the cover (an illustration ofThe Roots and Sean “Diddy” Combs jettisoned at the bottom of the ocean), the message and public response would have been undoubtedly much different. Needless to say, the shock value of Things Fall Apart grew The Roots’ reputation for raising public awareness in both their music and on their album covers.'"This became the main artwork for a few reasons. The cover felt like the urban community could really relate to it. Seeing real fear in the woman's face is very affecting. It feels unflinching and aggressive in its commentary on society. I remember going to Tower Records and seeing it huge; it was just so impactful. I'm not sure that it would work today. I give MCA respect for pushing it out at the time."

http://uk.complex.com/style/2014/02/the-roots-things-fall-apart-album-covers/

-rhetoric: has the theme of irony as the image is used to ring true still to the late 90's

-Parody and Pastiche, detournement: using the 60's image to make the graphic design become politically confrontational for the time stating that things are still the same 

Beginning online sources to extract from

...along with ongoing music research into music vids/covers/performances/interviews

http://www.guitarworld.com/top-20-most-shocking-banned-album-covers-nsfw
Banned album artworks mentioned are all pre 21st century

http://loudwire.com/most-controversial-hard-rock-metal-album-covers/
only modern was Tenacious D cover which was pixelated by itunes, and Slayers 2006 'Christ illusion', Limp Bizkit gold cobra banned by BestBuy
metal genres more expected to be offensive or have dark themes

'Kanye commissioned five covers for his epic, overblown opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but this one - a portrait by George Condo which depicted Kanye being straddled by a armless winged female was, unsurprisingly, banned by American stores. Kanye later said that he wanted a cover that would be banned; if anyone knows how to create controversy and receive the attendant column inches, it's Mr West.' source http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/30-banned-album-covers#gallery-2

http://www.nme.com/photos/40-outrageous-banned-album-sleeves-1423495
nipples still censored seen by beady eyes banned artwork release in 2013

http://www.thelovemagazine.co.uk/posts/7277/sex-drugs-and-controversy-the-best-banned-fashion-ads-nsfw banned fashion ads

Study task 3: Defining my brief

1. Research question: How do certain musicians provoke consumer reaction by shock value branding?
What do certain musicians achieve by provoking consumer reaction by shock value self branding/aesthetics?
Why have the shock value tactics that musicians brand identity provoked less consumer reaction in the 21st
century?
Is shock value in branding identities in the music industry a dying tactic/art/theme?
New: Shock Advertising: Does it still work?

1a. Is it viable?: Can be studied through books, articles, interviews, videos, long standing
controversy in music history or self branding and researching what provokes fear visually
and why this is used in the music industry
New: Can be studied through books,critical writing, essays and articles on the internet.

2. Defining the design problem: A design for a musician wanting to gain attention and make the content of
their music/lyrics/aesthetics provoke social change and discussion
New: Consumers are becoming numbed to standard shock advertisement methods and choosing
to ignore advertising when they can. How are marketers dealing with this and is shock advertising now obsolete?

3. "Client" needs or requirements: Specific requirements are a design aesthetic that provokes shock value
and much discussion and to be memorable, such as an artist with lyrics about relevant social issues that needs
to gain a following to be heard and define themselves between certain social groups
New: Health organisations wanting to have successfully more significant impact on raising awareness on an issue
such as cancer due to smoking.

4. Audience: Shock value can either be bad or good, profanity can be used to highlight social issues in
reinactments which reitterate how wrong something is in society, or to give a style to a subculture in celebration
of shared emotions/aesthetics/where they are from/age etc

5. Mandatory requirements: designs/body of work must be designed to be controversial or have shock value
 to a certain target audience to provoke discussion or thought and I want to explore the variety of shock tactics used
in advertising, intentional or not, to explore how these affected the consumer and how to adapt shock advertising
to the modern day.

Books on horror/gothic subcultures, shock advertising and various sources of bans on musicians performing due
to their aesthetics or banning of their album artwork/protests which there are various sources on including articles
and videos/interviews. Focus will be on the branding/aesthetics with shock value and what affect this has.

Opportunity to explore a wide range of music genres and artists and their brands impact on their career and in
society having provoked new movements/subcultures/etc/thrill

how the times have changed, things used to be shocking but arent anymore
religion being the 'final taboo', and themes supporting inequality racism or violence, cultural appropriation
miley cyrus twerking VMA's shock being the end of stage shock?
try and find any modern examples
Die Antwoord modern 'freakshow'
Children in horror films

Notes of where I could take my research question within the branding/aesthetics of the music industry

Study task 2: Parody and Pastiche START