MUSIC MARKETING PROJECT

 IRIS 

MARKETING PROJECT

THE BEGINNING 

When we started off our project I was excited with who I was working with right off the bat. After just talking the first day it was clear that we all heard our ideas, the good and the bad, and were able to take the best parts of them. We chose my lucky number 11 to get our song and got extremely lucky with the song 'Electric Feel' by MGMT. Both Sophia and I listen to this alternative genre and were able to really connect with that track the most. 

HOW IRIS CAME TO BE

We decided to just say the first things that came to mind and started playing around with words. Isaac and I went on google to start finding ideas of where we wanted our project to be headed towards. I liked the idea of incorporating some type of mythology in the back of our explanation since our song gave such a mystical and almost spiritual feel. After looking through a list of Greek gods and goddesses, we stopped at Iris because we thought it incapsulated the image we wanted for the artist. A figure that represents color and the strange nature of dreams. Instead of reaching too far out to get a complicated name for the song title, we went to the root of the music and looked at the lyrics. We couldn't use the original name of the song but settled on 'Circuits' since the word had been used once. The way it's related to electricity allowed us to connect it back to our main idea of color and eccentric style.

LOGO AND BRANDING

Since we played around with the name Iris, it was only fitting to use the eye as a representation. Originally we had thought about using a drawing or something creative, but after skimming through some photos we all fell in love with a psychedelic eye. It instantly drew attention and had cool and warm tones that fit exactly what we wanted. Instead of creating our brand and then finding an image, we did the process backwards. I was in charge of our WIX website and used our main color scheme around that eye image. 

BANG COLLABORATION

Isaac and Sophia worked out the logistics of merch, small virtual events for our artist, and ideas for collaborations. Our Bang collaboration came spontaneously from the fact that I brought one to school that day. I was talking about how they really do give me the extra kick I need sometimes after long nights doing homework. Isaac had been eager about doing a collaboration and as a joke mentioned it, but we decided to tie it in to our branding to give it a more multi-faceted feel. Although our artists had just been starting out, we wanted something that would push him further into the spotlight and gain him recognition.

CREATIVE BRANDING 

Since I was most excited about the branding of the artist and the creative part, my team gave me full creative control of the concepts. We would all pitch ideas and I brought the visuals to life. The colors were already a handful so I thought a simple but bold font would complement the nature of the branding. While designing the website, I looked over at other artists in this genre and checked out how they market themselves. Since they have more recognition and fame it was clear that their websites reflected that and sold all their products. Since IRIS is an up and coming artist who's just making his way into the music industry, I wanted to focus the most on the music video and our new single since it's what we had to offer. After doing research on a few artists, I studied Daft Punk closely and decided to incorporate one of the marketing methods. It is clear that nowadays most artists shove their branding down people's throats, but Daft Punk just wants to sell the music. This is why I thought that promoting the music and the creative part is what would appeal more to an audience. Few pictures of the artist are included in the website, so the fans know who to recognize and who to admire are concerts, yet the music was put above all else. 

MUSIC VIDEO BRAINSTORMING

Hands down, this was my favorite part of the project. We thought our song represented a coming of age and also finding your own identity. A common way for one to know who they really are is after a break up or tough loss, yet we didn't want the sad part of it. We did a break up spinoff by focusing more on the positive changes and the euphoric feel that comes with being set free. Initially, the video as supposed to star Sophia as the main character with her boyfriend, showing the entirety of the breakup. After really studying the way we wanted to present our brand, we went with a storytelling video that only included her, and a few promotional clips of Isaac as our artist. We were all excited and anxious to shoot but the ideas all came together almost too easily. It was great to work in a group where we could build off of a base instead of clashing with too many elaborate things at once. So we kept it simple.

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION

Okay now this is my favorite part. My passion for photography and beautiful shots really came through for me in this project. Before this music video, I had never really filmed anything with my camera, since I had always focused on just taking pictures. Sophia and I got to film at her house and at a few places around Weston. I was so grateful with both Isaac and Sophia for trusting me with my own artistic part of the project and letting it all come to life. We were able to film quickly and beautifully and I was so proud of the outcome. The editing came easy and the final product was definitely worth it in the end. I got to play around with angles, zoom and a gorgeous sunset that came through right at the perfect time. Sophia did phenomenal and took my direction so well that it was clear in the video. Most of our shots were me telling her to improvise some movements and I would track her. She did incredible and was exactly what we wanted Circuits to look like. Isaac filmed separate from us but we were strategic with each detail. We carefully planned a more indie look for him with the baggy jeans and muted colors. He came up with the idea of using a tie as a scarf and it gave us that color pop we needed in the video, and also a humorous aspect of the production.

ARTIST PITCH IN CLASS

I thought our presentation went really smoothly in class. We relied heavily on knowing our information and all being on the same page. We decided to play with who was more comfortable with certain things. Isaac, as we know, is a humorous guy who can bring a smile to the audience and make them feel comfortable. I enjoy public speaking and was confident about the information so I balanced it out with a little more seriousness. Sophia had told us she wasn't comfortable with public speaking but knew her slides and case study well and she came off as relaxed and bright. All 3 of us together sold our artist as best as we could. When it came to answering questions, we would glance at each other to know who would take the lead. The key to answering was being cool and confident to be able to seem knowledgeable and have a good explanation ready. 

For the aesthetic look of it, I went ahead and made some changes. Isaac and Sophia both put all the information we needed ready on the slides. After we were done, I made our presentation match our website with the orange, teal and lavender tones that kept our look cohesive. Bold letters were presented and little words were on the screen. This helped for the audience to keep the attention away from the wordy presentation and to listen to us to get the explanation of it. 

REFLECTION

I feel like I learned so much about myself and my group members in this. I was able to take a step back and incorporate other people's ideas. Sometimes it's hard to listen since we think we know it best and have such a clear vision, but it was all 3 of our ideas that made the project as great as it actually was. For me, I discovered a passion and something to pursue. I've already known for a while that marketing and advertising are my paths for college and hopefully as a job later on. Even though it is a more minor project in comparison to the portfolio, its a step towards completing it. It showed how I have to eb responsible with deadlines, I need to have a cohesive look and feel to a presentation and that I have to be proud of my work. I learned a lot while filming the music video about feeling a connection with the art and knowing what the best shots are. I'm excited to see how this new creativity plays out in the next few months and to see how I surprise myself by creating something that I could not have come up with months ago. I'm grateful to have an actual video and website to show to my parents and my friends who heard how much I wanted to work on this. Please Vanessa from the future, make something good of this talent.