Written Evaluation

I created a single 1 minute advert for Jelly Belly jelly beans. Prior to creating the advert, i conducted a series of research tasks in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the specific advertising techniques, forms and structures which are used in the advertisement industry. The ultimate aim of any advert is to gain the audience's attention with the hope that they will consequently buy the product.

Research Evaluation

The main method of research i conducted was through the analysis and investigation of existing ads. I looked at the brand identity, target audience, structure, persuasive techniques and existence of ASA rulings. The advert i found most useful to analyse was Sharwoods ‘Bring on the colour’. This was one of my favourite ads and because it captured my attention so much, i knew that i wanted to create my advert with a similar essence. Within my brand identity analysis of this ad, i picked out words such as ‘colour’ ‘taste’ ‘smile’ and ‘fun’. It was great to hear feedback from my peers on my advert, of which one of my survey questions was ‘how do you feel after watching the ad?’ and the most popular answers were ‘happy’ ‘uplifted’ and ‘hungry’- very similar responses to that of what i felt after watching the sharwoods ad, which was my inspiration. Although this advert didn’t have a specific storyline or narrative, i felt it was just as effective in reaching the TMA. It made me feel confident that i did not need to include a narrative in order to create a successful advert.

I aimed to include similarities to this advert in my final production- i wanted to capture the general mood of this advert. I did this by following their conventions of high-key lighting, a catchy soundtrack, lack of narrative and fast paced editing in order for my final ad to appear similar to a professional one.

I also analysed a Haribo starmix advert, of which the product is very similar to the one i have chosen. From this i learnt that using persuasive techniques such as humour is really effective, and that targeting a typically ‘childish’ product at an older audience can be done. I didn’t want to include any offensive language or harmful material in my advert, i wanted to keep it fun and silly just like that of the haribo advert. I felt confident that this style would appeal to my TMA (16-24 year olds) Because for me, as a member of that specific TMA, i felt the nature of this ad was heartwarming and likable. In my advert, i aimed to keep the structure and persuasive techniques light and jolly, just like the haribo advert. I think looking at existing ads of a similar product was really helpful in understanding how to reach the TMA and how to display the product in a original and exciting way.

I also conducted a small questionnaire regarding scheduling and form. The responses of this survey were pictured in my initial advertisement pitch. From the 29 responses i received (within my TMA) I learnt that channels such as ITV, E4, and Comedy Central were the preferred choices of my audience. I was to bare this in mind when creating my advert. By also watching such channels myself, i took special attention to the advert breaks and got a clear understanding of what kind of ad would fit within such channels.

Once again, it was refreshing when i gathered my feedback from my focus group and survey regarding my advert, that such channels were mentioned when i asked ‘what channel would you expect to see this advert on?’ The most popular choice by far on the survey was E4 (70.37%). My focus group mostly said ITV.

Also within that small research questionnaire I discovered that my target audience preferred adverts which go by the form of ‘colourful and lively’ ‘informative and relatable’ and ‘exciting and surprising’. I also definitely took this into account within the production of my ad, particularly the ‘colourful and lively’ choice, as this was one of the most popular. I learnt that adverts which took to a style of ‘dramatic and passionate’ were more appealing to the higher age brackets, so i was to veer away from this form of persuasion.

My final research prior to creating the ad was into the product itself. I investigated Jelly Bellys brand identity in depth and produced a 18 slide presentation pitch based on this research. In terms of existing ads, they were very limited within the jelly belly company, with 5 small 11 second ads which consisted of not much more than a small animation. Although this meant there was not much to base my advert on, it meant that i had freedom of creation and i could develop my ideas in an original way sprouting from what i had gathered from researching the company. Their website is bright and colourful, which a large array of visually appetising options. It included the history of the product, the flavours, ingredients, values and product extensions of the brand. I was able to gather a clear grasp of the brand identity via its website. I learnt that the brand is extremely popular in many countries and perhaps this was the reason why they did not have many adverts. However, i planned to embrace this popularity and i felt it made it more appealing to my audience in my advert if they were already familiar with the product.

Something i really took from researching the brand was ‘Jelly Belly art’. There is a section on the jelly belly website which consists of outstanding artwork, portraits, landscapes, cartoon characters and animal creations made totally out of jelly beans. I was astounded by this and it really caught my eye. I found these creations very aesthetically pleasing. I knew that i wanted to create some sort of jelly belly art in my advert, as i felt it was integral to the brand identity and product demonstration. I transferred this idea into a stock motion animation, as i did not feel i had the skill or patience to create a complete masterpiece out of jelly beans. However the jelly beans were used to create shapes and animation and i feel this was one of the strengths of my advert. (see below for jelly belly art research (left) and my adaption (right))

The research technique i found most useful was the analysis of existing ads, especially the sharwoods advert. By gaining an in depth understanding of a similar advert to that of what i hoped to produce meant that i was confident in what techniques to use in my production (camera angles, editing styles, etc.) and also what persuasive techniques are effective and relevant to the style.

I also found creating the pitch for the brand extremely helpful. I was able to gain a solid grasp of the brand identity and envisage the style of advert i was going to create.

I felt limited on the conduction of my research survey as i knew i was going to have to conduct another one at the end of my production (evaluation of ad) and was mindful of taking advantage of my peers and friends. Therefore, i only asked 3 questions to gain an understanding of my TMA’s preferred scheduling and form. It would’ve been a good idea to share information with my fellow classmates so that we could’ve all collectively found out what worked best for our TMA, as the questions were relatively unbiased towards our chosen adverts but rather based on advertisement as a whole.

It was interesting to investigate an array of adverts (I also analysed a coco mademoiselle and foxy bingo advert) because it meant that i understood the different structures and techniques used across the industry. However, i feel that by looking at adverts which were more geared towards the style i was hoping to produce was much more beneficial and if i were to conduct my research again i would’ve looked more into the advertisement of sweets and confectionary. Nevertheless, all of the research i completed prior to my production definitely enriched my knowledge and understanding of the topic, whether that be via specific investigation or as a comparison or wider grasp of the advertising industry.

Production:

Before creating the advert, our class conducted mini ‘demo’ adverts, to get an insight into what we were to expect. This was a useful exercise and i can definitely see how how my skills have improved since then. Mostly with editing and creativity aspects, i was not very creative in term of ideas for the production of my demo, we simply conducted a basic narrative. Also, the editing and camera techniques were not up to industry standard, especially in terms of lighting and camera angles. Nevertheless, it was invaluable experience and insight into the production processes of filming and editing of which i were to expect.

I aimed to include as much of my initial concepts presented in my pitch and storyboard into my advert, as i was confident of the basic structure and style i wanted to create. A lot of what i had hoped to achieve was successful, but i had to change a few things along the way, which i believe is integral to any production to fit the circumstances and challenges one is bound to face. Heres how my advert fitted my initial concept:

In order to create the animation, I faced a new technique when creating my advert. I decided to use the stop motion animation software ‘DragonFrame’ to produce the clips where the jelly beans were creating shapes via a variety of sequences. I was grateful to learn a new skill, and at first it proved difficult to understand the software but once i got the hang of it, it saved a lot of time and made the animation seem like it was made to a professional standard. I believe the animation was one of the strengths of my ad, and from gathering feedback i have received many praises on it. I would definitely consider using this software again, and i not only learnt a new skill but was able to use this skill in the production of my advert. I was happy with the outcome of the stock-motion animation, as it was almost exactly as i had pictured on my storyboard, and luckily did not face any major problems. I have learnt that dealing with ‘products’ or any form of animation is very reliable as opposed to relying on people and places. I was able to control the direction of these shots in accordance to how i had desired.

Another strength of the ad i felt was the idea of the changing lip colour. This fit my storyboard almost perfectly, and i was happy that i achieved what is set out to do. However, there was some confusion with the shooting of these scenes - primarily, i had bought some cheap facepaints which did not work on my actors lips. So we had to re-schedule for the following week, after i had purchased some better, oil-based paints. During this second filming, we over ran by a few minutes and unfortunately disrupted the start of my class. If i were to shoot this part again, i would make sure i had suitable equipment and a free room. I was very lucky that my actor was quite flexible and able to accustom to the difficulties.

I also faced difficulty in the production of the ad with the scenes with my second actor, Tom. It was rather last minute when he had a spare chance to shoot. I felt that even though it was shot in the same location as my other actor Leona, it was later in the day and the lighting was not as bright and clear. I also rushed to print off the ‘Taste the Fun’ signs, of which i feel could’ve been created to a higher professional standard. In fact, some of the client feedback i received from Bill Smith was ‘ I don't like the holding up bits of paper... it's a cliché!!’. I understand i should’ve organised these scenes more thoroughly beforehand, because i recognise that they were not as strong as other parts of my ad. It was also frustrating that i was unable to reshoot, due to lack of time. If i were to create the ad again, i would definitely improve the scenes with tom, and overcome the problem of the paper signs.

I feel as though a strength of my advert is the effects and transitions between scenes. I wanted it to be wild and funky, and i feel the transitions really reflect this desire. I faced difficulty when playing with colour correction and lighting to make every shot seem bright and colourful. I think this was especially evident in the scenes with tom, whereby the lighting was quite dull so i spent a lot of time trying to boost the colour, and it ended up looking a little saturated. But i feel as though i was strong in this aspect via the jelly belly animations- they were shot on different days and times so the lighting was varied. However i managed to make each animation seem similar in terms of lighting. This was another massive learning curve in finding my way around adobe premiere pro, i learnt a lot about colour correction and transitions. I really like the part where the sun animation of jelly beans comes onto the screen.

I felt confident that i had kept the consistency of the theme through the ad, my persuasive techniques of repetition and brand exposure were definitely brought in to the editing of the video. Although a couple of scenes from my storyboard were not included in the final production (as shown in the presentation) i was able to adapt to these in order for my advert to seem as close to my desired concept as possible.

Feedback

I was grateful to receive a large array of feedback from classmates, focus group, questionnaire and advertising professionals.

The first bit of feedback i received was from my classmates. We all showed each other our ads in class (although they were not all finished at this point). We were given evaluation sheets regarding aesthetic, technical and creative qualities, narrative and overall success. We also had to identify what persuasive techniques were used, identify brand identity, target audience and scheduling. Finally we picked out any strengths or weaknesses of each others adverts. Generally, i gained good feedback from my peers, with the ranking of specific qualities (creative, technical etc.) gaining 8-10 marks out of 10. I received some interesting feedback regarding camera technique, a peer suggesting that i used a wider range of camera angles. This was an aspect i was mindful of when i continued editing. I also received suggestions of including a voice over and logo, something which i definitely took on board throughout the rest of my editing. It was really helpful getting feedback from my classmates, especially at it was at quite an early stage of my editing, so i was easily able to improve my ad based on their responses.

I conducted a small focus group of 5 people (Aydin Herron, male, age 18, Chantelle Parkin, female, age 17, Dexter Roskilly, male, age 19, Kyle Strong, male, age 18, Elena Cooke, female, age 18).

The general feedback was extremely positive and they were fairly impressed after i showed them the advert. They all commented on the general success of the ad immediately afterwards, which was nice to hear. The first thing i asked my focus group was ‘what is your initial reaction after watching the video?’. One individual said ‘very creative’ and another explained  ‘it’s really fun and catchy’. They also commented on the soundtrack, saying ‘It’s a nice jingle’. Two people later commented ‘It makes me want to eat one’, which was good to hear because that was the ultimate aim of the advert. Other comments included ‘It seems legit’ and ‘The white background makes it seem professional’. Someone also said ‘It’s like a proper ad mate’. It was great to hear these comments, but important to understand that the focus group all know me as a friend and were probably less likely to criticise. However, in terms of improvements, i guess the comment ‘i can imagine it being great for younger kids’ was not exactly meant as a criticism, but it is important to bear in mind, regarding that my focus group is of the higher age bracket. Another area of improvement mentioned was that of the font, something which i completely agreed with. If i were to make this advert again, i would definitely change the font. However it was difficult to do so after receiving my feedback because the font was included in shots where my actor is holding the paper saying ‘taste the fun’, and it would’ve been hard to re-shoot solely because the font was a problem. I didn’t want to have a different font on the last shot too because i wanted to keep the consistency.

It was great to hear feedback from my focus group, especially as they were members of my TMA. I also showed a friend the advert when i hadn’t quite finished, and they helped me with ideas for the final few scenes, such as the jelly beans appearing on the last shot. Processes like these definitely helped me understand the importance of gaining primary research.

I published the advert to YouTube and and created a survey monkey questionnaire to gain feedback from the wider public. The survey consisted of 10 different questions, and i got 29 responses. Firstly, i asked age and gender. It was great that 82.76% of my survey responses were within the age bracket 16-24. I also had a fair range within gender, however there was noticeably more females. Although, during my pre-production i did specify that my ad would be more geared towards the female audience so i didn’t feel this was a huge problem.  

It was also great that 79.31% of the respondents answered ‘Yes’ when asked ‘After watching the advert, would you be interested in buying the product?’ I created a multiple choice answer question of which each respondent were to rate the advert under 7 headings from ‘terrible’ to ‘excellent’. This included them rating the production in terms of aesthetic qualities, narrative, camera technique and more. (see below)

The general feedback regarding aesthetic qualities was fairly positive, with over 80% of respondents rating it ‘good or ‘excellent’. Another aspect i gained positive feedback on was that of creative qualities. This was refreshing for me, because a main aim for my ad was to come across as exciting and creative. I was happy to have excelled in this feature; creativity was a very important aspect of my production.

I understood the lower ratings of feedback for narrative, as my advert did not in fact even have one! So this wasn’t a problem and perhaps my questionnaire respondents aren't really industry professionals so they were unaware of this. However, if i were to conduct this questionnaire again, i probably wouldn’t add a rating on narrative, as it didn’t relate to the style of my production.

It was interesting when i asked what time of day my audience would expect to see the advert, when the overwhelming response was ‘Daytime- between 12-4'o clock’

This was interesting because a lot of my TMA wouldn’t be typically watching TV at these hours. I think this was a popular answer because of the upbeat, happy style of the ad, and this can be related to sunshine and daytime. Perhaps my questionnaire was not so much of a reliable source as the respondents were not industry professionals, so they probably didn’t take into account their own personal TV watching habits when answering the survey.

I did gain some professional client feedback from my survey, i have a family friend who is head of advertising at EE, and he completed a thorough evaluation of my ad, especially in the ‘what would you improve?’ and ‘general successes’ aspects. He commented on the success of the visual branding, and the stop motion animation. I definitely listened to his feedback on the lack of call of action at the end of the video. This pushed me to include links to Facebook, twitter and Instagram, and to include a voiceover. Although i know him, he gave me professional and legitimate feedback as if i were an industry professional, which was brilliant. It pushed me to fit to industry standards by including his suggestions for improvements.

Another improvement i gathered from conducting my survey was regarding the length of the advert. Halfway through my editing, i had decided to change my idea into 2 30 second ads, which were more catchy and relevant to the fast paced editing technique and form of my advert. However, I felt that this would stray quite far away from my initial plan and storyboard, meaning i was underprepared to create a brand new second ad. I decided to pursue the minute long ad, but was mindful to keep the audience's attention. The way i overcame this was by adding some extra features such as the jelly beans changing colours above toms head whilst he was eating them. I liked this additional aspect and it stretched my editing technique and added some originality to the second half of my video.

Overall, i really gained some great feedback as a result of my survey. As it was mostly anonymous, it meant that i could gain real and unbiased feedback from my target audience. I was glad to receive in-depth responses regarding the overall successes and weaknesses of the ad.

Finally, i received some more client feedback from latest TV’s very own Bill Smith. His email feedback was as follows:

Cool ad!!

I love the beginning and first 25 secs are really fab... love close

ups and fast cut but I think the second half slows it down! I don't

like the holding up bits of paper... it's a cliche!!

Your start is great! Just speed up cut after 25 secs and ad should be

about 40 secs. You need a wilder ending! Think wild!!!

But you have the basic idea for a fab  ad.

All best

Bill

I generally felt positive about his response, especially the use of exclamation marks meant that he was excited and enthusiastic about my ad! I was in total agreement with his recommendations, and the improvements he suggested were aspects i was aware of myself. If i were to reshoot i would definitely make it shorter, and improve the ending and shots with tom holding the paper, a part of which i have mentioned already in this evaluation. I would include the ‘taste the fun’ text virtually, via after effects or as a title on premiere pro. I guess i took a bit of a ‘cliche’ approach to these parts of the ad, and i could’ve stretched myself to learn new ways of including titles in another fresh and ‘wild’ way.

But i feel as though i have learnt a lot over the process of creating the advert, that by learning another new skill would’ve been a bit too much! It took a lot of time and patience to get the hang of the stock motion animation software, adjusting colour correction and including interesting edits such as the mobile phones, jelly belly character and changing colour of jelly beans. I definitely put a lot of time and effort into the production of the advert, and i am confident that it payed off. I acknowledge there are some improvements that could be made, but the general feedback was extremely positive and i feel like a lot of my hard work payed off in the end, even if it was my first time trying out various techniques! I feel as though i have created a near-professional ad, and that i have grown a lot of new skills and techniques as a result of the whole production process.

Words: 4031