Branding analyses

Team StarKid

Team StarKid's main demographic is younger adults, likely aged between 18 - 30, as suggested by the adult content in the majority of their productions (e.g. swearing, death). The colour scheme is also bright and eye-catching, consisting primarily of purple and yellow. Purple often carries connotations of royalty and luxury, but I believe the lesser known association with creativity better fits the unique content StarKid creates. Yellow's connotations of optimism and joy, which works well with the comedic and light-hearted nature of the majority of their shows. Also, brighter colours often appeal to a younger audience as they're usually too harsh and 'obnoxious' for older eyes. However, there is also a nostalgic factor involved in StarKid's branding that may appeal to an older secondary demographic. The logo uses the well-known font from the popular franchise 'Star Wars' which is loved by people of all ages from all over the world. It means feelings of connection and adoration will be unlocked when audiences see the logo, automatically creating a positive bond between them and the company. This increases the likelihood that the audiences will interact with them, finding out more about them and engaging with their content. Furthermore, many of the musicals StarKid has created are parodies of pre-existing media such as Batman and Harry Potter, which further emphasises their reliance on nostalgia as a marketing technique and to appeal to a larger audience. StarKid's content also appeals to people of all genders, races and sexualities, which is expressed through their thoroughly diverse cast and team members, as well as the characters featured in their productions. This is evidenced in the photos and videos on their website and social media platforms, shown on a large number of their pages, so those who haven't seen their shows are still able to recognise the team's diversity. StarKid's large online presence also means that their content is able to reach people from all over the world, increasing their demographic. However, it is more accessible for those who are English speaking, as all of their content is in English. A wide range of subtitles are available on their videos though. In terms of psychographic profiles, mainstreamers would likely engage with StarKid and their content. It isn't an extremely well-known company, so a lot of their publicity relies on people talking about it and recommending it to others. StarKid's shows are also available online for free, so fits with the typically cheaper taste mainstreamers have. 

Royal Shakespeare Company

The Royal Shakespeare Company's projects appeal to a variety of ages due to the timeless nature of Shakespeare's work and the fact that everybody learns about his works in their life. However, the plays are usually better understood by older audiences because of the complexity of the language and the mature themes often featured. Although, the RSC do have a specific focus on young people, especially those in education, because they want to make sure each new generation learns about Shakespeare. Their primary demographic is likely British people as they're most familiar with Shakespeare's work and the RSC is UK based. 

Their primary colour scheme consists of red and white, which are the colours of the English flag, emphasising the company's British roots and their use of British source material. The colour red fits perfectly with Shakespeare's plays, with its connotations of tragedy and love often being present in his works. White contrasts nicely with the rich red background so the text stands out and easily catches the viewer's attention, which is also achieved through the boldness of the font. A sans-serif font is used to portray the RSC's reputation as a professional and successful company, whilst also demonstrating the modern take they have on such traditional works. They've chosen to emphasise the abbreviated version of their name as they're easily recognised by this name, and it means the viewer has less text to process when they first look at the logo. Overall, it's highly simplistic but they're so well known that they can easily be recognised by their name alone with no need for images and an overcomplicated design. In terms of their website, everything is very plain and minimalistic with primarily white webpages. This allows the important information, conveyed through text and images, to stand out. There are highlights of grey and yellow which both contrast against the white. Yellow evokes joyous reactions out of viewers and compliments the dark greys used. 

The psychographic profile that best fits the RSC's demographic would likely be explorers because their audience is seeking new experiences and the RSC always aim to present Shakespeare's works in exciting, different ways. Also, explorers are typically young people, who the RSC want to appeal to. They see the productions so they can learn and discover new things, allowing the RSC to fulfil their aim of inspiring and 'transforming' lives. 

The Marina Theatre

The Marina Theatre's main demographic is families as they house shows for all ages, allowing them to encourage a range of generations to engage with theatre consistently. This ties in with the community aspect of the theatre's work as they aim to interact primarily with the local people. There are likely lots of families within the Lowestoft area so it's highly likely that they're engaging with most of the community by appealing to families. 

Their primary colour scheme consists of navy and white. Navy's typical connotations are of power and authority, which could be relevant to the theatre in that they want to give more power to theatre and use the colour's authoritative nature to really convince people to be more involved. The white is eye-catching and illuminative, standing out clearly against the dark background to highlight the name. Most of the font used it bold, but the 'M' at the start of the name is noticeably different. This could be to attract the viewer's eye straight to it, so they'll then be encouraged to read the entire name as people always read from left to right. A shooting star is also incorporated into the name to dot the 'i'. This has many possible meanings, such as being a symbol of hope for theatre, joining the fight to the art form alive. It could also suggest the Marina is always aiming for the stars to give their audience's star-quality productions and experiences. However, it could also mean that they want to make people's wishes come true whether it be bringing a well known show to a local stage, giving life to new theatre productions or bringing the local community together for creative projects. 

When it comes to psychographic profiles, the theatre likely appeals to mainstreamers as their events and productions aren't too pricey and they're a family brand. They also try to keep up to date with new shows, encouraging even the West End to stage their productions there.

PESTEL analyses

Definition 

A PESTEL analysis is a strategic framework used by business owners to analyse and monitor the macro-environmental (set of conditions that exist in the economy as a whole) factors that will have an impact on their business.  

The acronym stands for: 

• Political- how and to what degree a government and their policies intervene in the economy 
• Economic- factors that impact how the business is run and how profitable it is 
• Social- understanding customers (e.g. beliefs and attitudes) and what drives them 
• Technological- how technological advances will affect a business, especially in marketing and management 
• Environmental- refers to how environmental factors (e.g. climate change) will affect businesses 
• Legal- concerns what a business is and isn’t allowed to do 

 

SWOT analyses

A SWOT analysis is used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business, as well as the opportunities available and the threats it may face. This can then be used to devise a successful strategy for the future of the business, helping to improve upon its weaknesses and overcome the threats.  

• Strengths are what a business does well and how it distinguishes itself from its competitors. Something is only a strength if it gives the business a clear advantage over others (e.g. quality of products, location) 
• Weaknesses focus on the areas in which a business could improve, looking at features such as people, resources, systems and procedures (e.g. lack of resources, poor financial management) 
• Opportunities are the chances of something positive happening for a business, and usually arise from situations outside of it (e.g. changes in social patterns, area growth) 
• Threats are anything negative that could affect a business from the outside. Business owners need to be able to anticipate and take action against them, so they don’t have such a significant effect (e.g. supply-chain problems, shortage of recruits) 

My personal SWOT analysis

Vision and mission statements

National Theatre

Vision statement: To make world-class theatre, for everyone.  

Mission statement: We create and share unforgettable stories with audiences across the UK and around the world - whether on our stages on London's South Bank, on tour, in schools, on cinema screens, or streaming at home. We aim to be as inclusive, diverse and sustainable as possible. 

National Theatre's vision statement is fairly simplistic but clearly communicates what they aim to do. It emphasises how they want the productions they show to be the best quality possible, whilst also making it appealing to all people. This suggests that they value diversity and accessibility as this would make sure 'everyone', regardless of race, gender, ability, etc., can enjoy the productions shown there. This is further emphasised in their mission statement, stating explicitly that they 'aim to be as inclusive, diverse and sustainable as possible', which also shows that they're conscious of the environmental impact of their shows. They are making sure they can attract a larger audience globally, and thus increase sales and engagement with the public. 

Royal Shakespeare Company

Vision statement: 

• For Shakespeare’s plays to be enjoyed by a truly diverse audience, representative of the population of the UK and beyond.
• To foster a culture which is confident that Shakespeare is relevant and resonant and a society which recognises that we are all richer if everyone has access to great theatre.

Mission statement: 

• To inspire and captivate audiences and transform lives through amazing experiences of Shakespeare's plays and of great theatre.
• Relevant, resonant and accessible, made in Stratford-upon-Avon, shared across the UK and around the world.

RSC's vision statement establishes that diversity is something they keep at the core of every one of their performances, modernising the cast and characters so the audiences of today are still able to see themselves in shows that have existed for so many years. This then allows them to fulfill the second part of their vision statement, keeping Shakespeare 'relevant'. Updating his plays to fit the modern world means people can still relate to them and will be more likely to pay attention to what they have to say. The same sentiment is carried over into their mission statement, though it explains how they also hope to inspire their audiences as well 'through amazing experiences'. This applies a lot of pressure onto the RSC as they are relying on themselves to make their productions as high-quality as possible so Shakespeare's works can still be enjoyed. Keeping them updated and accessible for all makes this possible as the population now is very different to that of Shakespeare's time. 

The Marina Theatre

Vision statement: To create and deliver an inclusive and entertaining cultural offer for the people of Lowestoft and the immediate region, and to play an active role in the lives of everyone in our town, enabling all to realise their potential and feel part of our thriving community.

Mission statement:

• Provide a cost effective and varied programme of entertainment and cultural activities for the people of Lowestoft and beyond
• Ensure a varied and high-quality live stage programme that reflects the Theatre's capabilities and the demands of the audience
• Ensure the future sustainability of the Marina Theatre as a live performance venue for the region
• Maximise the potential of the Marina Theatre to present further touring productions and work in partnership with other venues and producers
• Develop, promote, maintain and advance community engagement in the arts and culture and raise the theatres profile in delivering such outcomes
• Realise the Marina Theatre's auditorium capabilities as the East of East Anglia's hub for commercial mainstream populist programming 

The Marina's vision and mission statement suggest that their local community is highly important to them, mentioning 'the people of Lowestoft' specifically. Many of their events are for the community and they want to use their resources to connect the locals with the theatre. They want to involve as many people as possible in their events and activities so they can expand their audiences, and receive more publicity through word-of-mouth techniques. 

Ghost Hunters- Induction task

Case Studies

   

The difference between a business plan and a business model

A business plan is a document setting out a business's future objectives and strategies for achieving them. It is written in immense detail and usually includes an executive summary, products and services, marketing strategy and analysis, financial planning, and a budget. They typically fall into two categories: traditional or learn startup. Traditional business plans are the most common with more detail. They tend to be longer and require more work to be put in. Learn startup plans use an abbreviated structure so the key elements are highlighted. 

A business model, on the other hand, is a plan for the successful operation of a business, identifying sources of revenue, the intended customer base, products, and details of financing. They are the foundation of a company, whilst the business plan is the structure.

Examples of business models:

• The business model of production: relates to company sales of the products/services produced
• Advertising: focuses on creating content that people want and displaying it to them
• Multilevel marketing: based on commission/distribution, as it involves businesses recommending others' products and taking a cut from every sale they generate
• Razor and blades: focuses on products that need to be replaced often
• Affiliate: relates to the advertising model but is mainly used online, using links that are embedded in content forms that act as advertising visuals
• Franchise: involves companies selling the rights to their business models in exchange for some percentage of the revenues 

Evaluation of self portrait

For my self portrait I decided to create a video about myself because it was the option that best allowed me to showcase as many of my skills as possible such as filming, editing and acting. I also decided to incorporate an original song into it so I could use my singing and songwriting skills, which I'm still developing. In general I am rather pleased with how my video turned out, especially considering the fairly short timeframe we had and the large amount I wanted to incorporate into my self portrait. I spent the majority of the time I had trying to write my song. I started off trying to write it completely by myself, creating my own track with the keyboard. However, I had never written music before and ended up only creating short tunes. Instead I decided to find a copyright free backing track online and used that. I then wrote the lyrics and recorded myself singing the song. I'm not entirely happy with the audio I ended up using because my voice doesn't sound as good as I know it could, due to my lack of practice and any warm ups before recording. They certainly aren't the worst I've ever heard but I know that if I'd had more time to rehearse the song and work on how I wanted each part to sound, then I would be able to produce a better vocal performance. Reflecting on it now, I also think it would've been a smarter choice to write a parody of a song I like, instead of trying to write an original. I then wouldn't have had to spend so much time trying to find a backing track and trying to think of tune for the lyrics. This also would've then shown what my musical taste is like and I could've picked a song that better suits my singing style (e.g. a musical theatre song). I then spent the rest of the time trying to film as much as I could. I also had to incorporate some videos I already had, such as recordings of my old circus performances, because I wasn't able to film this before the deadline. Therefore, some of the shots in it aren't of the best quality but suitably reflect my skill sets and the progress I've made compared to then and now. Also, I wish I'd had more time to develop my editing skills and learn more effects and techniques as this would further improve the quality of my video. With more time I could've used tutorials to add to my editing experience and my video wouldn't be so simply edited, using the same cuts, zooms and transitions throughout. 

My self portrait

Planning my self portrait

Headshots

All headshots:

Final edited headshot: