2. Band Profile
Name: Last California
Age: All in their early 20’s (20-24)
Album: Keep Afloat
Previous releases: This will be a new band that have released an EP
called ‘Money In Bed’ and from that have had a single released from it
which was called ‘I Might Be Wrong’.
Genre: Indie, rock
Style: Alternative indie rock that have a really laid back and casual style
about them
Contemporaries: The Neighbourhood, The 1975 and Imagine Dragons
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3. Objectives
What are the objectives for this project?
For this project, I want to be promoting the band Last California and to try and promote their new album to a young audience.
I also want to be marketing the band successfully and to also make sure it appeals to the audience I’m aiming it at by using
effective ways of advertising the new album. This will then drive sales for the new album and bring a fresh new taste to the
market.
Who do you want to target?
I want to target a really young audience that are teenagers going on young adults (18-25) and that are interested in this sort
of music. As it’s not a very popular style of music, it won’t be targeted at a wide range of people and it will only have a limited
audience and it will be aimed at both males and females.
How many records do you want to sell?
With it not being aimed at a huge amount of people and only having a limited audience, I would want to be selling around
3000 records. This would be enough to get them more popular and well-known and with them only being a new artist on the
market and not too well-known to people.
What would make this a successful exercise?
With them being a small band and starting off with a new taste, they need to be able to sell about 3000 records and this is
their target and if they sell more than 3000 than it will help them in this market a lot more. Also one of the targets would be to
go from performing at small venues to big gigs and this will be done by using a lot of advertising and by making them have a
place on the market for good.
Keep your targets smart.
• Specific: Is there a clear aim
• Measureable: How will you measure the effect?
• Achievable: Is it something that you can do?
• Realistic: Is this something that would actually happen?
• Time-related: Are there timescales for your project? 3
4. Audience
Who is the audience for this band?
The audience for this band will be both males and females as they contain both genders within the band anyway so it
appeals to different genders. They will be at a younger age and they will be mainly college and university students who listen
to this band. The age range will be from 18-25 years old as an older audience won’t listen to this genre of music so it fits in
with a much more younger audience. The audience will be unique and will have a very similar style to the band itself and
they listen to similar artists in this genre.
What age are they?
The age range will be from 18 and will go up to about 25 and when they are past the age 25, I think they will listen to a
different genre and the audience will be younger students that are at college or university.
What do they look like?
They will be both males and females who listen to the band and they will be young, college and university students. They will
have a unique sense of style and will shop at Urban Outfitters and Ark. They will look quite indie themselves and wearing
clothes that are classed as indie as this is influenced by the music they listen to.
Who else do they like?
They like other indie rock bands such as Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy, The 1975, The Neighbourhood and Arctic Monkeys.
They are all in the same genre and they all target the same audience and age range so they all fit well together. They may
also like indie rock or indie pop solo artists such as Hozier, Lana Del Rey and MO.
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5. Media
What media will you use and why? Be specific about the platforms you will use.
There will be certain types of media that will be really effective to use and that will catch the audiences attention. This means
not putting the advert anywhere that the audience won’t really look at because this then wouldn’t be effective advertising in
the media. The most effective media will be putting them into magazines and on radio stations because this is what younger
people tend to look at more and listen to more rather than TV shows and types of media like that. It need to be effective and
stand out to the audience so they look at it and notice their music and start to really like it. I also think that having their own
YouTube account with their music on and also appearing in interviews on the internet is a good way of using the media as a
lot of people in this generation use the internet everyday and will notice them a lot easier through the internet. Millions of
people are on the internet so it’s a great way for advertising of the band. You can sometimes get the 30 second adverts on
YouTube before you watch a video so even having them on there would give them some recognition.
What magazines might they get in to?
They will feature in mainly music magazines that fit in with this genre rather than fashion magazines because their audience
won’t really look and be interested in magazines like fashion. They will be magazines such as Rolling Stones, Q and NME as
these are the main music magazines that are aimed at a younger audience.
What TV channels would they be on?
I don’t think that they will appear on daytime channels as students are studying and are at college at this time so it wouldn’t
be an effective way of using media to attract the audience. But if they do watch TV channels it will mainly be the music
channels so having them be advertised here would be really effective as they will notice them then.
Which radio stations would play their music?
They will feature on the Radio 1 radio station as they play a variety of music that also includes a lot of indie rock. This radio
station aims their music at a younger audience and a lot of people will listen to this station while they are studying so this will
be effective as they will hear their music and people will then acknowledge them.
Who would they give interviews to?
They would go on TV shows to be interviewed by different celebrities such as Alan Carr as he gets a lot of people on who
young people look up to and know about so it would be ideal for them to be interviewed by him so that they would know
about them. They could also conduct interviews online and put them on YouTube as a lot of young people go on YouTube
and watch videos so it would be an ideal way of getting them recognised with a lot of people on YouTube.
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6. Media
Which forms of social media would you use and how would you use social media?
There are different forms of social media that is used by millions of people everyday and it’s something that is used by the
younger generation. There is Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram which are the main forms of social
media that people use today. Twitter can be a really useful form of social media as you can use hashtags and then if
somebody searches that hashtag, they will get all the tweets that have used that hashtag up which can be really effective
and if they get the hashtag trending, people will see if worldwide and it becomes a really big thing and other fans can join in
with chats. I would use social media to promote events that the artist is taking part in and to promote new music or
merchandise that they are selling. I would also use it so that the fans could interact with the band and so they get to know
what is going on within the band and keep updated. It would be a useful way to promote the new album they are releasing
and the band themselves as they aren’t very well known with them being new in the music industry. I would set up
competitions on Instagram so that when people like the image they are in with the chance of winning merchandise which
means they also would be promoting the band by wearing the merchandise and by spreading the word of the competition.
Getting them to trend on Twitter will also raise awareness of the band and from there they can gain more followers when
people acknowledge who they are and when they have listened to their music. Uploading new videos regularly of the music
on YouTube will also get people interested and releasing them quite often will keep them entertained and not as bored for
waiting for new videos. Uploading interviews on YouTube too will let the fans see inside footage of the band and how they
are together and get fans to see exclusive sides to them will also promote them quite a bit as they will get to interact with
them in a different way. Getting vloggers and bloggers to promote the band as well would work really well when they post a
video on YouTube. This will then help promote the band as millions of people watch their videos which will give the band
some recognition from it. I could also put up on Twitter competitions to gain more followers and promote the band by giving
people merchandise. I could also get other celebrities to mention something about the band as they have millions of
followers and this will then get them to have a listen and promote the band.
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7. Merchandise
What merchandise would you use to promote this band?
With this being an indie rock band, as well as selling CD’s for the album and putting the album up on iTunes, I would also sell
records with the album on as it would sound really good on a record for their style of music and would work really well. With
them coming back, they would also be a good selling point for people who are using them so it won’t be for everyone but it’s
also something which would sell easily for some people. I would also sell T-shirts with the band on and with the album name
or even quotes from the album on so that there is a range of different shirts that will cater for everybody and I would also do
different style of shirts for the target audience (e.g. for women and men and different style cuts). This would then give the
target audience plenty of options for choice of shirt and there will also be a range of different colours. I would also sell
hoodies as they are quite popular for a younger audience and it would have the same options as the t-shirts so it would cater
for every gender and have multiple designs to chose from so there is a large range and gives the audience a variety instead
of having one which won’t suit everybody. As well as selling hoodies there will also be the option to sell jumpers too as some
people would not always wear a hoodie inside with it being quite thick with the hood, having the option to have a jumper is
sometimes what people want and again this target audience would wear jumpers a lot. With a lot of people wearing their t-
shirts, it would promote the band so much as people would see them everywhere they went and it would then get people
maybe looking into the band more and seeing what kind of band they are and maybe gain more people to listen to them. I
would also sell beanie hats and wrist bands with the band on. This is a good way of promoting the band as a lot of young
people wear beanie hats now and they also wear wrist bands so this is also something that would sell pretty well and
promote the band. I would also use posters to promote the band because quite a lot of people buy posters for their room and
if someone ever comes round and they see the poster, it may lead them to listen to their music more.
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8. Manage the message
What is the message you want to communicate about this band?
The message I want to communicate about this band is that it’s a new band trying out in a tough market but is wanting
succeed and give the audience music they will enjoy. With a lot of new bands now starting out, this is an opportunity for this
band to promote themselves and get themselves in this market by showing their audience what amazing music they can
produce. They are a fresh, new sound and they are willing to throw themselves into anything and will do anything to be out
there and succeed. They will appear in interviews and in magazine articles and on chat shows and the radio and these are
all ways they can promote their music and ways to make them be recognised. They all have potential to make themselves
noticed and be loved by the audience and this is their chance to show they can do this and get themselves heard. With such
unique voices this band is going to be high in the market.
What is the main selling point of the band and the album?
This is a fresh, new band with a unique sound to their new album. It involves a variety of different instruments that will come
across as relaxing and pleasing for the audience. It won’t be a hectic and loud sound it’s very laid back and has a sense of
calm throughout the album. The lyrics are powerful and will have a powerful meaning for the audience and it may help them
relate to memories of their past and relate to their future times. It will be promoted everywhere with merchandise helping sell
the band and by them performing on the radio and by being involved with interviews on chat shows and help get their album
out there and the band itself out there. It has been quoted “one of the freshest albums in a long time” and critics have said
“it’s extraordinary and a powerful album”. This incredible album is going to be something that people don’t want to miss and
with a lot of promoting it can make it’s way up to the top of a tough market. With gaining followers on social media it will also
get people in the audience to promote the band too by giving their opinion on the album and by saying what they like about
the band. Making sure they get themselves known in such a tough time will make them succeed.
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9. Hyperbole
What are the words you will use? What words will help you sell and will appeal to your audience?
When you are writing to promote an album or a band, you need to use words that are going to draw the audience in and
stand out to them. By using words such as ‘extraordinary’, ‘amazing’, ‘unbelievably astonishing’ or ‘brilliant’ this will attract
people in as they will see all the good comments about them and how amazing they are. This then makes them want to buy
it as they hear such great things about it and makes it stick in the audiences mind. Using negative or average words is going
to not make an impact on them and you want to do this as you want them to see this album and read all the amazing things
said about it and pick it up and buy it straight away. Words that create a positive impact on the album will then draw even
more sales as people will then promote the band too as they will agree with what has been said about it (even if some is
exaggeration). Using words that will also be easy for the audience and be powerful for them are the words that need to be
used to help sell the album. Keeping it to what young people would say and not something that they wouldn’t is also a good
way of appealing to the audience as the album is targeted at a young audience so it needs to be something they can agree
with and not something that may come across too old for them. They need to be short and snappy without going on for too
long and them getting bored of reading the review and making sure that it gets straight to the point and gets them pumped
up to buy the album.
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10. Events
What events would you put on as part of the promotion of this band and album?
Events are useful to have to help promote a band and this also helps the band figure out if their music is attracting the right
audience. With them being really new and with the music they will be singing, a big arena isn’t really something that would
attract younger people and wouldn’t work for their style of music. Performing at small gigs would suit their music a lot more
as they are really laid back and not a loud band so for them performing at small gigs would be a lot more better for them and
with them only starting out, they won’t have thousands of people turning up so it wouldn’t be essential for them to be at big
arenas as it wouldn’t sell out. Getting the fans all up and close and getting them to have a good time and dance around while
at a smaller venue seems more appropriate for a younger audience. Having them appear at record stores to do signings
would be another event that would draw the audience in. It would then give the audience the opportunity to interact with the
band and also get their autograph so even in years time when they become a lot more famous and well known, they will
have that to refer to. It also gives them the chance to promote the band as they may post images up from meeting them on
social media sites which then other people will see and they also will want the chance maybe to do this. Getting them to
appear on BBC Radio 1 to do interviews and to join in with little activities and games they have on the show will also get the
band promoted more as a lot of young people listen to Radio 1so this will get them interested and also might get them
interacting as well to maybe ask the band questions themselves. They would also perform on different chat shows such as
Jonathan Ross or Alan Carr as again a lot of young people watch these chat shows as they get people on who interest this
audience and having them play will give the audience chance to hear their music and get them interested and this is a good
way to promote the band. They could also go to festivals and perform there as quite a lot of young people go to festivals so it
would be aiming the band at their target audience and this is a good way to promote the band to them. They wouldn’t
perform at big venues as I think for such a small band it wouldn’t work well and they wouldn’t be gaining much of a profit for
it and I think performing at smaller venues would attract the target audience more. I also think that going and performing at
new clubs or places that are opening will be a good way of promoting the band too because this younger people will be there
so again the band will be getting recognition and will be appealing to their target audience.
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11. Internal motivation
What is the motivation behind this project?
The motivation behind this project is wanting to achieve the final outcome and to get the band to a point where they are well
known and they are established in the music industry. Also to get the band well advertised and make sure they appear on
every bit of media possible so that their audience then know who the band is. I also want them to achieve what they have
wanted to by living their dream and to be performers and to be in the music industry and so by doing everything possible to
help them achieve this is something that gives me motivation.
What is it an important project for you?
An important project for me is one that is going to succeed and for one that is going to be achievable and not unrealistic. It
needs to have a strong idea behind the project so that it will succeed and be realistic. It is also important that in the project
the idea is kept the same throughout and the outcome at the end and there is a lot of planning throughout the project to
make sure the outcome has been achieved. Putting 100% into the project also makes it important because it then makes it a
lot easier and more detailed and so the outcome is then achieved too.
Why is it an important project for the band?
This is an important project for the band because it gives a new, fresh band the opportunity to succeed and do something
that they love as their job and to interact with their fans. It gives them an opportunity to perform for the bands and to make a
success from something they are passionate about and my aim is to achieve this for them by giving them the chance to do
this and to perform at different venues and to try and secure a place on the market for them. This gives them the start of a
new life with a job they love especially because they are at a young age this gives them a good chance on the market.
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12. Motivation of media
Why would the media be interested in this project?
The media would be interested in this project because I am giving a young and new band the opportunity to succeed in their
life and to get the dream job they wanted. With them being aimed at a young audience there is a lot of social media and
different media that aim themselves at a young audience just like the band is. This would then give them a place on the
market and the media would be interested because it would give them a good chance to bring a new sound to the market.
By getting them on chat shows and on the radio and advertising the band a lot and getting their name around, they would be
really interested because of all the advertising been done and all the promotions they’ve had to make them well known and
this will then make it clear to the audience who the band are.
Which parts of the media or media products (be specific) would be interested in the project?
I think that BBC Radio 1 would be interested in this project because they aim their radio station at a younger audience so the
style of music the band play would be really beneficial for the radio station and for the band. This is because their music will
be very similar to what other music they play on the station. Another part of the media that would be interested would be
NME and Q magazine because they do exclusive interviews and facts about bands that are very similar to Last California so
I think that this would be something that this band would need to help promote themselves. They also aim their magazines at
a younger audience so again this band would fit in with the style of magazines really well. Having twitter accounts and
getting hashtags to trend worldwide would be something that is beneficial for the band because they will them get recognition
easily and would gain followers and so the band then would have a wide range of fans. Alan Carr and Jonathon Ross do
chat shows in the UK which are watched by a wide range of different people but a lot of younger people watch the show so
this would give them recognition. If they then get really popular and become famous worldwide, there is the Jimmy Kimmel
chat show which is based in America and they aim their show at a younger audience and this would give the band a chance
to promote themselves to America itself.
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