Ill Manors e-media: website analysis

1) What examples can you find of the Ill Manors brand on the Ill Manors website homepage screen-grab above? Brand is defined as 'a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.' This website homepage includes a myriad of examples that allude to the Ill Manors brand. Most prominently, we can see several instances of the 'iLL MANORS' logo. It is most apparent in the top left within the navigator. It is also very visible on the wall. The intentional placement of the logo grabs the audience and encourages them to identity that this logo is directly linked to the film. The logo then acts as a shorthand way of communicating what the website is about - Ill Manors. Another interesting aspect of the use of the title of the film is that the graphic designer has deliberately used a hashtag (#illmanors). The utilisation of the hashtag helps direct the content to its target audience. This works effectively because of demographics. According to the Pew Research Centre's research, 86% of 18-29 year olds use social media, overriding all other ages above it. This suggests that younger people are more involved in social media which coincidentally is the primary target audience Ben Drew aims to target. Therefore, the use of this hashtag helps establish this and generates hype. This is because many people over social media can communicate and find out about the film through exploring the hashtag. To continue, another example of branding evident on this website homepage is the use of props. The gun in one of the character's hands helps establish the brand because it is a reoccurring weapon prominent over several examples of print and graphic work. Other props used used such as the cloth over the man's face on the bottom right or the barrel also are examples of branding. This is because they are typical objects presented in several pieces of work promoting Ill Manors. In addition the imagery used ion this homepage is yet another example of branding. The mise-en-scene is conventional of this brand. By this, I am referring to the use of pathetic fallacy, (grim, gloomy skies) the estates, the urban estates etc. All these elements help contribute to the image behind the brand of Ill Manors. Furthermore, the razor blade also acts as another tool in creating a brand. This image is shown over several platforms that promote the film and by including it in the website homepage, it helps contribute to the representation of the brand.

2) How does the website encourage the audience to buy or interact with Ill Manors products?
This website page encourages its audience in a collection of ways. Most evidently, it the marketing technique that encourages viewers to do something, usually purchasing the advertised product. This is called 'call to action'. We can see how this technique is implemented into the website homepage through the repetition of 'BUY NOW' and similar phrases. The use of these imperatives not only encourages viewers to buy the film but almost makes them feel obliged to do so. Moreover, the placement of these imperative clauses is made easily visible, allowing them to affect viewers effectively. The line 'ON BLU-RAY, DVD, DOWNLOAD ON-DEMAND NOW' is designed in a particular typeface that is quite bold. Also, it is white on a black background. The font and colours used help accentuate the visual attention it draws, enabling viewers to be more easily encouraged to watch the film. Moreover, by including several ways in which people can watch the film encourages a broader, larger population to the film because of all the platforms it is available on. Another element of the website homepage is the use of social media. We can see that it has included 'links.' This alone helps viewers communicate through social media to see if they want to watch the film or not. Many individuals may be encouraged by other people on social media and this could help add to the audience of the film.

3) Now look at Plan B's official website. How does it use social media in terms of content and design? Why might the website designers have wanted to create the look and feel of a social networking site?
Plan B's official website strongly resembles a social media platform. It is similar to twitter or a Facebook page but most strikes resemblance to MySpace. This is because of the sleek design that makes use of a streaming bar at the bottom, again quite like MySpace. The use of the music car is quite interesting but an intelligent choice. This is because at first glance viewers are fully aware that Ben Drew is affiliated with the music industry. Also, it enables viewers to listen to one of his songs very easily and quickly. This allows viewers of the website a quick way of finding out whether or not they would be interested in the type of music he curates. Moreover, when scrolling through the homepage of his website, the posts are structured in the same way as a some blogs. Due to the resemblance the page strikes to google blogs or tumblr blogs, it engages a broader audience because of the unique style. In terms of content, the website effectively uses social media. A clever technique the designer of his website has implemented is integrating social media into the contents of the website, by converging them through the website homepage. More obviously, we can see that at the top right of the page, there are several links to his social media e.g Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. This helps direct fans to his social media platforms and give them a means of communicating with one another and helps increase Ben Drew's fanbase. This is because many marketers believe that linking social media accounts to your website can have a major impact on your rankings.

4) Scroll back through the wall to look at posts from around the release date of Ill Manors. How does this statement on Ill Manors link to other texts we have studied as part of this case study? Do you agree with his claim that he "won't justify" the riots? What does this statement suggest about the representation of young people in Plan B's film and music videos?After reading this, what comes to mind is Ben Drew's TEDx lecture wherein he shared his , Plan B has shared his view on this matter very similarly to Tedx Lecture, especially towards the end. This is because he sheds light on the fact that the privileged often mock the less privileged. He also makes reference to the derogatory term 'chav,' which he discusses in his TEDx lecture. Moreover, it has a direct link to Drew's music video, 'Ill Manors,' because it explicitly makes reference to the riots which is what the music video is about. More obviously, we can see he talks about what his music video was about. 

5) Why do you think social media is overtaking official websites in terms of film promotion?
I think that the reason behind why social media is overtaking official websites, is due to how in our current age of digital innovation, social media is the most pervasive use of technology statistically. In our current day and age, when we find out about new films, often we look at details through social media. This is simply because it is more accessible. By this, I am referring to our almost innate, natural ability to scroll through social media on smartphones. However, opening up a webpage is more difficult. This could be due to several reasons. Firstly, when we do this, we have no way of communicating with other and we could argue that opening a webpage requires us to know what exactly what we want to find. Social media on the other typically hand provides information for us without us technically having to search for it.