The Diffusion of Innovation task

This task that i have been assigned was given to me by Mr Darlow: http://sites.google.com/site/darlowmedia/assignments/y13mediastudies-diffusionofinnovation

The print screen of the page reads if too small to see: "Develop a concept for a new technological device. Consider who you are aiming the product at and develop a marketing campaign to suit the early adopters and how you would develop the marketing strategy after the 'scarcity' phase. You should make two of the following:

•TV advert (storyboard for)

•Web advert (banners, columns, web page)

•Print advert

•Billboard


•Advertising slogan"

In an even more basic form, i have to design a technological product aimed at a certain audience and then figure out a smart way to market that product. Make sure i suit the marketing campaign to the audience. The 'scarcity' phase is when the product becomes slightly less popular so i have to find a way to overcome that.

Getting Started

Annoyingly I'm not much of a techno-buff, so becoming an inventor of a technology product is a big step. However with a few minutes thinking i have come up with an idea which i think would be interesting to develop further and to market. I have tried to link this product with my life and how it would advantage me - making it easier for me to understand and market the product:

• Solar powered phones? Just like some older calculators, they would be powered by light. This would mean even though there would still have to be a battery in the phone itself, there would be no need to charge - therefore making it cheaper and easier to run. You charge wont run out when you need it. This could also cause a few complications though, there may not be enough light, so making calls at night could be difficult. Good for the environment, but the phone might look unattractive and be expensive to buy but not to run.

I chose to do this as it is very simple and there are a lot of points for it. People will buy into something which advantages them in the long run. Even though when i search into google-images 'solar-powered phones' examples do come up, however i plan to take this product to main-stream culture.

I want to aim my product at the early adopters - audience who are quick to take up the technologies, the visionaries and creators. These people are mainly in their 20s to early 40s. I cant help but think also men would be more likely to be involved in my product. The look of the phone will probably be quite black due to the solar-panel. They work in the technology industry and would be one of the first people to get the product. Stereotypically they would probably be middle class due to their jobs and their adoption of products. Specifically ones which have an interest in saving money and being environmentally friendly, so i want to mention that point through the marketing process. Even though they would only be saving money on electricity charges, its better than nothing.

I need a marketing campaign to suit the early adopters. I want the campaign to be something which involves technology however i don't think I'm suited to creating a website.

After the 'scarcity' phase where sales go slightly down, i really want to 'BOOM' the campaign. Make the product advertised everywhere my audience will be.

The two ways in which i will market the product:

• A billboard. This is because it catches a wide audience throughout a city as they go past in their cars and walk by. People in their 20s-40s (the probable age of the early adopters) are very likely to be driving cars. The posters are huge - attention seeking.
• A print advert. I want to do this in a magazine aimed at my audience. I will have to define whereabouts in the magazine i would prefer the advert to be. I would probably create this on Publisher or photoshop.

The billboard

The billboard is going to have to look different from the print advert as a different amount and diversity of audiences are going to see it. I have done some research on the location of advertising a product similar to mine:

This billboard is in the London underground, so when passengers are waiting for their train they will look straight ahead to see the poster. It gathers a wide and diverse audience.

 This billboard is in America, however it has been thought out well where the placement of the poster is. When a car stops at the traffic lights, they are quite likely to look at the poster.

This poster is huge and probably in the middle of a busy city. Right now i am looking at the location of the posters and not the poster design itself.

Overall, i would think it would be a good idea to place the billboards somewhere where people have to stop like traffic lights or on the underground - its almost like they have no choice but to look at my billboard.

Now to look at the billboard design itself (using my skills of semiotics to analyse):

The next step is to plan my billboard design on paper an then create it on the computer probably using photoshop.

The Print Advert

The print ad much still be as punchy and attention-seeking as the billboard, however, as it will be in a magazine i can afford to have more text as people will have more time to read it. The type of magazine also matters too. It has to be featured in a men-aimed magazine, like 'Men's Health' as the men who read this magazine are around the age of my target audience and could be quite interested in the appearance of things. I could also put the advert in 'Maxim' or any other similar mag. As there are no men's magazines in my house, i have had to find photos on the internet, otherwise i would have scanned them:

This advert (above) is the idea that the phone is powerful enough to smash through the page - appealing to men. Its quite a simple concept for an advert as the ripped paper creates a frame around the phone making our eye go straight there. The advert with bees is an interesting advert and i have never seen an advert like this before. A lot of the phone isn't seen, but if i was to put a slogan and logo, it still wouldn't matter. There is a lot going on so as a viewer it would make me want to look closer. 

     



Now i am going to plan what my billboard and ad will look like and then hopefully create them on photoshop. They have to be impacting, colourful, powerful and bold. And most importantly - target men of the selected age group. The next few posts i will do will be me planning and creating the posters.

I have noticed that often in phone and ipod adverts there are hands or people holding the device. This could show that somebody is happy to show this phone to you, holding it out for you to see, you are lucky as a viewer to see it. Its almost as if the person has just grabbed the phone out of their pocket to show it to you. This poster (left) is of a young, modern lad who has his sharp focus of the phone. The phone is straight on giving the audience the chance to see the whole phone. Also often in billboard posters is black or dark backgrounds. This gives the image a strong and powerful look - something which people want in a phone. It is a poster which would be simple to recreate. This vibrant poster (below) is also very common to see. This woman is obviously very happy to have this ipod in her hand. She is a normal looking lady - making her relatable and achievable. The electric colours in her hair could represent that the ipod has created such a positive impact on how she feels.The colour are eye-catching and bright. The poster (far below) is again dark, but this time it gives the audience something to figure out - why is the hand bandaged? It doesn't make sense until you realise that the phone is

 called a Razor... The hand in the air could represent victory, glory to have this phone and that the person holding it would go through cuts and grazes just to get their hands on this phone - its worth fighting for. As the scene is over a city, there is almost a superhero feel about the poster. I have also noticed that throughout research phone advertisements, there isn't much text. Normally only the phone name and a slogan.








My Poster

I first need to think up a catchy slogan which will hint about the phone being solar-powered and cheaper to run. I didn't have much time to think one up so i just went with : "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE SUN." I am just going to name the phone make 'Solar'.

I now need to plan what my poster i going to look like using the traditional pen and paper. They are quickly jotted out and the colour just indicates what i will photoshop in or whatever. I tried to stick with the concept of the sun powering the phone because that is the main part of the phone i would be trying to sell. Here is a few plans of posters i could make my final:

 - Real fire and sun
- Yellows contrast with black slogan and phone

 Mistakenly upside down!
- Hands around the phone (almost like God's hands)
- Light around the phone also
- Starry/dreamy

- A photo of the solar system
- Black starry space
- Phone as one of the planets