AS 3 - Task Six - Re-draft final evaluation

I chose to create an advert for headphones as I believed it was a good market to go into. The target audience was students aged between 16 and 25 as students are more likely to use headphones to revise. We decided this because we know that students of this age are more likely to watch TV at the time we air our advert. The selling point for our advert was humour and comedy as well as reality as we believed that was more likely to keep the audience engaged.

After we had done all of the filming and editing the next step was to get audience feedback and comments. The idea behind this was so that we could see what was necessary to improve our advert. To get these comments and feedback I held a focus group/screening, which was needed so that the information we got was in depth and I could ask further questions to gain more information, for example I asked "If you could make improvements, what would you change?" which allowed me to understand why they would change parts of the advert and how. The next method I used was a questionnaire on Survey Monkey, which was helpful when gaining information as it could be sent to a wide range of people, meaning more responses. Also it was short and precise so that the information could be collated easily. The information gathered was both qualitative and quantitative which was helpful as it meant we gained more than one type of information. The survey consisted of closed questions which were generally based around yes or no answers. There were some open questions which asked for more detail about the respondents answer but required no more than a couple of words. An example of one of the questions was "Would you buy the headphones after seeing this advert?" which was a good question as it helped us decide whether our advert hit it's main purpose which was to get the audience to buy the headphones. The quantitative data we collected was from the focus group/screening. This was very helpful as it meant I could ask why the focus group answered the way they did and therefore meant I gained more information. 

From the audience feedback I could see that most people enjoyed the advert and were convinced that these headphones were the best choice for them. When I screened my advert it was mainly people from the older generation, which was not the intended target audience. After asking them what they thought of the advert it came as a surprise when they said that they'd enjoyed the advert and would go buy them if they were slightly younger. The younger people in my focus group said that they would buy the headphones as the advert appealed to them specifically. I conducted an additional focus group with younger participants before the main screening of my advert to see what people thought of our idea before creating the main advert. In this focus group questions were asked such as "Do you prefer wired or wireless headphones?" to which most people replied wireless as it made them easier to move from one place to another and wouldn't get caught on other objects. Another question was "What type of advert would persuade you into buying headphones? E.g Humour, Reality, Music" which was an important question to ask as it helped us to decide what type of advert we were going to make and how. However, some people disliked the advert in the screening as they thought it was not clear on what the aim of it was, and some of the older people stated that the music I used didn't appeal to them. I believe that the questions asked were useful as it let me get the information I needed to make my advert better once the focus group was over. 

My opinion of the advert was that it promoted the product well and effectively. It was entertaining but also got to the point without wasting time. However, because it was my advert, my opinion may be slightly biased compared to other people's opinions. If I could improve my advert I would spend more time putting the shots together more effectively so that the point was clearer. Also I would change the way the shots were put together at the end as I don't think they went together as well as i'd first thought. Additionally I would speed up the editing and make it clear what the product was I was trying to sell. Overall I agree with the results I received from both the focus group and the questionnaire on Survey Monkey.

I think that the advert was technically good as the shots used were varied and effective. We used a range of close ups and long distance shots to make the advert more enjoyable and the shots were steady as a tripod was used throughout. The idea behind the advert was good as it related to the lives of students and showed what studying is like. It is made clear throughout the advert what the product is we are trying to sell as the shots change between the student revising in the classroom and the other actor who is wearing the headphones. Also the music changes from loud to quiet throughout to help emphasise our logo which was "Add a little colour to your life!". I believe the idea was effective as it relates to every student in secondary school, sixth form, college and university, which means that they're more likely to purchase the product. 

The improvements that could be made if I had the chance are things such as the way the shots were put together and the design of them. If I could redo it I would make sure that the story line was a lot clearer as the main problem that occurred when I conducted my audience research was that the plot was not made entirely clear so a few of the focus group members were confused until the end when it stated that the idea behind the advert was to sell headphones. Furthermore, I would make sure that I included a few more shots, such as 360 degree shot, tracking shots and extreme close ups, to ensure that the advert was as effective as it could be. Another improvement would be the section when the actor with the headphones starts to talk to the student and then the music comes back on. At that point I should have faded the music in and out as it was a sudden burst of music then it stopped again. Improving this would mean that the advert would be a lot smoother and consistent. 

After carefully watching my advert and analysing the results from the audience feedback I am happy with my advert. I believe that it met it's aim and the audience enjoyed it. The advert was entertaining but also realistic as it was set in a school and reflected the life of  student. Even though there are some improvements that could be made, the advert was successful and appealed to the right target audience.