Successes and Failures of Idents
Idents
are small advertisements that market a channel. They have both opportunities
and limitations. Some opportunities idents have are encouragement of brand
loyalty, appealing to their target audience, allowing you to brand your
channel, easily display text based information and create a corporate identity
and a tone for your channel.
Some
limitations that must be thought of when designing idents are typography (how
the font is set out), resolution (high or low considering on-line viewers),
colour (considering on-line viewers) and aspect (the ratio of the ident).
These
limitations and opportunities mean that there are successful and unsuccessful
idents. The first example of this I will discuss is UKTV Gold’s idents from 1992
and 2004. The 1992 ident is very boring
and there is nothing related to the show or upcoming programmes, there is
simply a tap running in the living room. From this it is hard to capture the
channels identity or personality, as there is nothing to take from the ident.
The ident doesn't interact very well with the viewers; this is because there is
no speech and no information given so we do not know anything about the
channel. To interact well with the viewers the ident must be eye catching and
really appeal to there target audience and this ident fails to do so. The
composition in the ident is not very balanced, there is a still frame at the
end and lots of space is given as the logo is situated to the left side of the
screen, this then means that the logo is not centre, which is where most of the
audience would look at whilst watching TV and therefore may not stay in the
audiences mind. This defeats the whole point of having a logo as this image is
supposed to be memorable and helps promote the channel, which in this case it
does not. There is a small indication that the channel plays comical programmes
as we hear laughing at the beginning of the ident from a TV playing in the
background, this gives us some idea that the channel we are watching may be a
comedy channel, however, the ident doesn't focus on this comedy so we are
unsure of whether this channel shows comedy programmes. The laughing lasts for
under a second, which is a very small segment of the ident, for the remaining
time of the ident we see a tap running and someone’s reflection in the water. From this particular setting we can gather
that it is not visually entertaining and that it does not appeal to their
target audience, as they have not thought through the type of factors that may
appeal to their target audience. I therefore see this ident as unsuccessful as
it fails to interact with viewers, there is no sound or visual information, it
is not visually entertaining and most importantly it does not directly appeal
to their target audience.
The
2004 ident appeals to their target audience as they have chosen to focus on
comedy. We are aware of this as we are constantly bombarded with ‘stick something funny
on’ in many different areas of the screen. We also know this channel focuses on
comedy for older viewers as we see lots of old funny props used, such a fake
teeth. These props are not used nowadays, so we understand that the programs
shown on this channel are old classics and therefore the older target audience
may reminisce about the older days, when these programmes were first played.
This is visually entertaining as there are so many props on the screen; there
are lots of things going on at once. This means that this ident can also appeal
to a younger audience as we do not know where to look and we cannot take our
eyes from the screen. There are many different colours used in the ident as
well as a domino effect taking place for the majority of the ident, this links
very well with the upbeat music as together they all create a very fast tempo, again
this can relate to the target audience as this ident caters for many different
age groups. However, they have also stuck to the main point of an ident, to
give viewers information. This is done so mid way through the ident when the
narrator informs us about upcoming programmes in a conversational way. The composition is balanced as we are shown the logo at the end of the ident, this works very well as there are so many things going on at once and the last thing to stay in the audiences mind will be the logo. We also see at the end that the colours on the screen link to logo of the ident, this helps promote the channel very, part of which is why I see this ident as a success. They have really focused on what might appeal to not only their target audience but also a younger audience, as well as taking the opportunity to establish, brand and help promote their channel.
The second example of successful and unsuccessful idents I will discuss is the BBC idents from 1981 and 2011. The ident from 1981 is monotonous and there is no visual entertainment whatsoever. We are shown the BBC logo and a globe throughout the entire ident. This gives the feeling that they are aiming to please a much older target audience. Another reason for this is because the narrator is well spoken, this suggests that they are aiming to please an upper class audience and that they do not want a 'commoner' narrating for their show using slang. The narrator also speaks very seriously, from this we can gather that this might be before the news. There is a balanced composition between the logo and a globe continuously circulating, the music is also very slow and steady and there is a slow tempo to the ident. This might be because they want the audience to focus on the verbal information being given rather than losing focus to other props on the screen. There is no personality to the ident as we cant take anything from the ident, this would effect promoting the brand as there is nothing memorable about the channel other than its monotonicity. Overall I can say that this ident is very unsuccessful, as it is not very appealing to anyone, it does not grab the audiences eye and therefore fails to promote the channel in any way. The ident does not interact with viewers whatsoever, however the information given in conveyed very well and efficiently.
The 2011 BBC ident is however completely opposite to the older ident in 1981, in every way possible. The ident is very visually entertaining, I feel that this is from the use of animation and that this current effect bodes well with the, now younger, target audience. The hippos used are animated, this shows a comical side of BBC that we were not shown before in their previous ident, this then conveys that BBC offers more than just one specific genre therefore enhancing viewers attention. With the use of the animated hippos this then makes the ident more entertaining as we want to watch them move across our screen, the audience don't want to take their eyes off the screen. The speech in this ident is very different from the previous ident, as it is more causal and conversational as opposed to there being an upper class narrator. This can be due to the fact that there are more comical programmes being played on BBC whereas before mainly news programmes. The composition in this ident is very balanced, there is just logo which is played half way through the ident. The hippos all merge together to create a large rotating circle, which then emerges to be the BBC logo. This really appeals to the audience as this not only promotes the brand but also is a very unique way of introducing the logo, sending a message that BBC is a unique show and it cannot be mimicked in any way. There is a fairly moderate pace to the ident, however, this is faster than the previous ident. This ident is very successful as they have focused more on what might appeal to their target audience and they have also made the ident more current and eye catching. This ident is successful as it is far more visually entertaining, this then leaves the audience with something to remember about the channel, therefore promoting the brand and overall being a success.
The final example of successful and unsuccessful ident I will discuss is the channel 4 idents from 1999 and 2012. The ident from 1999 is very unsuccessful as it fails to promote the channel. This is because the same ident is used many times however with a different colour background in each of the idents. This could confuse viewers as to what their logo and theme colours are, therefore failing to promote their brand. There is no visual entertainment other than a moving animated logo, which moves from left to right then there is a still frame. This is very boring and not very appealing to their target audience, also we cannot tell what the channel is about from this information, we do not know anything about their identity. The narrator speaks in a very conversational way and gives lots of information about upcoming programmes, this might be why they have chosen to include no visual entertainment, they want the audience to focus on what is being said. The ident has a very slow tempo, however, the narrator speaks very quickly to ensure all information is conveyed. This is another reason why this is unsuccessful as the information is given too quickly and the audience simply cannot process what is being said. Overall this ident fails to interact with viewers in many ways, therefore failing to catch their eye and promote and sell their channel.
The ident from 2012 is very bold and really stands out making the ident very appealing. There is lots of visual entertainment as they have used a moving camera, this makes the ident very unique as the majority of idents are still frames. We follow a small ball of dirt, which then leads us to what appears to be the '4' logo made out different buildings. This can appeal to a younger audience as there are lots of colours and bright lights on the buildings however, this also appeals to an older audience as they will be intrigued to find out what the ball of dirt is leading up to. This leaves the audience to want more and creates its own little drama , as there is a climax to what we are about to see. The use of the buildings creating the logo is very clever this then creates something memorable about the ident, helping to brand and promote the channel. The ident has a fast tempo, this is because we want to find out what we are following and see the logo appear. The ident is not visually entertaining until the end, this is part of which makes this ident successful, as we are confused as to what we are watching until all is revealed at the end. This ident is very successful as it catches the audiences attention through using very sophisticated techniques of introducing the logo, part of which makes the channel stand out and makes viewers want to watch more, this then promotes and brands the channel as unique.
The second example of successful and unsuccessful idents I will discuss is the BBC idents from 1981 and 2011. The ident from 1981 is monotonous and there is no visual entertainment whatsoever. We are shown the BBC logo and a globe throughout the entire ident. This gives the feeling that they are aiming to please a much older target audience. Another reason for this is because the narrator is well spoken, this suggests that they are aiming to please an upper class audience and that they do not want a 'commoner' narrating for their show using slang. The narrator also speaks very seriously, from this we can gather that this might be before the news. There is a balanced composition between the logo and a globe continuously circulating, the music is also very slow and steady and there is a slow tempo to the ident. This might be because they want the audience to focus on the verbal information being given rather than losing focus to other props on the screen. There is no personality to the ident as we cant take anything from the ident, this would effect promoting the brand as there is nothing memorable about the channel other than its monotonicity. Overall I can say that this ident is very unsuccessful, as it is not very appealing to anyone, it does not grab the audiences eye and therefore fails to promote the channel in any way. The ident does not interact with viewers whatsoever, however the information given in conveyed very well and efficiently.
The 2011 BBC ident is however completely opposite to the older ident in 1981, in every way possible. The ident is very visually entertaining, I feel that this is from the use of animation and that this current effect bodes well with the, now younger, target audience. The hippos used are animated, this shows a comical side of BBC that we were not shown before in their previous ident, this then conveys that BBC offers more than just one specific genre therefore enhancing viewers attention. With the use of the animated hippos this then makes the ident more entertaining as we want to watch them move across our screen, the audience don't want to take their eyes off the screen. The speech in this ident is very different from the previous ident, as it is more causal and conversational as opposed to there being an upper class narrator. This can be due to the fact that there are more comical programmes being played on BBC whereas before mainly news programmes. The composition in this ident is very balanced, there is just logo which is played half way through the ident. The hippos all merge together to create a large rotating circle, which then emerges to be the BBC logo. This really appeals to the audience as this not only promotes the brand but also is a very unique way of introducing the logo, sending a message that BBC is a unique show and it cannot be mimicked in any way. There is a fairly moderate pace to the ident, however, this is faster than the previous ident. This ident is very successful as they have focused more on what might appeal to their target audience and they have also made the ident more current and eye catching. This ident is successful as it is far more visually entertaining, this then leaves the audience with something to remember about the channel, therefore promoting the brand and overall being a success.
The final example of successful and unsuccessful ident I will discuss is the channel 4 idents from 1999 and 2012. The ident from 1999 is very unsuccessful as it fails to promote the channel. This is because the same ident is used many times however with a different colour background in each of the idents. This could confuse viewers as to what their logo and theme colours are, therefore failing to promote their brand. There is no visual entertainment other than a moving animated logo, which moves from left to right then there is a still frame. This is very boring and not very appealing to their target audience, also we cannot tell what the channel is about from this information, we do not know anything about their identity. The narrator speaks in a very conversational way and gives lots of information about upcoming programmes, this might be why they have chosen to include no visual entertainment, they want the audience to focus on what is being said. The ident has a very slow tempo, however, the narrator speaks very quickly to ensure all information is conveyed. This is another reason why this is unsuccessful as the information is given too quickly and the audience simply cannot process what is being said. Overall this ident fails to interact with viewers in many ways, therefore failing to catch their eye and promote and sell their channel.
The ident from 2012 is very bold and really stands out making the ident very appealing. There is lots of visual entertainment as they have used a moving camera, this makes the ident very unique as the majority of idents are still frames. We follow a small ball of dirt, which then leads us to what appears to be the '4' logo made out different buildings. This can appeal to a younger audience as there are lots of colours and bright lights on the buildings however, this also appeals to an older audience as they will be intrigued to find out what the ball of dirt is leading up to. This leaves the audience to want more and creates its own little drama , as there is a climax to what we are about to see. The use of the buildings creating the logo is very clever this then creates something memorable about the ident, helping to brand and promote the channel. The ident has a fast tempo, this is because we want to find out what we are following and see the logo appear. The ident is not visually entertaining until the end, this is part of which makes this ident successful, as we are confused as to what we are watching until all is revealed at the end. This ident is very successful as it catches the audiences attention through using very sophisticated techniques of introducing the logo, part of which makes the channel stand out and makes viewers want to watch more, this then promotes and brands the channel as unique.
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