Which promotional discourses and brand Mechanisms are used to construct Marmite's brand identity?

Introduction

 Marmites advertising history is as powerful and distinctive as the product itself. From the ‘Definitely does you good’ campaign of the 1930s to the long running and iconic ‘love it or hate it’ slogan of the early nineties, Marmite certainly loves to play around with concepts and both loyalty and revulsion.

 In 2013, after a two year hiatus from television advertising, Marmite created a new and humorous advertising campaign that parodied the animal abuse documentary. The ad received over 300 complaints in the 24 hours following its release and racked up 25k views on Youtube. Whether a love or loather of the product, it was hard to ignore the presence of this new campaign. It’s certainly not the first ad campaign to split up bite-sized video material in order to create a beefier episodic narrative; but it’s certainly one that’s doing it very well.

 The report will seek to undercover how Marmite constructs their brand identity and how this has developed since its creation in 1912. It will analyse what technique Marmite brand manages use in order to do this and will analyse if and how these campaigns were successful.

Methodology

 In order to undertake an effective research report I will be using discourse as my analytical tool. In his book How to do discourse analysis, James Paul Gee (2011) argues that “no one theory is universally right or universally applicable” (Paul Gee, 2011: 1) rather they all offer tools that can be applied to different types of data to be analyses. Arguably the most important of these theories is postmodernist theorists Michel Foucault.

 Developing his theory of discourse in his early work The Archaeology of Knowledge, Foucault (1971) was convinced that the world we live in is structured by knowledge. In other words: certain people and social groups create and formulate ideas about our world, which under certain conditions turn into unquestioned truths and start to seem normal.

 Lara Lessa (2006) summarizes Foucault’s definition of discourse as “Systems of thoughts composed of ideas, attitudes and course of action, beliefs and practices that systematically construct the subjects and worlds of which they speak” (Lessa, 2006: 283-298 ). Foucault (1977) argued that discourse and power are closely related as they both operate by the same rules of exclusion. Discourse can therefore be seen to be controlled by objects; the privileged, who may speak and the boundaries of what can be spoken of (Foucault, 1972).

   Advertising is viewed as a discourse platform to sell and inform products, ideas and services to the public. The messages we see in advertisement fill the entire cultural landscape. Newspapers and magazine are full of print advertisements whilst television ads fill our screens just as often our favourite shows. Due to the growing effectiveness of persuasion techniques in advertising, it has become firmly established into social discourse. “What an ad means depends on how it operates, how its signs and its ideological effect are organised internally (within the ad)” (G, Dyer, 2008, p91).

Literature Review

Branding

In Brands: a critical perspective Adam Arvidsson (2005) argues that ‘brands create an ethical surplus (a social bond, a shared experience, a common identity) through productive communication’. (Arvidsson, 2005: 235-258).  Arvidsson discusses the difference in definitions of ‘Brand values’ from a consumer perspective and those in branding managerial positions. He argues that focusing on the attributes of a product is the most common pitfall of brand managers. Instead Arvidsson believes they should focus on the emotional benefits of a brand, ‘Brand values are about fostering an attachment; be it experiences, emotions, attitudes, and loyalty to the brand’ (Arvidsson, 2005 235-258). Arvidsson suggests that the managerial point of view of brand values represent the monetary value of what a brand is, where it currently stands in the market and its future profits.

Arvidsson continues his article by discussing where brand values come from. Stating that many in the business believe a brands value is attributed to factors like tradition, coincidence or luck. He suggests that it is in fact the brand managers who skilfully produce advertising, marketing, product placements, staged events and a number of other strategies that create the immaterial qualities on which brand values are based.

 Alison Hearn (2008) defines the term brand to mean “stand for a distinct form of marketing practice intended to link products and services with resonant cultural meanings through the use of narratives and images.”  (Hearn, 2008: 197). In her article Meat, Mask, Burden`: Probing the contours of the branded self she discusses the inflections of self-branding across several different mediated forms. She considerers the self as a “strategic life-brand intended to rhetorically persuade employers of its competitive viability” (Hearn, 2008: 197) as well as an image that has been carefully crafted to gain fame and profit.

Promotional Discourse

 In Persuasion across genres: A Linguistic Approach author Bhatia (2005) explains the basic and fundamental patterns in promotional discourse in his article Generic patterns in promotional discourse. Whilst Bhatia’s work does not offer an in depth analysis into promotional culture, he suggests a basic understanding of promotional discourse in relation to advertising.  Bhatia’s example explains how advertising copywriters have a wide selection of rhetorical moves that can use in order to display a meaning or message through advertisements. Bhatia argues that these moves can used by good copywriters to “achieve an effect most suitable for a particular product or service keeping in mind the audience they target” (Bhatia, 2005: 213-225).

 Whilst Bhatias work in mainly concerned with the promotional discourse found in print advertisements he states that “promotion genres have become the most versatile and fast developing area of discourse” (Bhatia, 2005: 213-225).  Bhatia points out that are a number of factors to account for this development, including the development of new technologies in mass communication. Therefore it will be important to analyse if and how these developments have impacted upon Marmites attempt at a brand identity. 

 Intertextuality

 One main technique brands often use in promotional discourse is intertextuality.

 Defined as a “kind of relationship by which texts are interwoven with each other” (Liu and Le 2013: ) Liu and Le (2013) discuss intertextuality in relation to advertising in their work Intertextual Techniques in Advertisements. Their fundamental argument is that intertextuality helps an audience member “to interpret the meaning of an advertisement, in that the original text being referred to could establish a message which the second text can use and elaborate on” (Liu & Le, 2013:11). In this sense the second text does not have to ‘try so hard’ to convey a message.

 Liu and Le argue that this technique of promotional discourse is used to arouse the consumers’ memory and create a correlation between different forms of advertisements and thus stimulating their desire to purchase said product “as it is natural for people to accept things they are familiar with” (Liu, and Le, 2013: 11). The advantage of intertextuality is that many advertisers prefer to use a number of different strategies to advertise their products. Intertextuality allows consumer sot remember a product or more importantly where this research in concerned, the brand.

 Liu & Les work then goes on to explain the three explicit forms of intertextuality in advertisements, quotation, parody and allusion. Parody is defined as “a process of generating new expressions by changing or borrowing some parts of the original sources” (Liu and Le, 2013: 11). As will be seen in this report, parody will is a very important factor in Marmites brand identity.

Findings

 Definitely does you good

The first artefact this report will look at will be the 1930 print advertisement entitled Definitely does you good (appendix A). As can be seen the poster shows two cartoon people whispering to one another over a large jar of Marmite. The faces of these characters are strangely contorted into the word ‘good’.

 The creator of the ad is clearly written in a number of positions on the advertisement, on the large jar in middle of the two characters, on the hat of the male character and also in large bold print below the image. The fact that the name of the product appears so frequently on the ad is a clear indication that they are trying to make the name a memorable phrase in the minds of the reader.

 Underneath the large text that is the name we see the slogan ‘Definitely does you good’.

Here we can see the first instance of advertisements trying to persuade consumers rather simply stating the readily availability of products.

 This advertisement clearly details Marmites first attempt at being a little different from other advertisements during this period. The unusual images of cartoon characters with word good incorporated into their face was different to many of the other advertisements during that time period and was perhaps the first example of the love/hate advertisements Marmite incorporated into their campaigns.

My mate/I hate marmite

 The second advertisement this report will look at will be the 1997 television advert My mate/I hate Marmite (1997). The advert is actually split into two separate 30 second clips with very similar style. During it’s time on television, the two clips would sandwich the other adverts during the same break in television, making sure it was the first and last advert that the audience would see.

 The first of these two being My Mate Marmite, which shows a montage of people going to the extreme lengths to enjoy their time with Marmite.

 The ad opens with an unseen person spreading marmite over cheese of toast and tenderly stroking the product (Appendix B). This is an indication of the tone of the advert; an homage to those who love Marmite.

 The first of these clips is an elderly couple enjoying a snack and a cup of tea. When the husband attempts the take the jar of Marmite from his wife, she reacts quickly by hitting him over the head with a saucepan (Appendix C).

 The second clip of the montage is a baby being rocked back on fourth by a motherly figure (Appendix D), all the while he trying to reach for a jar of Marmite which is on the ledge behind them.

 The next clip, possibly the most controversial of the ad, shows a young male sitting in front of a television (Appendix E) that displays the image of a jar of marmite. Whilst not showing anything too elicit, it does suggest that this young man is pleasuring himself to the image.

 A viewer may see themselves in the advertisement. They may identify as someone who loves Marmite and may go to some lengths to enjoy the products (though perhaps not the lengths in this advert).

 The second half of this video followed the same structure however the clips show the extremes lengths people will go to get rid of Marmite.  

 Opening with a similar image to the video before, we see a knife spreading marmite over cheese on toast but rather than the attentive stroke of the aforementioned clip, the knife continues to stab the piece of bread (Appendix F).

 The following clips show a baby trying to avoid being fed a piece of marmite on toast by his mother (Appendix G). We are then show a man at a dinner party who, after being fed an appetiser of something with Marmite, promptly spits it onto the floor (Appendix H). What follows are similar clips wherein people try drastic tactics to get rid of marmite. Such as using a Marmite style voodoo doll (Appendix I), tying the jar to a brick and dropping it in a river (Appendix J) and finally using the jar as a golf ball (Appendix K) to the extend it explodes on screen in front of us.

 The My mate/I hate marmite clip uses situations that an audience can relate to, so that they recall past memories of times they’ve reacted similarly to Marmite. By using actors of different age ranges they reach all possible ages of their target audience.

 End Marmite Neglect

 When Marmite sales had begun decreasing, advertising agency Adam&Eve were set the challenge to revitalise the Marmite image. Research had revealed that 1 in 10 Brits leave their jar of Marmite neglected for over 3 months (Adam&EveDDB, 2013). Thus the End marmite neglect ad was launched to remind Brits of their neglected jars that remain lingering at the back cupboards.

 The 2013 television advert clearly mimics an animal rescue documentary to which it received over 300 complaints, many stating that it belittled the hard work many welfare offices do on a day to day basis.

 In the 90 second advert, a team of Marmite rescuers are seen entering the home of Britons in an attempt to rescue neglected and abandoned jars of Marmite. They are greeted with angry and confused members of the public as well as pleas of forgiveness and promise’s to change. All the while throughout the ad there is a voice over explaining what it is the team are doing, giving the ad a documentary style.

 The advert starts with the team arriving at a house on a busy estate. As they enter an unseen voice is heard saying “this is a bit of an intrusion” whilst members of the team are seen looking through their cupboards. The jar in described as ‘stricken’ as its it taken to the rescue van and placed in a secure cage (appendix  M), just like a rescued animal would be.

 Whilst the inanimate object of the jars are being described with very descriptive words, unfortunate members of the public are referred to as ‘offenders’, a word defined as someone committing illegal or wrong that causes problem. “The stronger the emotional charge, the more likely we are to consciously reflect on the experience at the time it occurs and the more memorable the event will be” (Hollis, 2012). Referring to the 1 in 10 people who do neglect their jars of Marmite as ‘offenders’ would elicit a response from the audience, unwilling to become part of this Marmite offender culture.

 The advertisement then continues to show a clip of a young recruit finding what appears to be a ‘baby’ jar of marmite at the back of the cupboard. The recruit looks distressed as he is unable to take the lid off (appendix N) and carries it gently the car.

 The advert ends with a happy family taking home ajar of Marmite from the Marmite rehoming centre (Appendix O).

  The End Marmite neglect ad aimed to influence consumers to associate the Marmite brand with a light-hearted, friendly company. They attempted to do so through humour and a story line that was easy to relate to and therefore applicable to their wide target audience

 The members of the public whose houses are raided are of various ages including young children, potentially indicating Marmites target audience being families. Additionally to this, his use of frequent sarcastic remarks indicates the style of humour appeals well to a classic British stereotype, again appealing well to their UK target audience. Humour, as well as emotive language, plays a vital part in making this advert memorable. “If an ad is going to evoke a response that will last longer than a few seconds, it must create a memorable feeling.” (Hollis, 2010).

 Research after the ad was broadcast revealed that “Emotionally people can relate to the humour and scenarios shown and feel a strong connection to the brand.” (Joubert, 2013).

Conclusion

 Early advertising campaigns had trumpeted Marmite’s health-giving properties, employing the early slogan “good for you” in the 1930s. Here we can see the first instance of advertisements trying to persuade consumers rather simply stating the readily availability of products.

 Brand values are an important factor in creating a brand identity for Marmite. During both world wars, Marmite was a staple item in every soldiers ration pack. This led to feelings of familiarity for Marmite for both homemakers and war veterans. As discussed before, Arvidsson suggests that it this kind of brand value that have generated an attachment for many consumers during this time period.

 By the 90s, Marmite was a national institution, and was marketed as a traditional family favourite; a feature that remains in contemporary Marmite advertising today. The ‘tongue in cheek’ style of the ‘I hate/my mate Marmite’ advert began a new trend in Marmite branding. Their advertising soon proved to stand out amongst the array of other advertisements that littered televisions sets, just as their product does against other savoury spreads.

 When Marmites sales had started decreasing in 2013, they took this as an opportunity to revitalise the brand and create a brand new campaign.  

 The End Marmite Neglect ad was a 90-second parody of animal welfare documentaries designed to put a smile on your face whether you like the product or not. The advert does not poke fun at animal agencies rather it borrows their function as a context, but that’s where the association end.  Marmite had built on their already iconic love/hate theme to create a memorable ad that placed the product at the forefront of the public mind.

When asked about the ad a spokesperson from Marmite stated "We believe we have created an unmistakably Marmite ad - people will either love it or hate it and they certainly won't forget it.” (HuffingtonPost, 2013). Marmite has created a campaign as divisive to audiences as its weird tasting yeast-spread. With that, I’ll leave you with Marmite’s call to action: Love it. Hate it. Just don’t forget it.

Originally marketed at the good for you source of vitamin B, Marmite changed their tactics in the late 20^th century as a way to create memorable advertisements that would put the product at the forefront of a consumers mind. Mimicking the love/hate taste of the product, Marmite created ads that an audience would either love or hate but were sure to get them thinking about the product.

 Bibliography

Arvidsson, A. (2005). Brands: A critical perspective. Journal of consumer culture. 5 (2), 235-258.

adam&eveDDB. (2013). Case studies. Available: http://www.creativebrief.com/agency/work/20117/1963/marmite-advertising-digital-love-it-or-hate-it-by-adameveddb. Last accessed 9th Dec 2014.

Bhatia, V. (2005). Generic patterns in promotional discourse. In: Halmari, H & Virtanen, T Persuasion Across Genres: A Linguistic Approach. Amsterdam: John Benjamin. 213-225.

Dyer, G (2007). Advertising as communication. London: Routledge. 91.

Hearn, A. (2008). Meat, Mask, Burden . Journal of consumer culture. 8 (2), 197.

Hollis, N. (2010). Emotion in Advertising: Pervasive, Yet Misunderstood. Available: http://www.millwardbrown.com/docs/default-source/insight-documents/points-of-view/MillwardBrown_POV_EmotionInAdvertising.pdf. Last accessed 11th Dec 2014.

Huffington Post. (2013). Marmite TV Advert Draws Criticism And Praise For Mimicking Animal Cruelty Film. Available: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/07/marmite-tv-advert-complai_n_3719079.html. Last accessed 11th Dec 2014.

Joubert, S. (2013). Marmite ‘End Neglect’. Available: http://www.visioncritical.com/system/files/add%2Bimpact_VC_Marmite_Case-Study.pdf. Last accessed 11th Dec 2014.

Lessa, L. (2005). Discursive Struggles Within Social Welfare: Restaging Teen Motherhood. British Journal of Social Work. 36 (2), 283-298.

Liu, J & Le, T. (2013). Intertextual Techniques in Advertisements .International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research. 2 (1), 11

McStay, A. (2009). ‘The Consumer Society and Advertising,’ in Long, P. & Wall, T. (eds.), Media Studies: Texts, Production and Context, ch13, Harlow: Pearson Education, pp.424-446.

Paul Gee, J (2011). How to do discourse analysis. New York: Routledge. 1.

Wernick, A (1991), Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and Symbolic Expression, ch.8, London: Sage, pp.181-198.

To what extent can Scarlett Johansson be considered an adaptable and bankable star in her ongoing performance recreation?

 Since her breakthrough role in 2003s 'Lost in Translation', Scarlett Johansson has continuously proven that she is not just an actress who has 'coasted on her appearance' (D'addario, 2014) but one who possesses incredible talent and has the ability to become a box office draw.

 In his article journalist Daniel D'addario discusses Johanssons beginnings in Hollywood working with director Woody Allen. 'She gave the director what he apparently wanted, little more than sultriness' (D'addario, 2014). D'addario suggest that it is her work with Allen that established her as 'not much of an actress' (D'addario, 2014) but something pretty to please an audience. D'addarios article discusses Johansson early career and how it is her willingness to perform blankly and let her talents become lost to her sex appeal that made her a sometimes unlike-able and talentless Hollywood persona. He compares Johansson to Nicole Kidman who similarly, pre 'Moulin Rouge' spent her early years on film “projecting absolutely nothing on screen” (D'addario, 2014).

 Now in 2014, Johansson has truly come into her own as an actress, with a number of films in her repertoire, she has proven she has the ability to perform in a range of genres.  In this research report I will be analysing the ways in which Scarlett Johansson convincingly adapts to these genres and portrays believable characters. The films I will be analysing will be 'Lost in Translation', 'Iron Man 2' (2010) and 'Her' (2013).

 The elastic self can be defined as an actors ability to mould into a role or persona for any given project whilst still maintaining a public 'self' outside of the roles they play. The report will aim to examine the ways in which Scarlett Johansson becomes an 'elastic self' in order to portray this wide variety of characters in range of movie genres.

Methodology

 In order to conduct effective research I will undertake a rhetorical analysis the three aforementioned films.
 Rhetorical analysis is the study of the ways in which writers and speakers use words to influence an audience. A rhetorical analysis breaks down a non-fictional piece of work and

explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform. Using rhetorical analysis I will analyse the ways in which Scarlett Johanssons and to some degree the directors,  changes the techniques she uses in order to convince and entertain an audience..
 The examples of films I will be using to support my research will be taken from the genres of rom-com, action and sci-fi. Spanning from 2003 to 2013, these films also map the progression of Scarletts career from supporting actress to a strong lead role.

 2003s rom-com 'Lost in Translation' will be the first movie that I plan to analyse. Directed by Sophie Coppola, Scarlett acts opposite Bill Murray playing a neglected young women who forms an unlikely bond with a washed up actor.
 The second film that this research will concern itself with will 2010s 'Iron Man 2'. Johansson donned the role of Marvel comics Natasha Romonoff/Blackwidow and reprised the role in Avengers Assemble (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014). The character of Blackwidow has proven to be a pivotal role for Johanssons career as her first action role in Hollywood transcending her from romantic interest to a strong female role.
 The final film that I will look at for this research will be one of Johanssons more recent features. 'Her' was released at the end of 2013 and stars Johansson alongside Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix. One of her more unusual roles, Johansson does not physically appear in 'Her', rather she loans her voice to the character of Samantha, an OS machine within which the lead character falls in love with.

 In order to gain further knowledge on the idea of the elastic self and stardom I will be referring to a number of texts written by media professionals.
 The first of which will be Thomas Austins and Martin Barkers 'Contemporary Hollywood Stardom' (2003). Austins and Barkers book explores the political economy of stardom as well as questions of performance. The chapter that I will be using to support my research is chapter two entitled 'Embodying an Elastic Self: The parameters of Contemporary' written by guest author Barry King. King raises some key commentaries on an actors performance in the contemporary Hollywood such as stars no longer being employees in the movie industry but rather they are 'stakeholders in the enterprise that managers their career'. (King,2003 cited in Austin and Barker 2003). King discusses how an actor 'must be ready to switch roles as business opportunities arise' (King,2003 cited in Austin and Barker 2003) as well as the paradox of being able to become protean yet quintessential to the roles they play. Kings ideas will be useful towards to the development of this research as they will give me an in depth knowledge to some of the issues Johanssons takes into account when performing in film.
 Another text that I will refer to for this research will be the Rikke Schubarts 'Super bitches and action babes'. Schubarts book discusses the breakthrough for women in cinema.; in the late 20^th century more women appeared in different genres of films such as action, war, westerns and science fiction. Schubarts book analyses the role of women in such genres and the role of the female action hero in popular films and how women often function as both a sexualized spectacle and as a new female hero.

 Schubarts work will be important to consider when analysing the final film in my research. One of her newest and possibly most iconic role, Johansson made her move into action movies by taking on the role of Marvels Black Widow.

Analysis

Lost in Translation

 The first film I will be analysing will be 2003s 'Lost in Translation'. Directed by Sophie Coppola, 'Lost in Translation' was Johanssons breakthrough role and made her recognisable as an a-list celebrity.

 Johansson plays Charlotte,  an intelligent and spiritually lost housewife staying in Tokyo whilst her husband works. After a chance encounter in her hotel bar Charlotte bonds with washed up actor Bob (Bill Murray) over their shared loneliness and adventures in Tokyo.

 Johanssons acting style has been described as 'low energy' (D'addario, 2014) however is it this low energy that made her the perfect casting choice to portray the young Charlotte. Bored and lonely in an unusual city.

 The films opens with a prolonged shot of Johanssons panty-clad rearend as she lies on her hotel bed facing away from the audience (Appendix 1). The camera lingers on her bottom for an uncomfortable thirty-six seconds before the title of the film appears on screen. The unusually long period of time spent staring at Johanssons rear end is Coppolas comment on women in films. She forces the audience to really become aware of what that are looking at and potentially question, why? In his article Todd Kennedy discusses Coppolas choice to open with such an awkward shot “by focusing on just Johansson's buttocks, creates a lack of sexuality by showing an excess of flesh.” (Kennedy, 2010). Coppola seemingly tries to make Johansson appear as non-sexual whenever possible, never showing the actress wearing make-up or flattering clothing. The scene following the opening credits shows Charlotte lounging around her hotel room in nothing more then a vest top and the underwear from the previous scene. The audience is made the feel that they are invading on Charlotte personal lounge time, not that she is a sexual being who is aware of her sexuality.
 After we are invited to join Charlotte on her journey around Tokyo, we begin to witness the real emotion behind the character.  As she begins to question her future with husband Jon (Giovanni Ribisi) she rings her friend Lauren for some comfort and as a way to vent. Sensing her friend is to busy to talk to her, Charlotte hangs up and begins to cry to herself (Appendix 2). This is the first implication that Charlotte is terribly lonely whilst in Tokyo, with a husband she feels is far more interested in his work then her and a friend who does not have time to listen to her.
 Throughout this scene we do not get a full view on Johanssons whilst on the phone. Instead we witness this from the side again making the audience feel they are intruding on a personal moment for the character.
 As we do not get to view Johanssons emotion through her facial expression the actress uses her voice in order to convey this. Rather then Johanssons deep sultry voice we have all come to know, her voice is of a much higher tone, making this actress sound younger and more innocent.

 Upon her friend answering the phone, he voice immediately breaks as if she is about to cry, indicating that this emotion has been building up for quite some time. In contrast to this we get the bubbly tone of her friend who is clearly distracted and not fully paying attention to Charlotte. Realising this Charlotte put the phone down and begins to cry to herself. It is only brief moment that she is crying as she wipes the tears away from her and pulls herself together.

 It is in Johanssons voice alone that we begin to feel and connect with this character, clearly looking for some kind of support, she only has in this strange city. Johansson crying is not over the top in this scene, in fact it is rather understated. D'addario would say this is because of her low energy skills however it is a great interpretation of a smart Yale graduate who is confused about her current mental state.
The lighting is a very notable aspect of Coppola direction. Known for using minimal  artificial lighting Coppola is able to capture the real emotion and atmosphere of a scene. In the above scene, the natural lighting from the sunset outside of Charlotte’s hotel room helps the create a solemn and isolated atmosphere for the set and thus creates more of a atmosphere for Johansson to draw inspiration from.

 The next scene I will be analysing will be the scene between Charlotte, her husband John and his friend Kelly.

 Whilst sharing what appears to be a rare intimate moment between the couple, they bump into an old client of Johns, Kelly (Anna Faris). Immediately she is a stark contrast to the quiet and introvert Charlotte. Her bubbly personality soon takes all of Johns attention away from his wife whom he also fails to introduce to his friend.

 In this scene Johansson utilises her so called 'skill' of dead pan acting to show the awkwardness of the situation as she stands at the sidelines watching her husband and Kelly reminisce (appendix 3). These simple facial expressions however to not appear to show the character as uncomfortable I her situation be rather she appears to be judging this bubbly actress.

 The final scene I will be looking at from this film will be the initial interaction between the two protagonists of the film. After going to the hotel bar alone, Charlotte is seated next to Bob (Bill Murray) and he makes a joke when she is trying to decide what drink to buy. During this interaction we begin to see a different side to Charlotte, she is witty and quick with her remarks which contrasts hugely to otherwise shy and reserved women we saw earlier in the film. There appears to be a light behind Johansson's eyes that we have only just noticed. Surprisingly, it is Charlotte who strikes up the conversation with Bob, asking him what it is he in Tokyo to which he immediately tells her everything. This is followed by an awkward silence as we'd assume she would begin to discuss hers. Instead she sits silently, appearing to be waiting for him to ask her. Johansson does not appear to react to Bobs story telling during his short piece, instead she stares at him smiling awkwardly when he is finished (appendix 4).
 There interaction appears awkward at first however there is clearly a connection between the two, something which may come as a bit of a surprise to introvert Charlotte. Johansson uses quick glances and girlish giggles to show this, perhaps portraying the awkwardness she is feeling in this current situation.

 Overall, Johansson performance in this movie is successful is conveying the surprisingly plain and lonely young wife of a travelling photographer.

 Previous to her role in 'Lost in Translation' Johansson had usual been chosen for her looks and became nothing more then a sex object however in this project, audience are witness to the begins of a very successful career for a talented actress.

Iron Man 2
 The second artefact I will be analysing will be 2010s 'Iron Man 2'. In this movie Scarlett Johansson made her action genre début by bringing Marvels super spy Natasha Romonoff or to use her alias Blackwidow to life. 
 Introduced as a member of the legal team of Stark Industries, donning the name Natalie Rushman, she immediately distracts both Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Sparking the protagonists interests he invites her into the boxing ring. Upon entering Johansson slowing enters the ring whilst the camera remains focused on her face (Appendix 5). She stares into Starks eyes, waiting for him to respond rather than starting the conversation with him. It is this interaction with Stark that suggests Rushman is a mysterious yet self confident character who enjoys mild flirtations with the opposite sex.

 In 'Super bitches and action babes', Schubart states that “The first step to qualify as a female hero in a mans world is to be young and beautiful” (Rikke, 2007). Director Jon Favreau certainly establishes Rushman as a distractingly beautiful character; by playing on Johanssons sex allure, the audience is lulled in false sense of security that Johansson is purely there to please the eye and to support Stark playboy nature; at least for those members of the audience who do not read the comic books and are unaware of the real reason behind Rushman presence at Stark Industries.

  Johanssons acting style has been described as 'low energy' (D'addario, 2014) however in 'Iron Man 2' it is this low energy that makes both the films protagonist and the audience believe that she is who she says she is. It is the rare bursts of energy we can begin to wonder if there is more to this character (and Johanssons acting abilities for that matter) that meets the eye.

 When Hogan is tasked with giving the seemingly sweet and innocent Rushman a boxing lesson in the same scene he mistakenly mocks her when she comments she has had boxing training previously. When she appears to be distracted by Stark, Hogan takes that as an opportunity to show his boxing skills only to be taken the floor almost immediately.

 Although this scene in primarily there to introduce the character to the film as well as to the Marvel cinematic universe. Johansson manages to use her 'low energy' acting to make her appear as a one dimensional character, purely there to please the male audiences and and to support Starks playboy nature.

 The second scene from 'Iron Man 2' I will be looking at will be the scene in which Natalie helps Tony prepare for his birthday party. Although still looking professional Johansson wears a tight figure hugging dress, perfectly silhouetting her body. Calm and collected, she hands Stark a dirty Martini, looks flirtatiously at him and asks “Is that dirty enough for you?” clearly making the protagonist uncomfortable (appendix 6). Trying to provoke a response, Rushman sits seductively next to Stark barely making conversation with him, instead she projects a mysterious and interesting aura which Stark pin points perfectly when he states “you know it's hard to get a read on you” .

 At this point in the movie, Johansson has used Natalie Rushman and created a young, sexy and mysterious character. An audience member who is unaware of her alias may begin to wonder why producers chose such a well known actress to play a seemingly minor role in the film.
 The final scene from 'Iron Man 2' that I will be analysing will be the scene that the audience is finally made aware of Rushmans true identity, or as we now know her as, The Black Widow.
 When trying to break into a building, The Black Widow and Happy Hogan are faced with the task of disarming a number of security guards. In the time is takes Hogan to take down one guard we get to witness The Black Widow take down a number in a matter of minutes. This contrast between the two characters may seemingly be for comical substance however when taking into account Schubarts commentary on the popular female action hero, The Black Widow is simply a character who defies established gender roles and takes the action into her own hands, literally.
 During this scene, the camera follows Johanssons performances as The Black Widow, paying attention to those remarkable moves that knock the 'bad guys' out. After every move there is moment when the camera pauses and Johansson pauses in whatever position she is in, displaying to the audience her calm attitude towards the combat (appendix 7). It is this attitude and Johanssons dead pan acting that allows us to truly believe she is an unstoppable machine.

 Johanssons performance as The Black Widow in 'Iron Man 2' proved to audiences and critics that she was more then capable of performing roles that may call for her to use her allure however she  uses this as a mask for a character who has so many more layers to her. Johanssons successful portrayal quickly became an audience favourite with the character making further appearances in 2012s 'Marvels: The Avengers' and 2014s 'Captain America: The Winter Solider'.

Her
 2013 marked the release of one of Johansson most unusual roles. Set in the not too distant future, she stars along side Joaquin Phoenix as Samantha, an operating system (OS) designed to keep those who need it company. 'Her' is a heartbreaking story with themes of loneliness and love.

 We never see Johansson on screen in this film. It is truly Johanssons talents as a actress that must make the audience believe Joaquin Phoenix could fall in love with nothing more then a voice.“It wasn’t until she took her body off screen entirely, in her flirtatious and heartbreaking turn in “Her,” that we all realized she was good at acting” (D'addario, 2014).  Although acting since she was 8, it is in 2013 that we finally see the full range of Scarlett talents.

 The scene I look at will be the first time we are introduced to Samantha. As the protagonist of the film Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) begins to set up his new OS system the download music begins to play and we are building anticipation for himself and the audience. We then hear a gentle and soothing woman voice state “Hello I'm here”. Immediately, the tone in Johanssons voice portrays a flirtatious young women. Her tone is different to any other she has done before, she is bright and happy just as someone would be if they were in an eternal 'slumber' so to speak.

 Despite the newness in her tone, Johansson is able to sound 'all knowing'. It would be easy to believe that she is as intelligent as artificial intelligence would be.

 Throughout the film, Johansson manages to seamlessly switch between a caring friend/lover to the encouraging and upbeat companion.

 In the scene following Theodore's reminded of his impending divorce, we see Samantha try and console an emotional Theodore. Using a soft comforting tone, she truly sounds as though she cares for her friend and genuinely wants to make him feel better. Her lack of experience though make her fail to see the emotional damage a divorce can cause.

 The mood quickly changes to much more energetic one when she tries to get Theodore out of bed. Even though she is an A.I. Johanssons she makes us feel as though she is in the room with Theodore, as if she could be forcing him out of the bed physically. It is this interaction that makes her a believable personality even without the aid of being physically on screen.
 Part of this believability is due to the performance of  Joaquin Phoenix whilst on stage. Through his reactions to Samantha we get to truly feel the ins and out the relationship with an A.I. When the two characters interact we feel as though we are witnessing a really relationship between a couple.

 The final scene that I will be looking at will be one of the last scenes in the film. By this point in the film, both protagonists have been through traditional relationship issues. Both have experienced the pang of jealously, trust issues and feelings of doubt however they have always powered through.

 At this point in the film the inevitable has happened. Samantha being a machine that is capable of learning through experience and capable of feeling emotion has out grown her current state and yearns for something more. She finds herself belonging to world not of the physical. 

 Johansson performs this scene in a monotone voice the majority of the time. She tries not to show to much emotion, as if Samantha knew this was coming all along. Here we begin to see the traditional dead pan Johansson acting, somewhat similar to Charlotte in 'Lost in Translation'.

Conclusion

 Despite whether you like Johansson as a performer there is no denying her appeal. Johansson could easily receive roles based on her appearance alone however the actress is constantly pushing herself to try new things and to break the mould Hollywood had originally put her in.
 After analysing these films, it is clear Johansson has learnt where her strength lie in acting and utilises that in order to portray different characters. Her 'low energy' acting has become her greatest strength. As we can see in this report, she convincingly portrays a super spy so much so that the character returned for a further two films with another in works, as well as rumoured solo film.

 In 2014, during award season, Johansson caused uproar when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association ruled that she not eligible to be nominated for the title of best actress because he role was that of a voice over and we do not see her on stage. With having critism for the decision, it is clear that critics and audience a like have finally come to a place that they can finally appreciate Johansson for a talented actress.

Jurassic Park - Marketing Report

Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Universal Studios, Jurassic park is still considered a ground breaking piece of film even 21 years after it's release.

 The film was released in the UK on the 16^th July 1993 and became the years highest grossing film  and at the time it was released it became the highest grossing film of all time.

 This report will aim to research and analyse the ways in which producers at Universal Studios used marketing techniques in order to create an affective campaign for the movie. Using this film as my text I will analyse such aspects of a marketing strategy as the teaser and full trailer and the use director Steven Spielberg as the 'star' of the film. I will also examine the ways in which producers have turned an otherwise gory and horrifying film into a household name that is enjoyed by children around the world.

Jurassic Park: 65 Million years in the making.

 Huge advancements in scientific technology have allowed for scientists to genetically engineer dinosaurs from DNA preserved in amber. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) uses this technology and opens Jurassic Park, and interactive theme park located on the remote island of Isla Nublar off the coast of Costa Rica.

 When tragedy strikes and one of the parks workers in killed by a ferocious Velociraptor in a routine task, the park is at risk of closure before it has even opened to the public. In order to save his beloved dinosaurs, Hammond requests the help of Palaeontologists Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to endorse the park. Joined by Hammond's lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero), chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and Hammond's grandchildren Lex and Tim (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) the group are treated to a private tour of the park. When computer nerd Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) attempts the steal dinosaur embryos from the lab, he shuts down the whole park leading to carnivorous monsters roaming the island and endangering all those left on the island.

Box office

 With an estimated budget of $63,000,000 (IMDB) Jurassic Park broke box office weekend records making $47,026,828 in it's first Friday-Sunday run.  By end of it's theatrical run the film had grossed over $900 million worldwide.

 For the films 20^th anniversary, Universal re-released Jurassic Park in 3D which opened in 4^th place in the North American box office making $18.6 million. By end of it's time in theatres the film had grossed over $1,029,153,882 worldwide meaning “the film is now thirteenth on the all-time earners list” (White, 2013).

Target audience

 Whilst the film was targeted towards all age groups in the UK it received a PG rating for parental guidance. This was due to disturbing scenes that may be too much to children or those with a sensitive disposition. Jurassic Park had only been the second film to receive the PG certificate, “it may come to be known as the Spielberg rider as the other case was his early film Jaws.” (Lister, 1993).

 Listers news article was published less than a month before the films release date and created a buzz around the movie and what scenes viewers would get see. What's more the article even goes on the state that Spielberg himself would not take his own children to see the film as it is 'too intense.' (Lister, 1993)

Critical reception

 Jurassic Park received worldwide critical acclaim upon it's release in 1993. This was mainly due to  ground braking special-effects however the film was criticised for a lack of story and characterisation. Rolling Stones journalist Peter Travers described the film as a "colossal entertainment—the eye-popping, mind-bending, kick-out-the-jams thrill ride of summer and probably the year [...] Compared with the dinos, the characters are dry bones, indeed. Crichton and co-screenwriter David Koepp have flattened them into nonentities on the trip from page to screen." (Travers, 1993). Despite criticism, Jurassic Park had won all three Academy Awards it was nominated for which included Best Sound Editing, Best sound mixing and Best visual effects.

 Review aggregator Rotten Tomatos rated the film 'certified fresh' and gave it 93% with an average scoring of 8.2 out of 10 whilst critics on IMDB rated it at an average of 8.0 out of 10.

Trailers

 The teaser trailer for Jurassic park opens with an excavation on a mine wherein we see workers find fossilised remains of mosquitoes. A voice over is then heard explaining how these fossilised remains have helped in the genetic development of dinosaurs stating 'For the first time man and dinosaurs shared the earth'. 

 The teaser builds suspense for the audience; rather than revealing the dinosaurs straight away it focuses more so on the scientific advancements which have allowed for the creation of such creatures. In fact, if a member of the audience was viewing the teaser for the first time they may believe it was advertisement for an actual theme park. It is not until the last few seconds of the trailer wherein the voice over states “This summer director Steven Spielberg will take you there” that an audience member will realise it is a teaser for a film. Further more, by first explaining the science behind the bringing the dinosaurs into the 20^th century, the teaser establishes the film in the science fiction genre more so than other themes that are actually featured more heavily throughout the movie such as action and horror.

 The longer 3 minute trailer continues this trend of not fully revealing to the audience the tremendous creatures we will soon get to witness on our screens. Instead we are introduced to the movies stars and we get to experience the sheer awe as they are guests to this one of a kind theme park.

 The trailer creates an ominous tone as we hear the stars of the film voice their concerns of recreating these enormous creatures that died out 65 million years ago. As Dr. Grant voices his concern “two species separated by 65 million years of evolution suddenly thrown back into the mix together. We have idea what could possibly happen” we are treated to the iconic Spielberg technique of suspense. Like the ominous Jaws theme tune along with that terrifying dorsal fin peering through the water, we are presented with the heavy echoing footsteps and vibration of what can only be thought of as a creature of enormous size. Rather then allowing the audience to bare witness to magnitude of the dinosaurs we are only allowed a fleeting glimpse of the dinosaurs. Josh Horowitz describes this tactic as 'that old Spielberg axiom of never revealing too much' (Horowitz, 2007). This tactic is still seen being used by Spielberg in his newer films, for example when he and director Michael Bay did the same for their production of  Transformers in 2007.

 Instead the trailers builds suspense thus making audience want to visit the cinema in order witness how these magnificent creature are translated onto the big screen.

Poster

 The Jurassic Park poster (Appendix A) follows a very minimalistic and simple style, with just the fictional parks logo which will eventually become to logo for the film franchise.

 The logo for the film and fictional park is positioned in the centre of the poster which suggests it is the most important element of the poster. The Bright red and orange colours of the logo contrast to the plain black background further highlighting the importance of the image. The silhouette of the dinosaur suggests what topic and theme is going to run throughout the film. Without revealing  too much of the film the poster manages to forebode what the film will entail.

 The film is marketed with the tag line '65 million years in the making!' This is situated below the films logo and it coloured white, making it stand out against the black background. In a video released in a press pack before the movies release, director Steven Spielberg can be heard making a joke about the mosquitoes preserved in amber on Hammonds walking stick, according to Universal this was where the initial idea for the tag line had come from.

 The rest of the text that is featured on the poster is extremely thin and dark in colour which makes it difficult to read against the black background of the poster. This further encourages viewers to pay closer attention to the logo and title of the film. The title of the director is placed at the very top of the poster, placing him as the most important person in relation to the movie (more so than the actors).

Concept over Star power

 'The film was also a triumph of concept over star power, as it represented the appeal of the idea versus the movie star.' (Mendelson, 1023). Whilst is could be said that every other summer smash from the same year was typically Star endorsed. Jurassic Park became one of those rare movies wherein the concept of overall themes of the movie could still result in a box office smash without any star power behind it.

 The stars of the film, Richard Attenborough, Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum were not typically actors who would plaster their face over posters in order to sell tickets. However, news of  Richard Attenborough return to movies after a 14 year semi-retirement could have been responsible for some of the buzz surrounding the movie. Attenborough was already a beloved household name and well known for his roles in films such as Brighton Rock and The Great Escape. Attenborough claimed it was Spielberg who talked him out of retirement because he had “the charm of the devil.” (Peter T. Chattaway, 2008).  With news of his return to film as well as the fact Spielberg  encourage him to take the role this would created excitement for fans of Attenborough movies and  made them curious as to why this was the film that made him come out of retirement.

 It could be said that the star that was highly endorsed with Jurassic Park was Steven Spielberg himself. Before the release of Jurassic Park, Spielberg had already had success with Jaws, E.T.: Extra terrestrial and Indian Jones: Raiders of the lost Arc creating an established movie fan base. He is therefore featured more heavily on movie posters and trailers then the actual 'stars' we see on the screen.

The Jurassic Park Franchise

 After the success of the first Jurassic Park film fans encouraged and begged the author of the book with which the film was based upon to write a second in order for Spielberg to create a second movie.

  By the end of it's theatrical release the second in the Jurassic Park franchise The Lost world had grossed $618,638,999 and the third Jurassic Park 3 grossing $368,780,809. Despite the decline in box office revenues, a fourth film entitled Jurassic World as been announced for released in 2015 clearly proving that Jurassic Park is still a memorable and enjoyable franchise.

Merchandise and Events

Prior to and after the release of the film, as part of their marketing campaign, producers for Jurassic Park decided upon the use of merchandise as a way to market the film. Although the film was not particularly targeted for a younger audience, producers aimed to establish Jurassic Park as a house hold name by using a wide range of merchandise that would reach a younger audience. This included three Jurassic Park video games (Appendix B), a range of toys distributed by Hasbro (Appendix C) and toys that accompanied McDonalds Happy Meals. (Appendix D)

 One of the largest endorsements by the production company was the creation of the Jurassic Park ride (Appendix E). This opened in the Universal Studios Hollywood in 1996. The ride was opened a three years after the first film and a year before the sequel and therefore reminded audiences of the thrilling adventure they had once seen in the first film.

  Following the films release a travelling exhibition called the Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park began, which showcased dinosaur skeletons and film props (Julia M. Klein.1995).

Conclusion

 The marketing for Jurassic Park proved very successful as it paved the way for one of the most successful films of all time. Producers adopted various PR techniques in order to make Jurassic Park a household and a recognisable name which is still enjoyed 20 years after the films release.

 At the time of it's release, Jurassic Park broke box office records and has since become one of the high grossing films franchises of all time pulling in over 2 million at the box office (BoxOfficeMojo.com, 2001) despite heavy criticism for Jurassic Park 3.

 The upcoming 2015 release of Jurassic World, the fourth instalment in the franchise, is already promising to to become another box office smash, despite original director Steven Spielberg having nothing to do with the production of the movie.