What is your understanding of ‘branding awareness’ in this context?
Branding awareness can be summarised as “the buyer’s ability to identify (recognise or recall) the brand, within the product or service category, in sufficient detail to make a purchase”(Rossiter, 2014). The consumer’s ability to recall a brand influences their purchase decisions and overall attitude about the brand. Marketing can be used to establish a specific idea of the brand in people’s minds, through consistent messaging and creating a brand identity. As Seth Godin puts it, “Marketing is the story you tell, who you’re telling it to, why people are gonna buy it” (Godin, 2019). It is important for audiences to gain a sense of trust in a brand before they engage with products and become loyal consumers.
Rossiter establishes three types of brand awareness. Brand Recognition is important when the brand choice is made at the point of purchase, and the customer only knows the iconography when seen (brand name, pack or logo) and is the lowest level of brand awareness. Category-Cued Brand-Name Recall influences the buyer’s ability to recall the brand name before purchase, accurately enough to look for it or order it when given the category cue. Brand Recall-Boosted Recognition occurs when the buyer knows the brand, category and can visually locate specific products, and is the highest level of brand awareness.
Branding awareness is also being used in the context of the gallery sphere. As The National Gallery of Victoria was founded in 1861, the gallery emphasises their connection to Australians via their 158-year history. The NGV’s strategic framework states that ‘today the NGV is a dynamic, vibrant and essential community asset that contributes to the cultural, educational, social and economic wellbeing of Victorians’ (NGV Annual Report, 2018). They implement this messaging of the ‘oldest and most visited gallery in Australia’ in their branding across social media platforms and event promotion.
How are other galleries using media content to expand their ‘branding awareness’?
Using the NGV’s online presence as an example, the NGV has established a strong brand voice across several media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, newsletter and publications). The NGV’s Instagram has 355k followers, and their Facebook has 209k, which illustrates their wide audience. Their media content follows a community-driven approach, following their mission to ‘collect, conserve, develop and promote the state’s works of art and bring art to the people of Victoria’ (NGV Annual Report, 2018).
This is present in their main media content on Instagram. The NGV produces an array of content including video, photography, carousels, and educational artist profiles and tours. The gallery’s archival content points back to their archives of artwork, which reinforces the idea of conservation and education to their audience. Additionally, the gallery often promotes ’new’ content and events such as NGV Friday nights, collaborations with brand partners and community projects. In doing so, the NGV brands themselves as focused on building connections with the community to “enrich[..] our understanding of art and life” (NGV Annual Report, 2018).
The NGV’s Instagram
What media and communication strategies are art galleries using to guide the production of content?
Art galleries are implementing a number of communication strategies to drive the production of content. Through my research, I have discovered that COVID-19 has prompted galleries in general to move online to hybridise their space and increase their accessibility to audiences. Prior to the pandemic, the NGV has always maintained a strong online presence; it was named the most tagged Instagram location in Victoria for 2018 and the fifth most tagged in Australia. This is outlined in their goal ‘Bringing art works to life’ in their strategic framework: ‘The NGV aims to harness[…] digital technologies to take more artworks to broader audiences’ (NGV Annual Report, 2018). To promote ongoing engagement with their audience during COVID-19, the National Gallery has started the hashtag #NGVEveryday.
The #NGVEveryDay hashtag
Other strategies used to market and campaign the NGV until now have included art events, exhibitions, and selling products related to the artists. The NGV’s strong publishing program continued in 2018/19, with the commissioning, development and release of thirty publications across print and online. The NGV also continued its commitment to accessibility through the online publication of numerous texts, including essays and interviews (NGV Annual Report, 2018). Each of these media strategies help to market the NGV to their audience.
Reference list:
- Rossiter, J. R 2014, ‘Branding’ Explained: Defining and Measuring Brand Awareness and Brand Attitude’, The Journal of Brand Management vol. 21, no. 7-8, pp. 533-40
- Godin, S 2019, What is Marketing Today? With Seth Godin, Youtube, 19 December, viewed 26 August 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=271&v=vrJY85dBJLc&feature=emb_logo>.
- COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA 2018, NGV Annual Report, viewed 29 August 2020, <https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NGV-ANNUAL-REPORT-2018_19.pdf>.
- Screenshot of the #NGVEveryDay hashtag
- Screenshot of the NGV’s Instagram account
Provide the name of the practitioner, the title of the work, the date when it was made, and a link to the work.
#NGVEveryDay: Monet’s ‘Rough weather at Étretat is an IGTV video produced by the NGV. It was published on their Instagram account on July 28, 2020. The video work can be accessed here:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CDLXL3WH9f7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Provide some context on the visual content by summarising the content, the context of publication, and the audience it targets.
This video was produced as part of NGV’s #NGVEveryDay series. It is a guided virtual tour of Monet’s artwork, ‘Rough weather at Étretat (Gros Temps à Étretat)’. It is presented by Ted Gott, the Senior Curator of International Art. Through his audio narration, he illustrates the painting’s historical significance and the creative choices made by Monet in this artwork. The video is relevant to the NGV’s strategic aim of connecting audiences with art, knowledge and ideas, as it is an informative video snippet about the artwork. The NGV has over 355k followers on Instagram and as a result the reach of their content is quite wide. This video in particular targets fans of the artist Monet, existing patrons of the gallery, people interested in art and artists, those who are engaged by story and those following the #NGVEveryDay hashtag.
How was the visual content made technically?
The visuals have been recorded using high quality camera(s) to give the video a professional looking appearance. This indicates a level of refinement that the gallery can provide to their audience. It consists of sweeping pans across the artwork, and shots of the gallery space to display the painting within the context of the art gallery. Overall, the video has an austere atmosphere. The audio emphasises this as it consists of a piano soundtrack and narration from the Senior Curator of International Art. During post production, closed captions have been provided for the narration. The video is in the 9:16 portrait format which displays well on mobile devices. This would suit the context their audience will be accessing the video from.
How does this piece of visual content fit into the art galleries media and communication strategies? What is it trying to achieve?
In this video work, the device of storytelling is used to draw in the viewer and educate them about the artist and the painting’s context in history. In the NGV’s 2018-2019 Annual Report, the gallery states: “The NGV maintains a holistic approach to programming, customer service and audience engagement initiatives to empower audiences to engage meaningfully with art and design” (NGV, 2019). By providing connections to the artwork through virtual tours, the NGV is facilitating connections between audiences and the gallery space. It aims to invite their audience to contemplate the meaning behind the artwork. It also reminds them that the gallery is focused on their needs, as they are committed to genuine community engagement. The gallery recognises that the NGV Collection exists for the community to access and enjoy (NGV, 2019).
Why did you choose this particular work?
I chose this video work as I am a follower of the NGV’s Instagram and a fan of Monet’s artwork. I was immediately invested in discovering the context behind this specific piece, as I had this video appear on my feed shortly after its publication. I became immersed in the story behind the artwork through the narration and music. I appreciated the up-close detail shots of the brushstrokes within the piece. I believe that art should be accessible to everyone and even those with a casual interest in artwork should be given the chance to appreciate the history behind each piece. The video demonstrates the gallery’s commitment to building a relationship between its patrons and the artwork on display.
What do you find inspiring about the content and form?
Something that inspired me about this work was that the high quality production of the video made me feel like I was visiting the gallery myself, and I felt nostalgic about walking through the gallery space. The video went in-depth into Monet’s perspective of the seaside town, but presented the information within a very short time frame which captured my attention. The gallery is successful in using short format video to produce an analysis of the work in an engaging way. Having an expert (the Senior Curator) commentate on the artwork gives the audience an informed view on Monet’s work. I also believe using vertical video gives the content more of a visual presence in their feed and a larger appearance on audiences’ news feeds. This format is something I would like to explore in my own authoring of content moving forward into our collaboration with McClelland.
VIDEO WORK
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFptbKQjDAs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
All images and/or screenshots used below are my own and were taken during the production of my work.
Introduce your video work in relation to responding to the conceptual brief and the guidelines on form.
This week, my Instagram post is inspired by our upcoming studio collaboration with McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery. My aim is to respond to the conceptual brief to guide the content of video production which is ‘‘Space and time for contemplation beyond our everyday life”. For this piece of work, I have compiled stills from my visits to the NGV. This was inspired by our class discussions about how art can make us conscious of ourselves and the world around us. We have considered how art galleries can provide people with experiences they would not get through everyday activities. In this week’s studio blog post, it states that “… it could be argued that art through the way it transports our thinking to places we have not considered before, is often seen as providing experiences ‘beyond our everyday life’”. In terms of form, the guideline for this work was working with the process of sequential design. The prompt is to deliver a swipeable Instagram carousel that could be converted into a moving-image (or video) slide show, which has 3-10 photos that is published on Instagram in your account. My intention is to look back on my experiences at the NGV and how the gallery serves as a place that provides space and time for contemplation.
What did you learn from the authoring and publishing process?
While authoring this week, I selected still images from my Camera roll to be used in my carousel. I produced the carousel using the app Film Frames, which helps you create layouts for Instagram posts. I chose to use the ‘Seamless Carousel Pack’, using 4 carousel slides (with 7 images in total). After considering the placement and order of each still, I exported the carousel images in the highest resolution possible for Instagram (1080p). While authoring and publishing this week, my biggest surprise was the amount of photo editing software available for carousels on the App store- it appears that with every rollout of new Instagram features, developers are quick to produce tools that take advantage of these affordances. Film Frames was incredibly simple to use and I was able to produce the carousel without much trouble.
What went well?
I was really satisfied with the overall look of this carousel- I combined the images from the NGV with some related imagery from my Camera roll of clouds and a fluorescent room to fit within the overall colour palette of the post and my overall Instagram feed. I believe the visuals I chose work together in the sequence well in capturing the feeling of being at the NGV. I wanted to pay homage to the artists Rosslyd Piggott and Ross Manning whose works have been featured in past exhibitions. The Film Frames application really simple to use and was especially useful in seeing the overall layout of the images within the post.
What did not go well?
While producing the content to be published, I did not consider that manipulating images of the artists’ works in this way means they may not be presented in the way each artist originally intended them to. This presents an ethical concern in terms of use, which I will have to be sensitive to in the future while creating content for Instagram. I also had to ensure that I attributed all of the artists’ work in the caption (the original post has now been edited to include the titles of the work, dates of the work and artist names).
What could you do better?
In my final post I ended up only using 7 slides in my carousel; in the livestream presented by Instagram marketing expert Chris Do, he talks about how to maximise the use of carousels on Instagram. Instagram affords 10 slides in a carousel, so why not use them all? This would increase the amount of time spent on my post and direct viewers to my profile. Additionally, as I opted to use an app instead of Adobe software to create the carousel, I feel as though there are skills I could learn to produce more dynamic carousels. Creating a carousel in Photoshop would give me more control over the positioning and visual relationships between the images in each slide. I also feel some technical aspects of the post could be improved, for example, some of the images could have been in higher resolution. As I was only selecting images from my gallery, unfortunately, I did not have much control over this factor.
Respond to the studio prompt question ‘How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way video content is authored?‘ What insights can you add in response to this question?
Carousels are unique in that they are essentially an album of content. Albums of photos and videos can be found on other platforms like Facebook, however, on Instagram, there is a level of interactivity involved in swiping through the content. This creates large potential for creators and businesses to use carousels to get users spending more time on Instagram viewing posts on their home feed, before directing them to their profile. While authoring content for Instagram, there are a range of formats that can now be considered: Reels, IGTV, stories, story highlights, carousels, and generic photo and video posts. With this wide array of options available to creators, it becomes difficult to decide which is worthwhile using to author engaging content. The key with carousels is that it is possible to draw people in through the first few slides, which is when users will consider whether they want to engage with the entire post or not. One downside to using carousels is that later slides may not be viewed, and will essentially be hidden away in the main Instagram feed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpq6Z1D9es/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
All images and/or screenshots used below are my own and were taken during the production of my work.
Introduce your video work in relation to responding to the conceptual brief and the guidelines on form.
This week, my video centres around contemplating feelings of longing for summer in a space away from home. My intent is to respond to the conceptual brief to guide the content of video production which is ‘‘Space and time for contemplation beyond our everyday life”. For this piece of work I have compiled a selection of footage from my trip to our house in Phillip Island, which holds memories of family and the sun. In terms of form, the guideline for this work was to use a combination of video and text to respond to the conceptual brief; the text should be used through the work to communicate my response. My intention is to combine text with visuals to create an atmosphere of summer that transports me back to this calming space. My work is presented in a series of snippets of short videos that create a sense of the larger environment of the house and sea.
What did you learn from the authoring and publishing process?
During my authoring process, I compiled videos from my Camera roll into Premiere Rush to edit. I chose to format the video using the 4:5 canvas, for ease of posting later to Instagram. After importing my clips I kept the length of each mostly the same as the original videos. While editing I kept in mind the overall rhythm, as though the viewer was witnessing a series of fleeting moments. I then exported the sequence to my Camera roll to edit in the Prequel app. A key piece of learning for me was not being afraid to experiment with the footage that I have to work with as a part of the sketching process. I attempted a few drafts of videos using filters that would accentuate the ‘summer’ atmosphere I wanted to achieve. I finally settled on the ‘Jewelry’ and ‘Super-8’ effects in my final video draft. Before publishing I moved to Premiere Pro on my desktop to add text graphics to the video. While uploading to Instagram I kept auto-play for my video on as the default which allowed the video to loop continuously for the viewer. In my caption I included hashtags as I have in my previous posts, which I am learning should be carefully considered to maximise their effect. For example, I combined hashtags with a smaller reach and those with a large reach to distribute the content in several channels.
What went well?
I am very satisfied with the overall look and feel of the video; I think that the Prequel effect ‘Jewelry’ adds to the warm, summer atmosphere that I intended to create. I also believe the framing of each clip works to create a ‘snippet’ feel as though the viewer is looking back in time. The ‘Super-8’ effect also gives the clip of the table setting a handheld or homemade feeling. I wanted the audience to feel the same kind of nostalgia through the colour grading and imagery I chose. I am also happy with the font I chose to use for the text- the italicised cursive font has a refined and relaxed appearance that aligns with the footage. I think that the video serves its purpose to transport the viewer to another place in time.
What did not go well?
Something I could improve on is incorporating more textual elements alongside the video to meet this week’s prompt. I did not register until after publishing that I had only included title text; if I were to attempt this again I would add more text that narrates the imagery of summer. This could be done in a poetic manner, with text relating to certain memories or sounds that I encountered- for example, the splashing of waves or the creak of the chair. This would help add more of a storytelling element to my work, which I believe is important to engaging the viewer in my work.
What could you do better?
Besides the textual elements, something I believe could be improved is the sound. I used the diegetic audio of each clip, to preserve the feeling of being in each space. Alternatively, to emphasise these different sounds I could have mixed them together a little to create a consistent soundtrack. I would also increase the audio slightly to highlight the different environments. Despite this, I am pleased with the way the visuals turned out alongside the audio.
Respond to the studio prompt question ‘How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way video content is authored?‘ What insights can you add in response to this question?
My production of content this week was guided by the idea that Instagram is a highly visual platform. There are several ways that content can be exposed to audiences: through their news feed, the explore page, from hashtags or from your profile. These many channels of publishing make it easier than ever for videos and images to be viewed. Instagram is constantly evolving. So when authoring, it is important to keep in mind your audience and how they will engage with the content. My intent was to take advantage of large format video (4:5) to take up a large amount of space in the viewer’s news feed. By experimenting with colourful visuals, my aim is to draw in the viewer and provide value by reminiscing about place.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpqMqujwHa/
All images and/or screenshots used below are my own and were taken during the production of my work.
Introduce your video work in relation to responding to the conceptual brief and the guidelines on form.
For my video work this week, my aim was to respond to the conceptual brief to guide the content of video production for this assignment, which is ‘‘Space and time for contemplation beyond our everyday life”. I have found myself reminiscing on travel as a way to escape our lockdown situation. I was lucky enough to visit Bali earlier in January, and looking back at the footage I feel as though I am transported back into those moments away from home. Being in nature was a way of reconnecting with myself and experiencing ‘normal’ in another country making it different from my everyday. Looking towards working with the gallery, I envisioned how I could explore the bushland environment in a similar way to address their mission statement of contemplating beyond the everyday. In terms of form, the guideline for this work was to create a video work that starts from an audio recording. My work begins by focusing on the sound of a waterfall which then leads into a voiceover about exploration. The intent of this is to draw in the viewer through creating a calming atmosphere that aligns with the scenery that is shown.
What did you learn from the authoring and publishing process?
During the authoring process, the main thing I learnt was how to be selective with the footage I had to work with. As I had a large volume of content and the videos were tied to memories of my trip, it became quite difficult to narrow down the shots I wanted to use. I collated clips from my Camera Roll and imported them into Premiere Rush on my mobile device. I began by sketching out how the sound would lead into the video itself. I chose a creative commons track that features Alan Watts, which is copyright free (licensed under an Attribution 3.0 Unported license). I created several videos with the voiceover track I had selected, with the waterfall sounds in different orders. In this way, I was able to experiment with sound. To amplify the sound of water, I represented this visually by layering the videos on top of each other within the sequence. I then cut together the rest of the clips to the duration of the audio track. I exported the video using the 1080p Match Framerate preset to then be published to Instagram. I chose not to go with heavy colour grading, instead I added a slight filter in-app in order to bring out some more of the environment’s green colour.
While publishing, I kept auto-play for my video on as the default which allowed the video to loop continuously for the viewer. I made sure to give credit for the sound used in the caption of my video, as instructed in the caption on YouTube and creative commons license. After my attribution information, I included hashtags to distribute the content further, such as #calming and #pandemic which are relevant to the context in which the video is being posted. My takeaway for publishing this week is to stay consistent with replying to comments after the video is uploaded, and to interact with others on the platform rather than simply broadcasting my content.
What went well?
I was fairly satisfied with how my video turned out this week, I think the audio added to the atmosphere of the final video as it has quite a motivational message. My aim is to encourage others to look back on their own lives and appreciate the opportunities they have had to explore outside of the house. I was able to incorporate the process of sketching into my making process, by playing with the placement and volume of sound at the beginning of the video. By focusing on one idea and exploring it multiple times, over and over, I was allowing myself to just be creative. Moving forward I like the idea of exploring trial and error within my own work. As a whole, I am becoming accustomed to authoring and publishing videos for the platform.
What did not go well?
I had some issues navigating editing on the Premiere Rush app itself, as my options were quite limited in terms of the effects I could use. There were some clips I was not able to motion stabilise as it was simply not a capability of the app. In addition to this, the app would freeze and crash a fair amount of times during the editing process. To navigate this in the future I may have to switch to desktop editing instead of mobile editing for Instagram or utilise a different post-production app. Some of the sound transitions were also a little choppy due to the limited options for sound editing, which hindered my emphasis on audio for this week.
What could you do better?
I believe I could have experimented with audio even further, by layering only sound from the original clips in an elaborate way but was limited by time constraints. This might be something I can explore in future video works. I also think that due to the popularity of Reels recently, the post could have gotten more attention if it were posted in that format on Instagram. I am able to change the sequence dimensions within Premiere Rush, so this would have been an easy fix.
Respond to the studio prompt question ‘How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way video content is authored?‘ What insights can you add in response to this question?
At this point in the course, I have familiarised myself with several of Instagram’s affordances. While authoring and publishing this week, something that stuck out for me in particular was that not only was I keeping the 1-minute time constraint in mind while producing the video, I envisioned how the cover I chose would look within the feed I have created. I have been continuing to publish a second picture each week to create a consistent aesthetic for my account, so the ability to select cover photos for my videos has helped me maintain an overall colour palette. As mentioned earlier, I also believe Reels is an excellent affordance that would be interesting to capitalise on moving forward.
