Conventions-Form and Genre-

Sponsorship Sequence

Jenny Katy Olivia Millie

A typical convention of sponsorship sequences is their timing; with the production usually lasting 15-20 seconds long, sometimes shorter. This

convention aims to quickly advertise the product in a quick and sharp way which manages to attract attention off the audience. Our sponsorship sequence

roughly conforms to this convention being 13 seconds long. Due to this time limit we created a variety of short takes which included jump cuts to quicken the pace. This variety enabled our clothes to be cleverly advertised in a short space of time and it definitely allowed us to portray our brands message. We managed to advertised our product’s unique selling point by focusing on the clothes that the model is wearing, and making sure that the outfits were obvious, despite the

short takes and quick cuts. Due to the short natured shots we were able to include shots that focused entirely on each element of the outfit. Another

convention of a sponsorship sequence is it’s lack of narrative. Due to questionnaire results we decided to conform to this convention not including a

narrative in any of our products. However, it could be argued that we did have a narrative, with the sequence expressing the new equilibrium of the female

learning the secret of where to access fashionable clothes.

Sponsorship sequences always sponsor a particular programme because it is associated with it in some way. They conventionally link to this programme through

it’s genre, protagonist, target audience and so on. Our sponsorship sequence definitely conforms to this convention, firstly due to Pretty Little Liars having four female protagonists who have an equal interest in fashion. Each character has their

own individual style expressing their individuality which links with our brands message of dressing for yourself and standing out from the crowd. With one of the

genres of the programme being mystery, we decided to interpret this into our product to create another link. India’s composition and poses connote the fact that she has confidence to bare all, therefore linking in with the fact that this mystery is something which needs to be worked out. Here, we can link the ‘secret’ established in the new equilibrium of discovering FYI to the genre of Pretty Little Liars. Finally,

our target audience is very similar to that of Pretty Little Liars. This therefore creates personal identity within the sponsorship as the audience can relate to India and the message the brand gives in the same way Pretty Little Liars does. The idea

of a secret brand that the audience has discovered fits with the sponsorship sequence, however we have not featured this idea anywhere within the branding of the two TV adverts. We could have improved this, as in doing so, we could then

have a more developed and stronger cohesive marketing campaign.

At the end of most sponsorship sequences, there is a voiceover that refers to the brand name and what it is

sponsoring. We have conformed to this convention by using a teenage girl, so from our target audience and that of Pretty

Little Liars, to voice our brand name and sponsor programme.

Another common convention of a sponsorship sequence is the use of celebrity endorsement. We did not conform to this due

to not having access to a celebrity. The convention of animation we have conformed to, for example our use of bright

colours at the end in order to grab attention with the limitations of time frame.

The soundtrack of our sponsorship conforms to the convention of an upbeat sound with relatable connotations to the brand. Our sound has a fast and upbeat pace which immediately catches the attention of our target audience. It also fits perfectly with the fast nature of the shots which are short and the many jump cuts included. The

soundtrack relates to the message of the brand being confident and outgoing with connotations of individuality and boldness.

Furthermore, we have followed conventions by using many jump cuts and quick cuts. This connotes the versatility of the brand, showing

the amount of clothes on offer, whilst promoting the look of the clothes and the style of the brand. These shots that capture full

details of the whole outfit match the upbeat music.

Finally, we have followed the convention of a stationary camera in every shot. Our production contains no camera movement in order to simply promote the detail and the style of the brand.

It sticks to bold, fast paced shots that attract attention through the jump and quick cuts that don’t match the camera movements within a shot. Also, the stationary camera emulates

the viewpoint of a fashion show, clearly linking with our productions.

We hope that by following these conventions, our target audience who are dedicated to the programme it sponsors;

Pretty Little Liars, will relate to and buy the products because conventionally, they are subconsciously linking a favoured TV

programme with our product.