Existing promo videos analysis

-Identify the brand first

Target Audience​
Mode of Address (Tone/ Narration/ Lexis/ Delivery)​
Technical Conventions (Image/ Music/ Editing/ Colour)​
Conveyance of Brand/ Identity​
Narrative ​
codes and conventions


1. Walt Disney World promo


With a brand value of US$32.6 billion, entertainment giant Disney remains the most valuable media brand this year, despite a 5% brand value decrease since 2017. As a well-loved entertainment brand, Disney has a unique ability to use nostalgia to harness childhood memories amongst its customer base. (1) The company attracts people of all ages, reaching a broad audience through various media and entertainment outlets. Disney's power lies in its brand. Even in a short promo video of Disney World, they rely on visual storytelling to sell off the emotional component of the brand which is what appeals to all ages. In the promo we also see there is no speech as everything is portrayed through the use of visual storytelling. Disney also knows their audience- they know their audience relies on nostalgia, to keep coming back for more, they want a reminder of childhood not a new Disney but the Disney that the grew up loving as a child. Using symbolic codes, we can see that from the start as the most iconic character representing the brand identity without  the need of speech (Micky Mouse) looks in the mirror, and then followed by a montage of the park initially getting ready for the day. The music is uplifting and almost dramatic through the use of technical codes used to portray different recognisable characters, getting ready. All the colours are bright and the lighting is high key natural throughout. We know all this by the 37second as again we see Mickey Mouse looking at his Disney watch on his glove, through the use of editing and fast cuts as the park opening is about to happen, to the fireworks and different families portrayed after the 0.40 second, relying on its family values and well established brand identity, as the clips go through fast pace (rollercoaster video), to slower pace (Belle hugging two little girls), to interact even better with each important moment.

2. GoPro HERO5 Launch promo


Even before watching the promo we know the GoPro is a brand for the explorers, for people who need to capture the moment of living on the edge, capturing the same moments in fast pace, while usually practising extreme sports that no other camera can while also being portable and smaller than half the size of a regular phone.  It manufactures action cameras and develops its own mobile apps and video-editing software. Founded as Woodman Labs, Inc, the company eventually focused on the connected sports genre, developing its line of action cameras and, later, video editing software. (2)
To appeal to its target audience the company would need to use the same elements in its advert- from the opening of the video with the sunrise, we see a broad range of locations and activities performed, from mountain climbing to kayaking and concerts. We also see the same camper van throughout which most travellers/explorers would identify with as a prefered method of travel for them and the very clever editing of it moving through different location while the camera stays on the same position, cutting to the beat of the soundtrack (at 1.27 min), to represent again the capability and range of the cameras/drones.




3. Always advert


The Always advert almost doesn't feel like an advert, as throughout its not focusing on a product as such but rather the idea/campaign behind it. Always as a brand is known for its activist campaign in aid, empowering and self-confidence, as stated on their website 'Always empowers women to live life without limits through trusted feminine hygiene products and education.', so knowing this, thats what we're likely to see in the advert- gender stereotypes have a big impact on girls during puberty, as this is the time when they learn what it means to be a girl, and young womanhood comes to be defined by a set of rules, like beauty and submissiveness.(3) In a studio setting, high key lighting, they ask young women and men, boys and girls, what does it mean to do something 'like a girl' and their answers show the different views of the older girls and man compared to the young girls and how much society affects their views when growing up on what being a girl means. The mode of address is informal and direct, as the participants are looking directly at the camera as almost speaking to the audience/ viewer on the other side of the screen, the editing being very minimal, to focus the attention on the participants and their answers, while the music is motivating and in the background 'quietly' tying the video all together. The advert is actually breaking the assigned codes and convention of what 'being like a girl' has become to society, also translating as 'being weaker'. The advert however was a huge success, targeting females all over the world of all ages and backgrounds- #LikeAGirl was watched more than 90m times and was the number two viral video globally. It also drove unprecedented earned-media coverage. There was also a rise in purchases as a result of the campaign. Many celebrities like Gloria Steinem and George Takei, joined Always in its mission to change the meaning of the expression ‘like a girl’, turning it into a symbol of female empowerment all over the world.
The "Like a Girl" campaign from Leo Burnett won the 2015 Emmy Award for outstanding commercial.(4)



(1) https://brandfinance.com/news/press-releases/disney-sparkles-as-most-valuable-media-brand-of-the-year/#:~:text=With%20a%20brand%20value%20of,brand%20value%20decrease%20since%202017.&text=As%20a%20well%2Dloved%20entertainment,memories%20amongst%20its%20customer%20base.
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoPro#:~:text=GoPro%2C%20Inc.%20(marketed%20as,apps%20and%20video%2Dediting%20software.
(3)https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/case-study-always-likeagirl/1366870

(4)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Always_(brand)