Evaluation Task 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

A major strength of the website is the help and info feature which, like the one on the Hollyoaks website, signal boosts the issues raised in the episode by offering a public service, such as the NHS or Talk to Frank, where the users can gain advice if they are experiencing issues raised in episodes like drug abuse or alcoholism. This effectively contributes to audience appeal as many of those can find help through the site and deal with the issues. It also garners good publicity for the audiences in safer circumstances, as they can credit the soap for not only raising awareness on issues such as bullying and domestic violence, but showing support through the contact suggestions.

Wayward Lane's help page

Hollyoaks' help section

A weakness the website faces however is the lack of social media integrated within the site with external links. In the past couple of years many soaps have increasingly taken advantage of this low end marketing strategies as there is little to no cost to promote soap operas to a vast majority of those using sites like Facebook and Twitter. If there were perhaps a profile for each of these sites, the audience appeal could furthermore increase as awareness would be spread with the use of hashtags and sharing. A real example of this is with the recent hashtag used b Eastenders: #WhoKilledLucy. This became a massive promotional tool as it trended worldwide.

A strength the magazine cover has is the use of informal language. This is particularly prevalent in words like "woah." and "shocker!" as these imply to be reactions to the images underneath. This furthermore links in with the idea of TV listings magazines to be quite gossipy and informal in nature as their purpose is to interest the fans of these soap operas by communicating the interest they provide in the soaps which markets the magazine. This builds an effective symbiotic relationship between the soap opera and the magazine as raising awareness of the show and circulation of the magazine benefits both parties mutually by entertaining the audience. 

TV Binge: The magazine featuring Wayward Lane

tv choice: TV Listings magazine comparison

A weakness my TV magazine cover faces is one that concerns the authenticity of it in comparison to its real counterparts. Many of these are targeted primarily towards an existing soap viewing audience and thus, only feature soap story lines and soap characters on the front cover. 'TV Binge' however, features a variety of different shows on the cover lines under the weekday picks, from panel shows to reality TV. In fact, the only soap featured (other than Wayward lane) is Eastenders and not much information or comment is given towards the show other than the weekday it is scheduled.

The choice of music in the trailer is an effective use of non-diegetic soundtrack as the gassy undertones and echoey beat have display a sense of tension within the narrative and amongst the characters. This is particularly highlighted in the shot showing Vincent shouting at Lindsey as it brings in a state of shock for the audience after previously hearing his much calmer, yet still threatening voice. The use of Western themed music is one which has previously been used in real soap opera trailers, such as the Kat and Alfie dramatisation in Eastenders, where they are depicted as having a standoff.

Kat and Alfie's showdown in Eastenders

An issue faced within the trailer regards the overall structure and editing used. Cutting and mixing up the story lines rather than depicting the narratives separately could incorrectly represent the show as a drama rather than a soap opera as using the most tense and emotional parts of an episode depletes the illusion of realism found in the typical half hour viewing of the soap opera. Realism is unarguably a vital component to any soap opera as it gives something for the audience to relate to, so the dramatisation used in the soap opera may lose audience appeal and thus a lower viewing demographic if soap viewers are not interested in the overdramatic representation in the trailer.

Conclusion (Evaluation)

All three of our texts, main and ancillaries, link well together as they are seamlessly integrated with one another and provide clear information for the audience to obtain. This is a strength as many soap opera audiences are so attracted to the genre because of this familiarity obtained, as well as the gossip showcased amongst all three promotional mediums. An example of this is the 5 page exclusive mentioned on the front cover of 'TV Binge', the previews and teasers page on the website, and the teasing sense of ambiguity showcased in the trailer. This furthermore links in with the idea that introducing a soap to the audience essentially builds a gossipy, enticing relationship between the show and the audience which is clearly highlighted through the use of press coverage, web coverage, and the trailer which reveals just enough to captivate a viewing demographic.

Where the strength lies, weakness can also reside. Although trailers are meant to be somewhat mysterious, there seems to be a more pronounced sense of ambiguity on the magazine cover and website, as although 'TV Binge' is implied to have a lot of information within its 5 page spread, there is not a single mention of a character on the cover, something very common in TV listings magazines. There is also sparse information regarding narrative on the website, which may arguably entice the audience, however the lack of clues other than character profiles could arguably be a downfall as this is a new soap opera and a potential audience must know more about a show before deciding to form a relationship with one. Improvements to the texts could be made by perhaps adding more narrative clues to the website, whilst adding names to establish a sense of familiarity of characters to the audience. This would better tailor it to the main text, the audio-visual promotional tool of the soap opera trailer.