4. Branding

Find pictures of band branding through stickers, badges, posters, lighters, flyers.

N-Dubz.

N-Dubz sell a variety of items with their band brand feautured, sold exclusively on their website, including:

A variety of male and female t-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with their popular catchphrases, such as 'NaNaNiii', 'Are you suuuuuuuick' and 'Duku yourself', and titles of albums such as 'Against all odds'. The clothing items are sold for the purpose so that fans can wear clothes similar to those that N-Dubz wear, and show fans support of the band. I think the clothing is mainly casual/ leisure wear as they are quite relaxed and look like they are made from a comfortable cotton mix.

I think selling branded items exclusively on an artists website is a clever idea as fans will easily be able to access it whilst also discovering recent news about the band. This is something we might consider for our artist, as our target audience is relatively young and will be able to navigate around the internet. I think T-shirts are always a good thing to brand as everyone wears and will see them; we could use catchphrases such as 'I ain't a Doll', 'This ain't a Dollhouse' and 'Like some kinda Barbie'.

Hats similar to the ones Dappy wears; a baseball cap and a bobble hat. The baseball cap fits the purpose to protect your head from the sun, but it is also a fashion statement for many young people and the words 'N-Dubz' on the hat shows their support and musical taste. Similarly, the bobble hat is to keep your head warm, but many fans wear these as Dappy, a member of N-Dubz, can often be found wearing one.

I don't think we would make hats for our artists' branding as she doesn't wear hats, whereas this is Dappys star image motif. We could sell hair accessories though, as our artist always wears them and this is her star image motif.

Badges with similar catchphrases as to those on the t-shirts. The badges are to pin places such as schoolbags, or other environments where people might not be able to express themselves with clothing. They are less expensive than most other items on the website, so are also perhaps for fans who want some memorabilia but can't afford the higher priced items.

I think badges are a good idea due to this, however I think our target audience is slightly older and the type of music is different; I don't think we would produce badges for these reasons.

Bags are also sold on the website, including drawstring bags and backpacks. The drawstring bag is described as a gym bag, which suggests the band are aware that their target audience are interested in sports and that a small drawstring bag might be useful, whereas the backpack is more practical as it is larger and can carry more items, which i imagine is designed mainly for the purpose of a school bag, as their main niche is secondary school people.

I think branded bags are a good idea to sell, although we wouldn't sell drawstring bags or backpacks as our target audience are more likely to have handbags. Handbags may become too expensive to produce and sell however, so purses may be another idea.

A 'behind the scenes' DVD is also available on the website, which provides backstage access to all areas of N-Dubz and their lives. The purpose of this is to entertain, whilst revealing a small amount about who they are as people, not just a band, which most fans would appreciate.

I think most fans would like this from their favourite artist, but I don't think this should be sold before her second album to make sure there is a big enough target audience to buy it and to keep some air of mystery.

The band also have a tell-all book, in which they reveal things about themselves; providing fans with an understanding of why they are so grateful for their life now and how they turned their life around. This gives fans hope that they might be able to achieve their dreams, and shows critics how hard their life has been so they shouldn't be judged on appearances.

Similar to the DVD, I think this should only be sold until there is a definite demand for it.

Items such as the 'phone skins' proves that N-Dubz are well aware that their fanbase are the generation of technology and will most likely all own a phone, which is also why they have included 3 different types of phone skins, and also 2 types of iPod skins, as they know their fansbase enjoys listening to music as they produce the music themselves. This fits the purpose to protect your phone/iPod, but also to show support of the band.

This is a good idea which I think our artist could sell on her website for the same reasons as N Dubz do.

Some sunglasses are available to buy via the website, and like the clothing, bear a resemblence to sunglasses Dappy and Fazer often wear. As with all the products, they also advertise the band, on the edge of them. They are similar to the hats, in that they provide a purpose, protecting your eyes, but are also worn as a fashion statement.

We could do this, but selling the pink and red love heart sunglasses our artist is often seen to be wearing; this could become her star image motif.

3 Mugs are availble to buy from the bands website, and all have popular catchphrases/ names of songs written on them. This shows the band are aware that most of their fans are under 18, so have provided them with a cup that isn't designed for alcoholic drinks; for example some heavy metal bands with older audiences have their own branded shot glasses, but rightfully, N-Dubz chose to sell mugs. I believe this is also the reason why they chose not to sell lighters, as it would promote smoking to their younger and more vunerable fans, and would send out the wrong message of the band.

I think we could sell this for our artist except using tea-cups instead of mugs- similar to the ones we plan to use in the music video 'Dollhouse' for the tea party scene.

A keyring is sold with the safety feature of a torch, which fits the purpose of being able to find your keys/the lock, and as with the badges, is a cheaper item which less fortunate fans will be able to afford.

I think this is something we could sell

Finally, N-Dubz sell a poster of themselves with their band name at the top. They are wearing clothes similar to the ones which they wear in their videos, so fans will recognise them. It is designed to be displayed somewhere, such as a fans bedroom wall.

• How do they work as to establish a brand identity of the artist/ band?

By using the same font type which looks similar to that of graffiti writing, and the linking colour of black as the main background, which is also seen on their website. Additional linking colours include blue, yellow and red. They ensure that people know it is their merchandise by displaying either the name of their band, a song/album or a popular catchphrase. This will promote the band to whoever sees their products.

• Are they successful as merchandise?

Even though their website shop is a recent thing, i think the merchandise is selling extremely well. I can tell this because items such as the sunglasses are available for pre-order with an announcement of when they will be available for dispatch, suggesting they are expecting a lot of orders. Also, the backpack on the bands website is already out of stock, which implies sales were higher than their expectations and the bag was so popular there aren't any left.