SYNERGY IN MEGADETH

DEFINITION: “Synergy is where different entities cooperate advantageously for a final outcome. If used in a business application it means that teamwork will produce an overall better result than if each person was working toward the same goal individually.” In relation to Media Studies and the Music Industry, this means that several products would purposely link with each other to ensure a better outcome, with increased exposure and marketing potential. For example: a website, music video and CD Cover working in synergy. To develop my point I am going to analyse the synergy of Megadeth.

PRODUCTS Without any analysis, a resemblance can be clearly seen between the three products: the website, music video and CD cover. It is instantly obvious that they are all products of the same brand.

BRAND A brand is the very thing that is the artist is trying to sell, the brand is themselves. It is important that it is instantly recognisable, allowing the target audience to notice a product quickly. The brand is shown between all three products in three ways: - The logo. - The consistent colour scheme. - The image of the band members. When an audience becomes familiar with a brand, they are more inclined to like a product from it and thus it is more likely to sell. This is evident across all media industries, such as the music, magazine and gaming industries.

BRAND IN ‘MEGADETH’ The brand name is more obvious between the website and CD cover, which both have the ‘Megadeth’ logo as their focal point. The music video does not feature the logo although some videos do feature backdrops with the logo clearly visible. The brand is obvious however between the video and website because they both feature images of the band, as these are common conventions of the industry. The brand is also kept by the masculine colour scheme, of red, black and orange that runs between all products. This colour scheme allows obvious linking of the products. v

SYNERGY AND MARKETING Other than through brand exposure, synergy is also used for marketing and profit gain. As is the case with Megadeth. The linking point of this marketing is the website. The image of the CD cover can be clearly seen on the background of the website making its existence noticeable immediately. As well as this, there is a clear link to the album, with the album cover shown. It also links to the music video by means of a link through “videography.” The website also promotes synergy through social networking, which is another important element. It should also be pointed out that the video is one of the key marketing tools. It is a cross-media tool as it can be used on the internet or television and increases the level of exposure greatly.

SOCIAL NETWORKING. Social networking is a huge marketing tool, with facebook alone having over 500million members. By linking to sites such as these on the website, the brand can be exported to a much bigger target audience with more ease. From these social networking sites, the target audience is also linked to the website which in turn links to the other products. This is evident use of synergy to promote. This is known as cross-media promotion. I will most likely place a link to social networking sites on my web page to increase synergy in my final product.