Social Media Research

 Harry Styles:

Harry Styles by Brianna Hodder

Harry Styles is one of those artists in which his account is not run by him, posts are infrequent, and they mainly show professional photos containing his successes or promoting his music and recently released brand of nail polish 'Pleasing'. His posts are mostly of him pre-concert or during his tours, which can help encourage his audiences and fans to know what it's like to experience his concerts in person and let them know what they're missing out on.

He has quickly made an image for himself as being a very supportive ally of the LGBT+ community and is often seen at his concerts parading around while holding different sexuality flags, which is perhaps one of the many reasons why people like him, as he has created a safe place, and in the past people have come out at his concerts and garnered very positive reactions. Additionally, he has done magazine shoots in which he is wearing a dress and is known for being very open about topics similar to this, despite not having labelled himself.

However, with the release of one of his songs, 'Adore You' in 2019, Harry utilised marketing tactics that paid off in order to promote this song and the accompanying music video. His team started this project by creating a social media presence for a fictional island called Eroda ('Adore' backwards). The ad campaign rolled out weeks prior to the single and music video release, and left fans questioning everything. The ads mainly ran on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and included fake reviews, as well as travel tips and short history lessons about the island. 

Fans quickly learned that this had to do with Harry, learning that specific dates and aspects of the island mentioned were dates and lyrics significant to his life and album release. 

Ed Sheeran:

Ed Sheeran by Brianna Hodder

Throughout all of his albums and website designs, Ed Sheeran has incorporated the same typography and font continuously which has resulted in it becoming familiar and recognisable, a key aspect in branding effectively. Due to it's handwritten and 'typewriter font' style, it creates a personal and laid-back feel, which reflects Ed's personality and approach to his music career, while also creating this connection with his audience and fans. Additionally, as it is not a font or technique that is commonly seen, it also gives it that individuality and quirkiness that correlates with some of Ed Sheeran's music.

Ed Sheeran is not one of those artists that take themselves too seriously, and come across as having everything perfect and professional. He is real and down to earth, and this is seen in his posts and in interviews, where he cracks jokes and pokes fun at himself. 

He is also quite honest and open about himself and his past, both in terms of his career and his upbringing. Ed Sheeran is quite well known for his brightly coloured tattoos and his poor fashion choices. Despite turning up to concerts and ceremonies in jeans and a flannel shirt, this makes him a more approachable guy and down-to-earth that further proves he is just a normal person despite his rise to fame.

Though Ed doesn't have a link to his website or highlights on his social media, he does have a link to his latest releases that he puts in his bio. His website matches his consistent theme in terms of visuals and fonts.

Lewis Capaldi:

Lewis Capaldi by Brianna Hodder

Some of the main themes from Lewis Capaldi's branding, and especially his online social media presence is that he is genuine and authentic. Several of his posts show him just being a regular guy rather than some untouchable artist, and while he sometimes overshares things on his posts and his livestreaming on Instagram, it makes him that much more relatable. His main social media platforms he uses are Instagram and Twitter, and he has posted frequently about the realities of his life, for example the tediousness of signing hundreds of albums at a time.

Furthermore, when marketing his new albums, he does it in a way that doesn't feel like marketing, for example:

He brings out a more humourous way to share things, while still getting his point across.

His posts are comedic and relatable, and it is obvious that he manages  the majority of his social media, and unlike other artists, e.g. Harry Styles, he cares more about having fun and being real than about having a professional image, and it is this that has created his image as an artist. 

Brand recognition is something Lewis has managed to create in a simple way. He is known for being unique and 'out there', and while he dresses like a normal guy, his humour and love for wearing funky sunglasses do not line up with the more serious topics and themes in his songs. Despite this, it has become his brand and is now known for this and similar things. 

Lewis Capaldi caters to his fans. Since both he and his fans are at the age where using social media is prominent and normal, he uses this to share his thoughts (whether it be whining due to the audience at his concert singing the wrong lyrics or his self-deprecating humour) and interact with the fans themselves. He often shares their posts and retweets their posts, and this is a good way of gettin g ot know his audience to form appropriate distribution channels to reach his target audience and create meaningful content that resonates with them.

Lewis Capaldi also uses story highlights to answer Q&As from his audiences, respond to criticism as well as those who love his music, and promoting his music and upcoming events, while also showing videos from his everyday life to keep that personal touch. He also has a link in his bio to his website.