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A Case Study A CASE STUDY ASAL EHSANIPOUR | LEANNE GUTIERREZ | KATE MCKENNA | SRIDEVI REDDY | PHOEBE ABRAHAM | EDDIE PARK “…Who is One Direction?” - USC PR Student, September 2013 BACKGROUND • British boy band • Formed by Simon Cowell after losing the X-Factor UK • Grew exponentially popular over the past 3 years, especially in America • Some call them the new “British Invasion” HYPOTHESIS #1 We believe we may be on the precipice of a British invasion given the popularity of 1D and other artists. HYPOTHESIS #2 We believe although One Direction, Adele, etc. are very popular in the United States, calling them a British Invasion is jumping the gun. HYPOTHESIS #3 (FINAL) Despite the fact One Direction has been compared to the Beatles and has infiltrated the American music scene, we believe that there is no current “British Invasion.” A British Invasion is… • Cultural invasion through music, television, fashion • Pop culture and sociological implications • The Beatles • 1960s METHODOLOGY METHODOLOGY • Secondary Research – Sales – Personal branding – Past/current British bands – Internet presence & social media platforms – Past British Invasions METHODOLOGY (Cont’d) • Primary Research – Focus group – 4 interviews – Content analysis FINDINGS SECONDARY RESEARCH: BRITISH INVASION • Members of 1st British Invasion: – The Beatles – The Kinks – Rolling Stones – The Who – The Animals SECONDARY RESEARCH: BRITISH INVASIONS (Cont’d) • Origin – Replicating 1950s American rock – Inspired by jazz & skiffle genres – Young people & American black music on the periphery “It is impossible to exaggerate BEATLEMANIA because it was in itself an exaggeration.” – The Beatles, Hunter Davies SECONDARY RESEARCH: BRITISH INVASIONS (Cont’d) • Beatles introduced to America with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1963 – Went directly to #1 – Surpassed Elvis • Beatles uplifted cultural climate post-Kennedy assassination SECONDARY RESEARCH: BRITISH INVASIONS (Cont’d) • 2nd British Invasion – 1982-1986 – Human League – Duran Duran – Queen – David Bowie – Elton John – Paul McCartney SECONDARY RESEARCH: ALBUM SALES • Up All Night - First boy band to sell 500,00 digital copies - 176,000 copies in the first week • Take Me Home - 540,000 copies in the first week • Tour - 131 shows; $187 million gross revenue SECONDARY RESEARCH: PAST/CURRENT BRITISH BANDS • British bands before & after 1st British Invasion • No British band was a hit in US before Beatles • Consistent trickle of British bands that were hits in US • Other recent popular British artists include: Amy Winehouse, Mumford and Sons, Calvin Harris, etc. SECONDARY RESEARCH: PERSONAL BRANDING • Band or Brand? • Global phenomenon – Downloads, tours, sponsorship, brand development • Peers/friends instead of huge idols = relatable • Social media SECONDARY RESEARCH: PERSONAL BRANDING (Cont’d) • Clean-cut image… – “David Beckham of bands in the music industry” • Boy bands are back SECONDARY RESEARCH: ALBUM SALES (Cont’d) Justin Bieber vs. One Direction Years Active 2008-2013 2010 - 2013 Notable Album My World 2.0 (2010) Up All Night (2011) Certifications 3 x Platinum (U.S.) Platinum (U.S.) SECONDARY RESEARCH: ALBUM SALES (Cont’d) Adele vs. One Direction R/Creave Years Active 2006-2013 2010 - 2013 Notable Album 21 (2011) Up All Night (2011) Certifications 10 X Platinum (U.S.) Platinum (U.S.) SECONDARY RESEARCH: ALBUM SALES (Cont’d) *NSYNC vs. One Direction Years Active 1995-2002 2010 - 2013 Notable Album ‘N Sync (1997) Up All Night (2011) Certifications 10 X Platinum (U.S.) Platinum (U.S.) SECONDARY RESEARCH: ALBUM SALES (Cont’d) The Beatles vs. One Direction Years Active 1960 - 1970 2010 - 2013 Notable Album The White Album (1968) Up All Night (2011) Certifications 19 X Platinum (U.S.) Platinum (U.S.) PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS • Pulled articles from Google 2 • Repeated Terms: using term “One Direction” • British Boy Band ! Millions of articles • Pulled 20 articles from 2010-2013 • Boy Band • British pop group • Beatles 1 3 PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS (Cont’d) • Guest speaker: Kjerstin Thorson 5 • Must use Factiva to • Used Factiva ! VERY specific get accurate results parameters of articles • Exact Phrase: One Direction • Date Range: 7/12/12 – 11/7/13 • US Only 4 • Sort by Relevance • 16,927 RESULTS “We’re really proud to be part of this whole thing which is seen as the BRITISH INVASION. It just proves what’s going on with British music at the moment – us, Adele, Ed Sheeran. It seems to be working over there. Good timing, I guess.” - Harry Styles PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS • Trends - Beatlemania-like fandom/hysteria - 1D is everywhere, but nowhere PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS (Cont’d) • Key Terms – Boy Band: IIII – Harry Styles: IIII – Pop Culture: I PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS (Cont’d) • Gee whiz! – Survey of more than 1,000 One Direction movie ticket- buyers… 98% FEMALE PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS (Cont’d) • Radian6 - “One Direction” ! Too many results to show - “One Direction” and “band” ! - 19,800 results, 14,6000 Twitter PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONTENT ANALYSIS (Cont’d) • Final Search: - Last 30 days - Facebook, Twitter, Blog - One Direction, British Invasion OR 1D, British Invasion Sales - 58 Twitter - 27 Facebook - 13 Blog Posts 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr SAMPLE TWEETS “1D day will be held in America” As much as I’m @zaynsskateboard happy, I still feel for the UK like they started this whole british invasion. Damn tinezones ok my geo class was talking about british invasion & @ThrillZarry some kid was like 1D & my class booed oh Heard british invasion and jumped up as fast as I could thinking it was 1D Looorrrrddd Jesus! Almost @Jodiannrichards got a heart attack PRIMARY RESEARCH: INTERVIEWS • Rebecca Sahim, Sony/ATV Muisc Publishing – A&R/Creative – Manage writers, producers – ie. Pharrel • Jim Yeager, Professor – Professor at USC – Entertainment PR PRIMARY RESEARCH: INTERVIEWS (Cont’d) • Information Age: everything’s blended and borrowed from one another • Pre-proven with Nsync Formula PRIMARY RESEARCH: INTERVIEWS (Cont’d) • “A little visit from talented British people” • “That sounds like it’s a phrase that’s made up by publicists” • Difference between 1st British Invasion and current British Invasion FOCUS GROUP: BACKGROUND • One moderator • Participants: 8 college students (20-22 years old) – 3 males – 5 females • Duration: 26 minutes, 49 seconds • Video recorded FOCUS GROUP: 1D FINDINGS • General awareness of group – Not distinct or unique – Major presence in media and pop culture • No sales generated from group • Would not take extreme measures to avoid FOCUS GROUP: REACTIONS • Boy band aspect generated lighthearted attitude • Dismissive tones • Strong opinions regarding British Invasion comparison • Shocked by parent-approved marketability • Happy and engaged during personalized topics • Uncomfortable and withdrawn when discussing British origin of artist due to lack of knowledge FOCUS GROUP: FINDINGS/ANALYSIS • We are not in the midst of another British Invasion • Dismissive and strong opinions • Participants knew One Direction, but did not know WHY they knew them • What makes One Direction different? FOCUS GROUP: FINDINGS/ANALYSIS (Cont’d) • Hype surrounding One Direction… – Beatlemania? – Boy band craze? – Spice Girls? • Pop culture relevance FOCUS GROUP: EVALUATION • Reworked hypothesis • Focused research objective • Narrowed topic down • Helped determine necessary primary research .
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