Storytelling&Dramaturgy
Our assignment in this module, called Storytelling&Dramaturgy, was to create… well… a story.
But I thought that creating a story was too simple… so I created a whole image campaign for my hometown Offenbach am Main!
The idea for the image campaign came about because Offenbach’s image has been deteriorating over the past few decades, and as a lovely resident of Offenbach, I have experienced this first hand, for example during a job interview. When I was asked about my hometown during the interview and I mentioned that I was from „Offenbach“, the HR-person quickly advised me not to mention this piece of information in the future.
It is precisely because of these prejudices against my home town that I wanted to create this image campaign and at the same time improve Offenbach’s reputation for non-Offenbachers and Offenbachers alike.
I decided to create my image campaign around the Art&Culture attractions that Offenbach has to offer because I myself am very interested in all things Art&Culture and would like to share this interest and knowledge with others, especially those of my age.
That is why I have chosen „young adults“ (about 18-25 years old) as my target group. But my campaign should also appeal to anyone interested in art and culture, regardless of age.
I called my image campaign „Explore_OF“ to address my target group in an Anglicised way and to give a short and concise name to the idea of exploring Offenbach.
In order to reach as many people as possible, I decided to develop a cross-media campaign. I chose the following media channels: magazine, posters, Instagram and a mockup for a possible app.
The Magazine:
While designing this magazine, I made sure to use dramaturgical aids, such as the narrative sentence:
in which I first described who and what it’s about (Offenbach), in which situation the main character (Offenbach) is in (bad image) and affiliating it with attributes (booming center of the leather goods industry,…), which problems and challenges the main character is currently facing (bad image and image change) and the result (better image through campaign; readership can make an impression for themselves).
In order to establish the central idea in my work, I used the dialectical method:
i.e.: initial position/thesis (Offenbach=bad city) + Objection/antithesis (Offenbach = not a bad city/ has nice attractions), which then leads to the result/synthesis (readers can get their own picture of Offenbach).
As an emotional goal:
I tried to gain pity for the misunderstood city through my formulations so that the reader could see the point of view of an Offenbacher (e.g. my job interview), but I then tried to finish my text in a more hopeful and fun note at the end.
As an argumentative goal:
I chose the learning factor. The audience has now learned something new about Offenbach’s art and culture attractions after reading the magazine.
The Posters:
In order to gain even more attention for my project, I also designed posters that would be found all over the city.
When designing, I made sure that the posters were striking, colorful, glaring, and very different in order to be an „eye catcher“ and to address the right target group. I also placed the QR code from the Instagram page on the posters.
ChiaraSaparidis_ExploreOf3
ChiaraSaparidis_ExploreOf2
ChiaraSaparidis_ExploreOf1
The Instagram Page:
However, the main lynchpin of my campaign is the Explore_OF Instagram page, as it most effectively engages with my target group, as young adults predominantly use this social media channel. Instagram is also the easiest way to share current information and new posts.
Another positive aspect is the possibility of interactive exchange with followers (many-to-many communication). The Instagram page features the same pictures and texts as the magazine, so no one misses out, no matter what medium they’re using.
The App-Mockup:
In addition, I thought about an Explore_OF app to offer even more possibilities to address my target group.
For this, I designed a mockup of a possible app that has the same functionality / is based on the Tinder app. With the app, however, you don’t match with people, but with the different locations / Art & Culture attractions. After some time, the algorithm also adjusts itself and matches you with the perfect locations.
