YCN - Hostelworld
Watch the showreel: Click here
The Brief:
Create a campaign that targets Students (and appeals to the broader student body) educating them about the benefits of travelling and staying in hostels, and ultimately encourage them to book with Hostelworld, for the YCN award.
11/2/19
Today we had the YCN talk followed by a tutorial with Peter. During this tutorial I started envisioning & discussing my initial ideas & what path I would like to take my work. I'm interested in creating a marketing campaign based solely on Instagram. Instagram is probably the most commonly used app amidst us students, therefore this would only make sense. Here are my notes from the session with Peter.
18/2/19
This week I've been busy visualising my concept & what I'm trying to create. I've been researching through instagram & have come across a method of photography called "stereoscopic" photography. According to a youtube video, on a high shutter speed one could easily create this kind of "moving image" by collating the photos together on Photoshop & turning it into a continuous gif. This stereoscopic method is being used often by many fashion brands as I always see it on my instagram adverts & what's more is - they grab your attention. If I could create photographs depicting a student exploring the city or some place dreamy and add a fun slogan to the moving imagine, I believe it would be successful in grabbing the attention of students and conveying the message "BOOK THROUGH HOSTELWORLD". I've also sourced some inspiration from adverts on the tube & I've tried to visualise my concept through these mood board images. maybe I could use some for poster ideas, expanding on the idea of keeping it digitally based only. I have also included a load of slogan that I could use, all directed toward a different target audience - but all students.
20/2/19
Today I went to Southbank with Dan to photograph him at the skate park & by the book fair. I have to take a burst of photos in order to achieve the stereoscopic effect, by using a DSLR camera rather than a stereoscopic film camera. I'm in love with the colourful photos next to the skate park. I wanted to convey a student exploring an urban environment, blending in yet also standing out.
Here are my contact sheets:
26/2/19
I've developed my project this week by trying to visualise my concept. I've started contacting people to arrange shoots. Because I'm in London, I'll have to keep it somewhat city based, but I could take a trip to Kew Gardens for something with a tropical feel. I also have my own collection of burst images from Wales that I could apply to this project. I've managed to create gif examples of my trip to Southbank, and one poster, but I've realised early on that creating true stereoscopic images require you to use a stereoscopic film camera which are expensive. I've had to look for a solution to create my own content, and although what I've made look a lot like instagram "boomerangs" - I believe that they are the next best thing. They're rough versions at the moment. After the tutorial, I learned that the closest font to Hostelworld Ultra is Posterama - therefore I will be using it for future.
27/2/19
Shooting at Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel with Bella & Dan. It was an ideal location to show a more luxurious side to hostel life.
2/3/19
Kew Gardens
This was an amazing day's shooting with Elin. I'm proud of the outcome of these images & she was a great model. They're going to add something other than an urban landscape to my work & the colours really pop.
5/3/19
My notes on slogans & photoshoot ideas
8/3/19
For this weeks presentation I've developed my latest photographs and refined some of the gifs from last week by grading & photoshopping them. I have also sourced some personal images from Wales to add some wild life & landscapes into the work. I have now got 10 stereoscopic moving images to use for the campaign. I've also refined my slogans, but can't decide on which to use in some of the videos. I've had to crop the videos in square to fit with the Instagram grid.
Last night I went to a Billie Eilish concert, so I'm excited to be including her in my work. I was also able to shoot my friend Llinos on the bus, targeting night-owls and the night life, but I haven't developed these yet. I think I might incorporate "Instagram stories" to my work as well, to cover the entirety of Instagram.
12/3/19
Today we presented our final hand ins to Peter & Anna. Here is my presentation. I will be changing the colour to white before sending my work to YCN. I feel proud that I've completed the videos, however Peter has asked for me to present mockups to go along with my work to better visualise my idea. I might change my opening paragraph but I've been working on it & here's my example:
What’s the best way to reach a demographic of students aged 18 - 24?
One answer - Instagram.
I’ve created a marketing campaign based solely on Instagram posts & Instagram stories, giving the Hostelworld account a new look & feel that I felt it was lacking.
I want to break the stereotype surrounding “backpackers” & hostels. Times are changing & Hostelworld has made it more accessible than ever to find a perfect getaway for an affordable price without having to compensate for a comfortable bed in a clean room. Hostelworld should appeal to the well-travelled hippies, posh totties, free spirits, skater dudes, rugby lads and everyone in-between. My goal is to inspire every student from all walks of life to travel, because everyone deserves a chance to travel & Hostelworld is making this achievable.
The main goal within my work was to create eye-catching stereoscopic moving images (gifs/boomerangs) with use of stunning scenery, vivid colours, interesting people & bold type with catchy taglines. These would then be advertised on Instagram across the main feed & on Instagram stories.
The tone of voice that I’ve employed within my work is fun, direct & a little cheeky. These short but punchy taglines correspond with the images shown in a quirky way, sometimes changing the narrative of the image or adding a twist, before showcasing the “Hostelworld” logo, prompting the viewer to download the app or visit the Instagram account.
14/3/19
This is my final & updated deck that I will be sending to YCN. I believe that my work looks sleek & I'm proud to have managed creating mockups for my work, it definitely adds to its credibility & sophistication. I believe that I have more than enough examples of videos to convey my concept. I do question why haven't they (Hostelworld) acted on their Instagram page earlier, because they have a large following, but their feed looks a little dated in my opinion. Taking a simple step like this would really spruce it up & help them gain more attention. I'm happy with my choice of slogans & I believe that they are just colourful enough to catch someones attention. It may seem simple but these have taken hours for me to create perfectly, having to line up each pixel over & over. There was something therapeutic about the process though. In an ideal world I would've had more time to maybe explore the concept of creating Instagram competitions or polls, & have a more interactive marketing campaign. However my work gets the message across & that's what counts in advertising.
