Goodwin says pop videos are often used to reinforce an artist's brand image. This blog will explore how far this is true with regard to Katy Perry. It will also examine how her pop videos reflect her private life and seek to reconnect with her target audience.
Katy Perry's target audience is young girls between the age of 12 and 15. She represents herself as an ideal older sister, a positive role model to help you feel good about yourself.
This is Katy's video for the single 'firework' one of her first songs at the beginning of her career. The target audience is also young girls and young people who are struggling with their identity. Her face and clothing are both white representing purity and she is covered up. There are mini-narratives within this video and these are the parents arguing, the girl with no self-esteem or confidence in her body, the homosexual man and also the cancer patient. At the end of each small story, they get stronger and fireworks are released from their breasts just like they are from Katy's; this sends a subliminal message to us as an audience that we can be successful in life and achieve what we want to.
This is the video for 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) and is set out like a story of middle class white Americans. Katy also represents herself as an older sister here and she is not afraid to make herself look ugly. This video relates to young people again, who go to school and are bullied or get made the fun of. Katy represents these young people through wearing glasses and braces which is seen as 'uncool' and 'ugly' by the other young people. This is very film-like with credits and when the mum and dad come home in the morning at the end of the video allows young people to relate to this again. This story has a message that says you will always succeed and you can be whoever you want to be. There are some sexual references such as feeling the boys stomach muscles, the chicken fillets and getting rid of facial hair. These are very innocent and tame and again relates to young girls who are obsessed with these things. Katy then changes her outfit to look sexier, showing a bit more skin. However, she makes fun of this to allow her target audience to admire her but not feel as though she is a threat. She does this through wearing different colored shoes and over the top bright clothing, treating it as a joke.
This is Katy's video for 'California Gurls'. It is a very feminine video with pinks and lots of different colours. This is slightly more sexy with cream squirting from her breasts, short skirts and revealing tops, a bikini top with buns and a cherry. This also develops towards the end of the video where suspenders, red lipstick and red coloured outfits and sky are used. This is when she met Russell Brand, showing how she is becoming a woman. Her brand of being an older sister has been tarnished and also represents her growth and target audience changing. She then broke up with Russell who slated her in public claiming that their sex life was rubbish. This video does still have elements of childlike features such as the sweets and candy canes, but is much more revealing and provocative. It is still set out as a story.
This video was Katy's way of trying to get her audience back after realising she had made a mistake with her previous video 'California Gurls'. There is a referwence to this previous video at the beginning of behind the scenes. 'another one in the can' suggests that this was a false image of her and 'bye' represents the end of it. Taking off her wig shows her re-establishing her brand and target audience. In this video she is wearing black suggesting the death of something, maybe her marriage with Russell Brand and her provocative videos? She is also very covered up again. The walls closing in suggest that she is feeling trapped by the media and stress her divorce caused her. Her pushing them apart again shows that she is a strong, independent woman. The strawberry represents the apple which Eve saw as temptation in the Garden of Eden. This image is also enforced through the garden at the end of the video. The video also echoes her 'firework' video when fireworks shoot from her breast leaving her body. This could also represent Russell and her mistakes. The little girl we see is supposed to be Katy as a young girl, reaching out to her target audience with an apology and showing innocence. Her older sister model has been regained. We see her in an outfit which is very light colored and a bit see through and tight, showing off her bum. This is still sexual but very tame and limited. The prince represents Russell and this shows that he is a liar and she is strong enough to let go. This also makes reference to fairy tales which young girls read/watch. The pretty flowers and different colors are quite childlike and the butterfly symbolises freedom and the rebirth of Katy Perry.
This is her most recent video for her newest single 'roar'. This is also like a film. They are stranded in a jungle and her boyfriend represents Russell again, as it shows he is obsessed with himself and his own image. She leaves him. There is, again, less clothing in this video showing her confidence and a strong independent woman. She wears a low cut top and short skirt. She puts berry juice on her lips to make them red which is quite sexual. This video shows feminism and women in power. She also, however, paints elephants toenails which takes us back to the childlike and young girl target audience.
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