Audio-Visual Promo

Introduction

An audio visual promo is a media type that incorporates both visuals and sound in the content. Examples of this include television, videos, films and, more importantly, advertisements. This is useful for both showing and saying a story or idea on a screen, and presenting visuals to back up the audio sources.

The main purpose of audio-visual promos are to advertise or 'promote' something the the viewers, whether it be a collage showing their campus or a small drink business displaying their cocktails. However, there are many other ways promos can be use and their purposes vary based on the product and style of the advertisement.

Purposes

The purposes tell the audience what the video means, how they should feel and what they should take away from it at the end. These purposes can be split into four categories:

- To inform

- To educate

- To entertain

- To advertise

These purposes are all important for portraying a basic message and each one has a different way of showing that's its purpose.

Informing videos aspire to show the viewer how something is done. These usually go through step-by-step directions and describe in detail how it works so the viewer knows and can even try do it themself. These are different from educational videos because they show the process rather than the facts. Examples of informational videos include online tutorials like cooking recipes or building instructions.

This example shows how to make a pasta dish and does it in the style of a recipe video promo. It uses solely visuals to show the step by step process of making the meal and does so in a clear and understanding way that can be practiced at home.

Educational videos are videos that teach the viewer about something they might not know or are interested in. These often show facts and go into more specific detail about any event, process or individual. These are less instructional than informing videos and can merge into entertainment to engage the audience more. Examples of educational videos include documentaries on historic events or lessons on biology.

Entertaining videos have the sole purpose of amusing an audience and keeping them focused and entertained. This is done by including interesting visuals, concepts and characters. They are often fictional stories or events but can have non-fictional elements or information that makes it also educational and even merges into edutainment. Examples of this include animated shows with visuals that can't be created in real life, or game shows which include real people with a chance to win big.

This promo shows the different children's shows and animations on the VHS in a way that could count as entertainment. It shows exciting clips and scenes from each show to excite the audience and show them what they'll be watching. It could also count as an advertising promo as its promoting the different shows with a similar structure as an advertisement.

Advertising videos are prominent in all promo videos as their main purpose is to promote a product in any way possible. These advertisements can also be entertaining or informative in order to engage the viewer more while promoting the product. Examples of these are social media advertisements in-between posts and videos or advertisements during TV intermissions.

The promo for this collage uses a clear demonstrative structure describing what the collage is about and why it should be attended by the viewer. It does this by showing how happy and content the students there are, as well as all the sites and things to do at the collage.