Stuart Hall says representation is the producing and exchanging of language, signs and images which stand for or represent things between members of a culture.
Zoella reinforces this theory as the many signs and images found in her brand that form a shared language which enables people to have a shared understanding of her and her brand.
The Zoella website is very neat and bright. There are many different articles which fill up the website and make it feel busy. This pastel themed colours suggest that the team know what they are trying to portray Zoella as - professional and easy to follow with a strong sense of brand identity. The colours are shades of pink which has connotations of femininity and therefore tells us that the Zoella audience is mainly female.
Throughout the articles, the language used is very informal which suggests that they want to appear friendly and approachable to the audience. Informal language can be found in the ‘Between You and Me, Answering Your Problems’ articles. This is where members of Team Zoella respond to problems sent into the website - this represents them as very caring towards their audience. This point is reinforced by the informal language used. For example, ‘lots of love Charlotte xxx’ could be interpreted at the member talking to their close friend/family member, however, the person is anonymous and has no connection apart from being an audience member. This article allows them to deeply connect with the audience and build a loyal fanbase. It represents Zoella as a trustworthy figure who they can rely on to share their problems if there is no one else around. Also, for this article they use the acronym ‘BMAY’ which suggests they are sticking to a younger audience who grew up with technology (age 16-24).
Additionally, the website is a big advocate for improving mental health and wellbeing. The article ‘13 Accounts to Follow to Honour Your Mental Health This January’ suggests that they want the brand Zoella to be shown as something where you are appreciated and can improve yourself. The article is full of the usual mental health quotes which you can find very frequently on social media. This is representing Zoella as helpful, but very unoriginal. There is so many places to find similar quotes which may not be that helpful to an audience. However, it shows that they know their audience well. Their audience are young females who enjoy these types of quotes as they may find them relatable.
The ‘Weekly Wants’ articles infers that although the Zoella brand appears very caring and likeable to their audience, they still have a consumerist agenda. They are recommending clothing and telling the audience this is want they should want. They are conforming to societies norms by suggesting women should want to look good and wear nice clothing. The clothing they promote us generally quite expensive, and they have affiliate links to the products – further promoting a consumerist agenda. This combines with article ‘Everything We’re Lusting Over From & Other Stories Right Now’, which turns into an online shopping website with professional photographs of models wearing the clothing, short descriptions and prices. This represents them as still valuing products and making sales whilst they try to appear like a friend to their audience – an audience member will trust a friend.
Comments