We get asked to sign NDAs from time to time and we spend way too much time analyzing whether it is something we can do. If it isn’t the potential legal minefield that stares back at us from the page, then it’s the notion of keeping track of all the ridiculously broad limitations each and every one of these little documents creates. There are obviously many more reasons we could list here, but in the interest of brevity, we’ve listed our top 5 reasons why we don’t want to sign your NDA.

1. Ideas Are Like Assholes, Opinions, and Scripts in Hollywood…

We hear ideas all day long and chances are, we’ve either heard or thought of something in the neighborhood of what you’re pitching. Unless you have a VERY unique and VERY detailed expression of a genuinely novel notion, there really is little to protect. We live smack dab at the intersection of entertainment, new media, and technology and there’s always a lot of traffic. Our 360-approach to content and distribution literally applies to nearly every conceivable business vertical.— and we want ALL of that business.

Every NDA we sign in one sector could prevent us from doing business in another. Splitting hairs over language and trying to narrow down the sacrosanct from the unprotectable notion, is a time and money suck. That said, if you really do have and want to work with us to exploit your formula for cold fusion and you have the empirical data to prove it, where do we sign?

2. Stealing an idea takes a lot of work.

There’s a saying in our biz: “What works on the page, don’t work on the stage.” You could have the greatest idea in the world, but unless you have assembled the best team to implement and execute this great idea, it will never reach fruition. A great idea doesn’t become interesting until it is put into action and tested to some decent extent. And even then, you best have a credible / stellar team to prove that full execution is around the corner. Look, even Microsoft admits that all of those dorky guys in the commercials invented Windows 7, and yet the company took it to market with little fear of legal reprisal.

3. Most investors today will never sign an NDA.

Talk to any Silicon Valley VC, private equity folks or others holding the purse strings, and you will realize that investors these days will only laugh you out of their office if you bring up the notion of signing an NDA. These guys hear hundreds of ideas everyday. They would have to limit consideration to one pitch per vertical in order to avoid lawyers flying out of the woodwork (and even then, they would get sued). Can you imagine the liability? We’re just the stop before them so we need to follow suit in all but the most extreme situations, like the cold fusion thing.

4. Great ideas cost too much money.

Even if you have a great idea, at the very least you’ll still need to invest some serious coin and sweat equity to get that idea to a presentable level of development. In success, you’ll have to feed the machine until everyone else finds out about your great idea and the masses agree with how brilliant you think you are. Rest assured, we’re too busy realizing our own brilliant ideas to spend the time and money to steal yours.

5. Potential liability? Just say NO.

Every signed NDA out there in the universe provides an opportunity for some anxious lawyer to work his way through the fine print and come knocking on our door because he saw our sexy signature. While there are certainly specific exceptions we make, the general rule is that each NDA we sign has the potential to keep us up at night. We barely sleep as it is.

We live in the age of exponentially fast information exchange. The world is also a bit low on genuinely novel ideas. Let’s rethink how to protect ourselves while making, as opposed to breaking, deals. We know we’ll get some feedback on this one – hopefully from both sides. Let us know what you think. And if you do, in fact, have that cold fusion thing ready to pitch…

The old rules of messaging and traditional media dictate that you want to try to reach as many people as possible.  Today, with the ability to hyper target your message or story, the barrage of so much content, and peoples’ short attention spans, it’s about quality and your own definition of ROI.  We learned about the importance of an authentic message in Episode 6 and this week we find out why your billions and trillions of Twitter followers, Facebook/MySpace friends don’t mean anything…unless you’re just an odd collector of people and that’s so 2009.

Episode 7 features: Jason Feinberg and Zach Jordan

The big scary paradigm shift in technology, entertainment and advertising (don’t worry everything else is converging too) is akin to the implosion of the music industry. We spent years building up obstacles between the music and the fans and trying to ignore the fact that they were always in control. When the dust finally settles this time around, we’ll all be able to see clearly that, in the crowded world of content, we need to provide as clear a path as possible between your music and your fans. Great content is like music; it might be brilliant but without anyone around to hear it, nobody will ever get to experience the greatness. Episode 5 explains the Joe Digital special formula we like to follow:

High Quality Content + Strategic Distribution = Loyal Participants

Next week, in Episode 6, we’ll take a look at why it’s so important to craft an honest story when starting  the conversation with your audience.

Episode 5 features: Zach Jordan

As we saw in Episode 3, there are several ways to track audience data.  You can find out, on a very granular level, who they are, where they like to play, and other important metrics that are required to make great content and distribute it strategically across the web.  In Episode 4 we find out why it’s so important to utilize this data and help you create a loyal bond with your audience.  We’ll also look at why it’s imperative to come from an authentic place when creating interesting and relevant storylines for your content.  Remember: the consumer bullshit meter is very sensitive!

Episode 4 features: Jason Feinberg, Suzanne Diamond, Timothy Golden and Zach Jordan

The other weekend, though, I was compelled to at least loosen my grip on the status quo and take a deep bow in the direction of the tsunami that is heading our way. Here’s the scoop. I looked in on my two girls (12 and 10, respectively) when I heard blaring music shaking the foundation.

I opened the door (without knocking because, well, I can). There they were, TV on full blast, watching some show where the latest quasi-pubescent heartthrob, Justin Beaver (I know his name is Bieber, but I do that just to mess with them), was guest starring. Each had their laptop (spoiled like you can’t imagine) on YouTube watching this kid “sing” really deep and meaningful songs. They also had him on their iTouches (is that the plural, or iTouchae?). One was on the phone talking to her friend, who was apparently watching / listening to the same Bieberpalooza and the other was texting about the same. In short, it was a platform agnostic, social networking, wireless, audio / visual, crowd sourced, simulcast of all things Beaver (again, just to make my kids nuts). The only thing missing was this kid live, in my house, rocking out (generous on my part) to my screaming girls and their digitally connected fan club. Of course, that came several days later when they saw him live (and, as we all know, Bieber live is like seeing The Boss live in the late 1970s—only the four hour set replaced by 3 four minute songs, primarily about school and gum). Told you they were spoiled.  By the way, while engrossed in their little BieberFest, they never even noticed I was there.  I hate Justin Bieber.

I think this is what Zach calls “living digital”.

The next day, I was telling this story to a bunch of folks at a charity event. A crowd gathered. I’d like to say that this occurred because I am a devastatingly handsome, social vortex creating, brilliant raconteur. Turns out, they all had their own recent digital life epiphanies. One 27 year old woman said her 22 year old brother thinks she is a digital dinosaur (by the way, this gal knows her stuff).

A youngish grandfather told me how his son’s 6 year old borrowed his Blackberry and asked Granddad how to make an exclamation point. Granddad’s direction to “look for the button with the black dot on the lower left side” was met with (six year old mind you) “Granddad, why didn’t you just say that I should use the ALT key?” Finally, when another youngish grandmother (do I kiss ass well or what?), told me that she saw her 2-year-old grand child “thumbing” a toy block as if it were a mobile phone while playing, the light bulb went off. If my girls and babies are doing all of this now, one can only imagine what is ahead.

Yes, Zach, you are correct. You win. The wave is a comin’, what we think is the future now will encounter obsolescence in moments, and thank the stars that we don’t “only make big splashy network TV shows anymore”. Tech will change story, story will change tech, our willingness to adopt the new will spread endlessly like the universe and alter, impact and dictate all of the above.

That said, a month or so from now when I can have things simply beamed into my head, thereby reducing my mind’s eye to a vestigial, outsourced, hunk of my gray matter, I think I am still going to want to go to the movies. Now if only everyone would stop with the damned cell phones glowing, ruining the moment and distracting me from the Academy Award winning acting dynamo known as Megan Fox.

Crackberry photo: nkpix

In Episode 1, we introduce the current state of media, advertising, entertainment and music and discuss what approach brands and content creators are taking to engage people in the volatile, digital landscape. This week we take a closer look at some of the tools marketers have at their disposal and why it’s so crucial to build a customized approach for your audience.  Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to find out as much about your audience as possible (seriously, a scary amount of information)…watch Episode 3 to find out what I’m talking about.

Episode 2 features: Suzanne Diamond, Jason Feinberg and Zach Jordan

Photo by: kmevans

The Digital Decision Series

The rules of engagement have changed and so have the ways we communicate with each other in business and entertainment. The Digital Decision Series is a weekly video blog featuring leading experts and an in depth look at the massive paradigm shift happening across every media channel today. Our goal is to harness the collective power and wisdom of a myriad of disciplines through interviews with working professionals, in a variety of media related industries, in an effort to find some answers and gain a better understanding about exactly what these new communication tools mean for business, entertainment, branding, and marketing.

We’ll cover content, metrics, social media, gaming, technology and multi-platform distribution and how the new 360 or Transmedia storytelling maxims are applicable to every business sector looking to reach out and engage people with a compelling, relevant and entertaining message. Our thought leaders come from a variety of backgrounds: from marketing to music, television to gaming. Collectively, they will unfold the story of the great media paradigm shift and suggest ways in which we can all approach communication in business, education, and entertainment more effectively in the digital space and beyond. In the end, we hope this series sheds some light on the amazing opportunities presented and offers some solutions that have a positive impact on your engagement in the digital landscape.  Episode 2 takes a closer look at why it’s so crucial to customize every approach to messaging and story and using the best digital tools for the job.

Episode 1 Features:

Suzanne Diamond, Tim Mosher, Jason Feinberg, and Zach Jordan

Transmedia, Branding and Marketing

In Part I and Part II of this blog series we outlined the basics of Transmedia storytelling, as it pertains to entertainment, and how technology is helping to shape the way we consume story across multiple platforms.  The Transmedia approach is also fast becoming popular with brands because the rules of marketing, advertising and PR are evolving in favor of the consumer. People don’t want to be talked at or “sold”. Some might argue that it’s not that people don’t want to be advertised to, but rather, we don’t want to experience bad advertising. I would argue that, good or bad, people simply don’t have time for anything that isn’t relevant to them on a very personal level. Additionally, brands are realizing they need to take a more educational approach with their messaging and the Transmedia storytelling methods are the best way to educate and engage people.

Simply put, the multi-platform narrative organically encourages people to feel empowered in an authentic way because it delivers story where people are consuming content and completely on their terms. While Transmedia is certainly going to be playing a leading role with branding and marketing, here are a few key challenges brands and agencies are facing with respect to this new paradigm:

• there are so many touch points where people enter and exit a narrative or messaging; TV, Internet, gaming, live events, etc. that managing each one of these different touch points requires a team of professionals who live and breathe the brand and can ensure the narrative remains consistent.

• the brand message/story must resonate and engage people on every platform. Not all campaigns require the use of every single form of distribution, so it’s critical for the creative team to be familiar with how people engage content on each platform.

• the metrics for reporting ROI on each of these platforms and/or touch points are in a very nascent stage. We still don’t have a consistent way to measure how each of these platforms perform in the larger picture and this is crucial before brands will begin to distribute digital dollars evenly across all platforms.

Furthermore, managing a brand these days is no longer the job of a few key people, but the responsibility of an interdependent community of creative and technology professionals. Most brands and agencies don’t possess the internal manpower to fulfill these new capacities and will need to reach out to other entities for the next few years, while the Transmedia paradigm continues to move away from the fringe and into the mainstream.

While we wait for critical mass to take hold, we need to educate ourselves on the best ways to (1) effectively use, (2) monetize and (3) measure Transmedia storytelling methods. Looking at this shift from a global perspective, licensing brands and entertainment properties across multiple platforms will certainly prove to be challenging over the next few years as we sort things out. This is all the more reason to keep on eye on other global markets, who may not be challenged in this way, to see what exciting innovations emerge.

Transmedia Predictions (in no particular order)

• Transmendia won’t always be just for the die-hard action fans or gear heads. Branding campaigns and entertainment properties will continue to drill down to the core audiences and target the hyper vigilant fans across all verticals. Writers like Aaron Sorkin (going well beyond the West Wing blog of 2006!) and Tony Kushner will contribute to intricate marketing campaigns that (a) utilize all forms of technology and (b) find interesting ways for their heady characters to engage with the audience.

• All platforms will merge into one, superfluous network and can be accessed by anyone, at any given time – regardless of hardware. The idea of co-creating content, story, and messaging will be completely in the users’ hands at this point. While people will always want to be led by the nose from a creative standpoint, they will want take story points provided by creators and assemble their own worlds, interactive components and communities.

• 3D and live events will become the cornerstones of all large, entertainment and marketing narratives within the Transmedia paradigm.

• Transmedia storytelling will reshape the educational system. When (I’m telling you one of these days they will) project based teaching/learning becomes commonplace in the educational system, Transmedia storytelling will be used to help students master  difficult subjects. Additionally, as language in the global classroom evolves, teaching/learning will rely on advanced rich media like interactive video and storytelling.

• Keep your eyes on Brazil, especially around the 2016 Olympics. This region is plowing full speed into the world of Transmedia storytelling and the kids coming up there today will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

Regardless of where you hang your hat, everyone loves a great story. Continuing to educate your clients, staying abreast of advancing technologies and expanding your network of professionals who understand Transmedia, will help guide you to a happy ending.

Technology: A Driving Force Behind Transmedia

In Part I of our series, we took a brief look at the basic elements of how Transmedia is growing in popularity around the world.  Entertainment and branding are evolving and technology is helping to usher us into this new paradigm faster every day.  For the first time in history, technology is allowing us to enjoy a seamless entertainment experience. We can start watching a TV show or video online at work, pause it; come home and finish watching it on our TV, exactly where we left off. This will soon be true of all content whether it’s books, music or games. Online games, and video games in general, have in many ways given birth to Transmedia storytelling.  Video games are finally getting the recognition they deserve when it comes to: (1) delivering a compelling narrative, (2) community building and (3) great educational value.

Gaming, and Internet use in general, is a hugely social experience and is proving to be a very successful way for people to engage with one another in a global and localized environment. Gaming, once perceived as an isolated activity, is really about bonding and community. Now that we know this and can scale this opportunity to Transmedia storytelling, we can use this as the basis for creating brand stories and entertainment properties that invite people to share information,  work more efficiently together on large projects, and ultimately retain more knowledge about a specific topic. Games have also taught us that audiences are not stupid. Left unchallenged or not specifically invited to engage with a compelling narrative on a personal level, they will move on.  Regardless of the challenges presented or the scope of the story within the context of the digital experience, people will gravitate toward live events and a visceral experience to supplement the time we spend online.

Live Events, Music and Transmedia

Live events, whether a component of brand messaging or an entertainment property, will resonate more in the coming years and in very interesting ways. As we continue to spend so much time telecommuting and engaging each other in the virtual world, we will demand engagement in the real world, perhaps more than we ever have. The live event platform of Transmedia storytelling is intrinsic to our nature and, coupled with technology, can make for a powerful universal experience and create deeper levels of audience engagement. Music has been doing this for years through concerts and other cross platform events that invite community and cross-pollination of stories and ideas.

For example, Hip Hop and digital storytelling have always been inextricably linked with one another because both have (1) always thrived on community and participation and (2) Hip Hop culture has always used digital technology to share its story with the world. An excellent example of this can be seen in the documentary “This Is The Life” that chronicles the Good Life emcees in the early 90′s in South Central LA. Mix tapes and live events were major entry points into their narrative and helped spawn some of the major artists of today. Live events can be used in a variety of creative ways and intermingled with a variety of artistic disciplines. Take for instance the Pet Shop Boys Parisian concert in 2008 (how’s that for a reference) featuring a symphony playing their music as the Russian film “Battleship Potemkin” plays on a screen behind them in Trafalgar Square.

Improv everywhere and flashmobs are also part of the live, multi platform storytelling approach that is used to engage people in a live setting. These largely brand neutral events take a simple idea, build a story around it and deliver the narrative in a live, interactive setting where people can become engaged beyond the confines of a screen or hand-held device. They also invite co-creation through video and social networking and can provide brands with additional distribution channels, that wouldn’t exist in the virtual world.

This is all very exciting, but not without its challenges. Despite the power of the born digital crowd and access to cross platform technology, there are a few hurdles that prevent Transmedia storytelling from going mainstream…yet.   In Part III of this series, we’ll take a look at some of the hurdles brands face, as far as implementing Transmedia elements into their campaigns , as well as examine some specific opportunities for brands to increase audience engagement.  We’ll also take a stab at predicting how this new paradigm will affect branding, entertainment , and our global education system in the coming years.

Photo by: sarahshaneelizabeth

Transmedia Storytelling Explained

The story of traditional branding and marketing, set against the backdrop of this nerve racking, yet exciting paradigm shift, makes yet another exciting plot twist. “360 storytelling”, “Multi-platform storytelling”, or Transmedia storytelling, as it was coined many years ago by the great MIT/USC professor Henry Jenkins, is moving away from the fringe and into the limelight. While the nomenclature continues to evolve, the idea remains consistent: Great Story + Strategic Distribution = Loyal Participants.

Some of us have been reared on this type of storytelling, while others are realizing its power through sheer necessity. Right now there is more content being produced and distributed every single minute, from every part of the globe, and across multiple platforms, than at any time in history.  How does a brand or entertainment property reach out and retain peoples’ attention and create loyalty?

In traditional branding, (1) determining the customers’ journey and (2) identifying the number of touch points where your brand will intersect with peoples’ lives, were important first steps in successfully managing a brand’s message. We’ve moved beyond the need for a great idea and unrelenting brand messaging and into a new era where:

• a compelling story is the only way to guide customers through this new crowded landscape and

• a strategic and relevant distribution strategy is the only way to encourage engagement and ultimately create loyal participants.

When people watch their favorite TV shows, it’s very common for them to be engaged with another activity – they’re online or using their mobile phone to supplement their involvement with the story. This is yet another reason why it’s so crucial to have a strong narrative that holds on all organic platforms. There are simply too many entry and exit points for the audience these days to approach things any other way. Rest assured, this type of storytelling is here to stay. Coupled with emerging social media and mobile technologies, Transmedia storytelling techniques will become the spine of every successful branding campaign in the very near future.

Transmedia Storytelling Is Gaining Popularity

The born digital generation is accelerating the popularity of this storytelling trend in marketing because this demographic expects their branding and entertainment to be completely:

(1) on demand

(2) on their terms

(3) authentic

Transmedia has been popular in filmmaking and TV for awhile and it is quickly gaining popularity in other forms of branding and media. “The Lord of the Rings” franchise and MTV’s “Valemont”, are prime examples of large scale Transmedia projects. For example, the “Valemont” fan can watch the show and, to get their complete “Valemont” fix, can use their mobile phones or log onto the website for extra pieces of story and content. This evolution in storytelling creates the need to carry a narrative across multiple platforms and technologies, and sets the stage for an engaged group of people to interact, share clues and ultimately become communities of loyal participants.

If your story lives with them, they live your story. Later this week In Part II, we’ll take a deeper look behind the technology that is bringing this new paradigm to life and make some predictions about the future of Transmedia storytelling in marketing and entertainment.

Photo by: Sabellachan