Video produced by Time To Get Social

In Episode 2, we briefly discuss the various social media tools and technologies available and the importance of customizing every strategy depending on your audience. Episode 3 gives a few specific ways you can find out (1) who your audience is, (2) what factors you need to consider when developing content and (3) the various ways to track and report on your audience.  Once you get to know your audience, take a look at Episode 4 to get a sense of why it’s so important to use this data to create relevant and authentic messaging.

Episode 3 features: Jason Feinberg, Suzanne Diamond, Timothy Golden, 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.

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

Distribution takes on many new and exciting forms in the world of 360 storytelling and needs to be strategically mapped, based on the specific needs of your story.  The bad news is, audiences will continue to fragment across an increasing number of platforms.  The good news is, the audience may be one of the best forms of distribution for your story through social networking and video sharing.  This factor becomes even more interesting, considering that 1/3 of all online videos get shared.

Traditional platforms like TV won’t disappear or lose out to online and mobile, but we’ll get to a point very soon when all these platforms hold an equal footing.  The distribution efforts of loyal fans and participants will become even more apparent in this transition.  Distribution channels in the 360 story environment may include:

1. TV
2. Online video portals
3. Social networks
4. Widgets
5. Interactive games
6. Out of home networks
7. Mobile applications

The many forms of distribution in the 360 story environment help you reach, entertain and retain the short attention span audience members who are pulled in every direction by the morass of content.  However, it’s important to note that one web widget does not a distribution strategy make.  You can have all the democratized access to free video portals and inexpensive technology in the world, but without 1) a well structured story customized for the 360 environment and 2) a complete understanding of how your story is executed within the context of these distribution platforms, these tools can prove useless and may even alienate some of your audience or clients if not utilized sparingly.  Let’s review:

1.  Your story is well crafted

2.  You’ve identified your audience

3.  You know how to communicate with them

4.  You know where your audience is watching

Now it’s time to engage and reap the rewards.  Remember: it always comes down to the emotional connection you are trying to build with your audience and doing so in an authentic way.   Because the tools in the 360 storytelling environment amplify messaging and allow your audience to co-create and control their experiences with the tools you give them, people become empowered and more willing to become distributors themselves.  There is no doubt we are all experiencing a new frontier in which the 360 storytelling experience will make for a truly platform agnostic experience where viewers will engage with entertaining content in ways beyond our wildest imaginations.

Photo by: EllynKocher

Your audience has always been in control of your messaging, but now they are equipped with the digital tools to demand everything be completely on their terms.  Understanding your audience, the way they speak, the terms they use and places they like to interact with each other is as important as a solid story structure.  Two key factors to remember about audience in the 360 story environment: (1) Every audience is different and (2) Audiences will continue to fragment across multiple platforms.  Here are three main types of audience today:

1. Passive, lean back audience

2. Engaged, audience

3. Active, lean forward audience

The traditional TV viewer is considered part of the passive “lean back” audience, as they enjoy a great idea or story, but don’t feel compelled to participate past the emotional involvement of the story.  The engaged audience will be watching and following along on a related website or checking Twitter and Facebook for related conversations.  The active “lean forward” audience (think LOST) is hungry for the opportunity to co-create your story.  They are participating with other fans, uploading content and providing your story with additional distribution.  In the 360 story environment it’s about audience loyalty. If you don’t supply your rabid fans with interactive tools like widgets, websites, mobile applications, and games, they will look elsewhere.  One of the great opportunities, with respect to the lean forward audience, is the ability to test different 360 storytelling elements to see what resonates with the fans.  Tomorrow we’ll look at the 360 FOCUS GROUP and how you can harness the power of your fans and deliver exactly what they need and want.