In Episode 5 we find out why it’s so important to have all the elements of the conversation in place in order to encourage audience participation and build a loyal following.  This week we take a closer look at crafting an authentic message.  You don’t always have to be good, but you do have to be interesting and there’s usually nothing more interesting than a little authenticity in your story.  In this week’s episode, we tell you why an authentic message is so critical during this paradigm shift and beyond.

Episode 6 features: Suzanne Diamond and Zach Jordan

]]> http://www.joedigitalblog.com/targeted-distribution/episode-6-social-media-hold-the-bs/feed 1 http://www.joedigitalblog.com/targeted-distribution/episode-4-audience-engagement-keepin-it-real http://www.joedigitalblog.com/targeted-distribution/episode-4-audience-engagement-keepin-it-real#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:13:11 +0000 Zach Jordan http://www.joedigitalblog.com/?p=773 Keep Reading]]>

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 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

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

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