Digithoughts

Transmedia is Everywhere Part 2: The Online Space

In my previous post, I explained the principles of transmedia based on a presentation given by USC’s Henry Jenkins at Comic Con.

Now I want to take it a step further and explain how important transmedia is in the online space and how it differs from traditional promotion and branding work.

The first and most important thing to remember is that transmedia adds something to the story. I used the example of Star Wars yesterday. The Clone Wars TV show fills in a gap in the story not addressed in the movies. Star Wars cereal does not add anything to the story. The marshmallow Death Stars do not make an appearance in the plot at all or add anything to the overall plight of the Jedi. When trying to come up with your overall strategy, think of this.

Transmedia caters to the existing fan; it gives them more of the content they want, that they can engage with and share with other diehards. It is less about individual users and more about appealing to communities and groups of fans of a particular character or story. These people will make or break your campaign. If an idea or campaign is properly researched, developed and executed, they can make thrive online. Or, given the right tools, they will generate the content for you. They are smart, Internet savvy, and not easily swayed by traditional marketing tactics. To please them, you need to know the story and know it well.

Each of the 7 Concepts of Transmedia translates well online. As to not strain your eyes, I will not go through all 7, but the ones I think work the best in the online space.

Drillability and Spreadability

As mentioned in the first part, one of the more popular forms of Drillability online are Wikis. Almost every popular TV show has some sort of page for fans to contribute information and insight.  The more depth in a show, the more likely there will need to be some sort of website to organize and analyze all the bits and pieces that comprise it.

The wiki HBO has for True Blood even includes rotating ads geared towards vampires. Their wiki also links to their social media applications and content, which brings me to my next point.

Spreadability, which can also be known as “viral”, is almost always a component of marketing strategies nowadays. You need to have a social media presence. But in transmedia, it is not just about people being fans on Facebook, but adding to the experience. To take it a step further, coming up with a campaign that spans multiple social platforms while simultaneously adding to the story and/or experience.

A perfect example was what happened with the TV show Chuck. Now, this was not part of a transmedia strategy, but proves how content that has spreadability can work wonders. NBC was going to cancel Chuck. Fans of the show would not let it happen. They took to Twitter, to Facebook, and to blogs as part of the “Give Me My Chuck” campaign orchestrated by TV blog Give Me My Remote. The power of social media prevailed. The campaign was successful and show continues to air.

What NBC should have done was launch the campaign themselves to get fans to rally for the show. This would have given them direct access the the most loyal Chuck fans. They could have offered exclusive content, contests geared toward spreading the message via social networking platforms, etc. If networks applied this type of transmedia strategy to critically acclaimed TV shows that have low viewership, they could easily increase numbers and keep good shows from going off the air.

Immersions vs. Extractability

Again, we see these all the time on the Internet.  While I used the example of the Harry Potter theme park for immersion, online you can build an experience for fans. One of my favorite digital experiences was for the movie Coraline. The website for the movie allows you go search through the world in the movie on a virtual tour. Does it have the same impact as say, riding the train to Hogwarts? No, but it is still allows the fan to be engaged in the experience of the movie.
In terms of Extractability, it does not necessarily have to be tangible. Take the show Mad Men. A few months ago they released an application, which allowed you to “Mad Men Yourself” and create your own Mad Men inspired avatar. This allows the fan to take a little piece of the show with them.

World Building

Both Immersion and Extractability can be part of the larger concept; World Building. World building online is nothing new; in fact it has become a very profitable industry on its own. But building out a world online for fans brings a whole new level of engagement. Fans can become the characters and create their own stories within the world. Think about online gaming like World of Warcraft. In order to draw the user in, WoW has created an entire world with different characters you can be, groups you can join and missions to partake in.

Performance

What are you giving the audience or user to do? And how does this call to action relate back to the story? Those are the first questions you need to ask yourself when tackling the performance concept in transmedia. This is probably one of the easiest to with online video being so common and easy to produce. Almost everyone has a webcam or a digital camera. But at the same time, it is more than a promotional tool.

A great example is Star Wars Uncut. Fans recreate scenes and each is pieced together to recreate the movie. Each one in unique and original, adding each person’s own spin to the story.

The first step to well executed transmedia campaign is early involvement. The more you are involved as the story unfolds, the better. Then you can decide which concepts work the best.

At the core of the transmedia movement is creativity. Don’t be afraid to do something a little different and don’t be too concerned with going too big.

Everyone is a fan of something. Think about the characters, stories, and worlds you like best. What would you like to see? Or even better, what kind of campaign would be totally off base? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Reena Leone Marketing and Social Media Coordinator

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