Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing - CM2052B
Week 1 3
Lecture 1: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing 3
Q&A session week 1 5
What is transmedia? 7
Canal de AynaVaz: Henry Jenkins on Transmedia 7
The future of storytelling: Phase 1 8
The future of storytelling: Phase 2 10
Transmedia: Entertainment reimagined 14
Week 2 16
Lecture 2: Transmedia entertainment & marketing 16
Q&A session week 2 22
A narrative across platforms: Transmedia, politics, and encouraging youth authorship anywhere
and anytime 24
Transmedia storytelling: Implicit consumers, narrative worlds, and branding 25
The transmedia concept 29
Henry Jenkins - Travels in Transmedia 30
Week 3 32
Lecture 3: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing 32
Q&A session week 3 37
“Storification”: or, what do we want psychology and physiology to tell us about screen stories?39
Transmedia storytelling: The art of world building 41
The art of immersion: How the digital generation is remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and
the way we tell stories 44
Media Convergence: Opportunities and challenges 48
Andrea Phillips: What’s the most common mistake in Transmedia Storytelling? 49
Possibilities of hyper personalised transmedia storytelling 49
Week 4 51
Lecture 4: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing 51
Q&A session week 4 58
This is not marketing. This is HBO: Branding HBO with Transmedia Storytelling 60
Transmedia storytelling, an ally of Corporate Communication: #Dropped by Heineken case
study 65
Building self-brand connections: Exploring brand stories through a transmedia perspective 73
Why Transmedia Branding? & I’m on a Horse 84
What is Integrated Marketing 85
10 Creative Marketing Ploys We Totally Bought Into/10 Misleading Marketing Tactics 86
Steve Jobs’ Marketing Philosophy that Works 87
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,Week 5 88
Lecture 5: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing 88
Q&A session week 5 92
And the final lesson from Game of Thrones is, “Always support the bottom” 95
Transmedia storytelling, corporate synergy, and audience expression 96
Transmedia storytelling: A study of the necessity, features and advantages 101
Design element of transmedia branding 104
The future of branded entertainment: Q & A with Brent Freeman 107
Top 10 brand communication trends 109
Brand execution: Phases of strategic brand development 110
Storytelling: The secret power of brands 110
Kendall Jenner for Pepsi Commercial 111
Week 6 111
Lecture 6: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing 111
Q&A session week 6 118
Fully articulated: The rise of the action figure and the changing face of ‘children’s’ entertainment
119
Experiencing fan activism: Understanding the power of fan activist organizations through
member’s narratives 124
GleeFandom and Twitter: Something new, or more of the same old thing? 129
Engage learners with transmedia storytelling. Elaine Raybourn. TEDxABQED. 134
TedX: TransActivism Ted Talk 136
The New Audience: Henry Jenkins. 137
Week 7 139
Lecture 7: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing 139
Q&A session week 7 140
Transmedia storytelling: New practices and audiences 142
Does transmedia branding represent the future of marketing 145
TEDx Talks: TEDxNYED - Henry Jenkins 146
Touching the storyworld: The new emotional landscape of transmedia storytelling - Andrea
Phillips for the future of storytelling 2012 148
Week 8 149
Henry Jenkins on Transmedia 149
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,Week 1
Lecture week 1. Dorottya Eva Kiss (08/11/2021)
Lecture 1: Transmedia Entertainment & Marketing
Values: They determine a common ground. A framework for what we believe in. Values matter in
relation to a business plan/common goals etc. Values are the base of a vision/mission/goal/strategy
we implement to reach those goals.
Assignments
- Goals: What transmedia is, why it is relevant and how you can create a transmedia campaign
(also inc. planning and strategies on how to stay consistent and engage audiences).
- Formal criteria: Name, number, date, course name, course code, tutor name
- Font roman 12, arial 11, doc files
Transmedia: Both on- and offline. Increased relevance. Relates to storytelling, entertainment and
marketing/branding activities. Including audience engagement and audience reach.
- Movie, short film, book, game experience, social media, theme park
- (Burton, 2010): “Reimagining what entertainment could do in an era of networked
communications.”
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,We should remain critical: point out gaps in theory (in relation to practice).
Be careful generalizing. Be general but critical. Be specific. What do you mean with that concept,
strategy or thought?
A transmedia campaign should be in line with the mission, vision and values of the company. It
should also consider ethical issues.
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,They have a TS strategy that is not working or they do not have one.
Relate to concepts. Company, theory and advice. About strategies related to company information.
Don’t forget about the core narrative.
Industry → sector → company → challenge = your added value. Why do they need a TM campaign?
What can you contribute to this business?
Q & A session week 1. Dorottya Eva Kiss (09/11/2021)
Q&A session week 1
- Transmedia is non-linear. Within a specific framework with one core.
1. How does transmedia relate to storytelling, entertainment and marketing?
Transmedia is the art of telling one story by using different platforms that all extend the storyline.
This can improve the experience of entertainment for audiences by allowing them to delve deeper
into the story and letting them contribute to the story with their perspectives. Marketeers are also
able to use transmedia in order to engage audiences more in innovative, entertaining ways.
2. How are audiences’ expectations around storytelling evolving as media experiences become more
multi- platform, more customizable, and more participatory?
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,Due to the changes in media experiences, audiences expect content to be differentiated across
platforms. Audiences want to interact with others about the story or even interact with fictional
characters. Also, the story should be integrated into the real world by creating a cohesive story
across platforms.
5. How big are the opportunities for storytellers, including those in non- action and advertising?
There are great opportunities for storytellers, particularly because they are able to use second
screens. Audiences crave innovative advertising with seamless integrations into entertaining
content. Second screens could offer audiences greater immersion and goal-oriented plug-ins.
7. Are there specific audience types for next-generation storytelling? How can we reach them?
Yes, there are specific audience types for next-generation storytelling, with each having their own
level of being active/passive regarding the four I’s.
1. Seekers: They are interested in knowing more about the story by, for example, looking at
sneak peeks or bonus content. They want to have a deeper experience. This is the audience
type that is most likely to focus on advertisements. Brands can reach them mainly by
creating a positive brand narrative that will be spread mouth-to-mouth. Being creative and
funny, or offering deals will work well.
2. Relaters: This type is mainly interested in creating meaningful relationships with friends by
talking about the story. Also, they want to create these relationships with the (fictional)
characters. Brands can reach them on social media, potentially by creating a brand
archetype that the audience would be able to identify with.
3. Realists: Realists want stories to have a positive effect on their real lives, either by inspiring
or motivating them to be more productive, or to develop themselves. Brands can reach this
audience type by telling stories that are somehow incorporated into the real world, with
subtle branded content to seek the audience’s interest without directly persuading them.
4. Players: Players want to interact with the story, be active and contribute to the story,
potentially using game-elements. Brands should not try to reach this audience type using
traditional media. Rather, brands should create ways in which players can actively engage
with the story.
Statements:
1. Content creators, brands and regular storytellers should take the preferences of each
audience type into account in order to respect their individual boundaries and not come
across as pervasive.
2. Transmedia is not solely repeating the same story, it is about extending a storyline. This
means that transmedia is more than solely using multiple platforms to spread a message.
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,Philips, A. (2012). What is transmedia? Retrieved from https://youtu.be/wHTZnh2VK-A
What is transmedia?
Transmedia: The art of telling one story through multiple platforms at the same time. Has a
Performative element: Not telling an entire story (fragments). The story is not finished
immediately. Interaction with audience. It starts with a few pieces and you can make changes along
the way based on people’s responses. Can make the experience more rich/fun.
- Ex. Star Wars. Story broken into big fragments, like a book/movie.
- Ex. Pandemic. Story broken into small fragments, like a photograph/tweet.
Jenkins, H. (2009). Canal de AynaVaz: Henry Jenkins on Transmedia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk3pahtpsVY
Canal de AynaVaz: Henry Jenkins on Transmedia
- Transition: An old media system (spectatorial culture) is dying, a new media system
(participatory culture) is being born. Large companies controlling the storytelling makes
way for normal citizens to gain control over media and create their own stories. The latter
creates a more diverse world. Different people tell their stories, so more perspectives can
emerge. Some groups challenge the dominant media culture. More realities will be depicted
in the media.
- Broadband-internet adoption → new digital platforms → tools for building audiences.
- The most important stories used to be repeated often by the people. In the 21st century the
images belong to media companies. In the digital age, the public gains control over the
media and claims the right to retell those stories. The public innovates, experiments,
recontextualizes and responds to images. Consuming media in new ways. We respond in
different ways and the big media communicates differently. Everything is re-contextualized.
Information overload
Convergence culture: A world where every story/sound/brand/relationship plays itself out across
the maximum amount of media channels. It is shaped by all sorts of people. We take back control of
the media.
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,Collective intelligence: The group as a whole can put together knowledge in a more complex way
than an individual could. Technologies can monitor government produced data otherwise
impossible. Big Brother might not be watching us, but we might be watching Big Brother. For social
justice, the tools should be used by the most oppressed people.
Transmedia: The story is scattered across different platforms, so the platforms are all
complementary and each platform contributes what it does best. Fragmenting the story. The story is
not repetitive. Leads back to the same story.
- Ex. The Matrix. Has movies, comic books, video games etc. Also the audience expands the
story through fanfiction/fan art.
- Ex. Obama campaign. A political figure uses media platforms to gain momentum.
Documentary films: We are already depicting a world. Reality is cross-platform and it is complex
enough to have different characters of different stories on different platforms.
Gaskins, K. (2012). Latitude research project: The future of storytelling: Phase 1. Retrieved from
http://users.csc.calpoly.edu/~mhaungs/courses/LAES301/Reading/Latitude-Future-of-Storytellin
g-Phase-1.pdf
The future of storytelling: Phase 1
Research about content experiences. Audiences want experiences so that they can delve deeper into
stories and bring stories out of the screen (mingle with real lives). Findings:
- 82%: Mobile apps should complement TV viewing experiences.
- 68%: More apps should be created to help them access content they watch elsewhere.
- 75%: Content in phones should get smarter. Should become relevant to where we are and
what we are doing in real life.
- 52%: Think the real world is a platform too and should create technologies that bridge the
divide between digital and physical. Younger people want this more than older people.
- People want to see their characters in different contexts.
- People want to get news updates from what happens in the story-world, as if it would
happen in real life.
4 I’s of Storytelling framework: Themes in imagining storytelling concepts. To illustrate good
future storytelling experiences.
1. Immersion: People want to go deeper into the story-world, by learning more about
it/enhancing sensory experience.
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, 2. Interactivity: Audiences want to be participants. They want to influence elements of the
story and interact with other people around the story.
3. Integration: The story is cohesive across platforms and it can interface with the real world.
4. Impact: The story inspires people to take action into their real lives (buying
something/donating)
- People want to experience the world through other people’s eyes. .
Transmedia: Content creators should deepen and complement experiences across platforms by
using each platform’s strengths. The desire for differentiation becomes the expectation.
Control:
- Creating a community-sources story, so audiences can influence the storytelling of that
narrative. Audiences want control over their experiences.
- 79%: People that want interactions to alter the storyline. Either by influencing/becoming a
character (56%) or manipulating plot events (37%).
- 93% want to express creativity and submit possible story ideas. 66% wants to fund
engaging stories with money. 79% would promote the story on social media/with
promotional materials.
The perfect story would…:
1. Meet basic info needs: Instant access to info → deepens narrative experiences
2. Offer a new vantage point: Exploring different perspectives (experiencing a characters point
of view or becoming the character. Audiences interact with the story als a normal person →
choosing their own path without being ‘the chosen one’ → increased immersion.
3. Offer an active experience: More than 50% want interactivity, 12% want a passive
experience.
4. Converse with the real world: Actions in the real world should impact the narrative. Popular
for sci-fi, fantasy and other epic stories.
5. Be long-running: 38% think the perfect story is 4+ installments, 31% think never-ending is
best.
Opportunities:
1. Bring characters out of the screen: Deepens loyalty. People want to delve deeper into the
story-world & bring the story out of the screen. Audiences relate to characters/situations, so
these characters can influence people’s actual lives.
2. Transmedia is more than fantasy: Transmedia is now mainly focussed on sci-fi. Non-fiction
could also use transmedia. People crave immersive experiences. Physical assets can also be
used to tell a story.
3. Offer multiple modes of interactivity: People should be able to choose their own level of
engagement → optimizes engagement for people with different needs.
- Creating the illusion of interactivity is easy.
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, Gaskins, K. (2012). Latitude research project: The future of storytelling: Phase 2. Retrieved from
http://files.latd.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Latitude-FoS-Phase-2.pdf
The future of storytelling: Phase 2
Technology: Leads to more immersive and interactive experiences. People desire new content
experiences (in fiction, non-fiction and advertising). Cross-platform storytelling allows for new
possibilities, innovative character and storyline interactions & physical world integrations.
Content creators Brands/Marketers Storytellers
Increase the Embrace new narrative Heed second and third screens
character-audience techniques (ads can be more (interact with characters, earn
relationship (knowing them, engaging by creating a rewards, access bonus
having their perspective, have back-story, make it visually content)
a personal relationship with immersive or have game
them) elements)
Expand boundaries of how, The real world is a platform Recognize different audiences
when and where stories are (smartphones are connected and different ways to engage
told (events should unfold in with other devices and the real (passive/active, don’t
real life) world) generalize)
Characters can become our friends
- Character connections are “social” next level. Audiences want more personal/fluid character
encounters. 78% want a friend character digitally and influence decision making. This
relationship should also affect the audience’s lives (motivation, teaching, open mindedness).
- Audiences want to experience the stories with enhanced perception. They want to spectate
freely. 87% want to have the perspective of a character/switch character perspectives/see
the real world from a character’s perspective. Counts for genres drama, sci-fi, and
non-fiction.
Storyline innovation: real-time & real good
- We access content, but content could also access us even when we are not actively tuned in.
91% say real-time story-world would motivate audiences to tune in more often.
- Actions in the story-world can have a good impact in the real world. 88% want that stories
help people learn about and support good causes.
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