Transmedia Planning
Brian (founder of Adcenter’s rm116.com blog) and I were chatting about doing some industry interviews and posting them on the blog so here is the first one. Haven’t figured out how often they will come out, maybe bi-weekly?
There’s been a lot of discussion around the blog circuit about transmedia planning stemming from the book Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins. Faris Yakob from Naked Communications in London first wrote a post on transmedia on his blog. Check it out here. To dive deeper into the subject, Jason from Leo Burnett Toronto wrote a stunning piece, check it out here. By the way, both posts are nominated on Russell’s blog for post of the month. Wow, these are a ton of links.
I caught up with Faris and picked his brain for a little bit…
What is transmedia planning?
Transmedia planning is a communication model, derived from the transmedia narratives described in convergence culture [jenkins] that is designed to create and communicate with brand communities.
In this model, there would be an evolving non-linear brand narrative. Different channels could be used to communicate different, self-contained elements of the brand narrative that build to create an larger brand world. Consumers then pull different parts of the story together themselves.
Since there would be more elements to the narrative than any single person could consume, people come together to share elements of the narrative – driving word of mouth and creating communities.
Any good examples off the top of your head?
I’ve said before that I think the Audi A3 Heist is a good example. ARGs are inherently transmedia – they are transmedia narratives after all, so things like the Nokia Game or I Love Bees would fit in. But these are extreme iterations of the idea.
In some ways brands, like Honda say, have been doing this – building in complexity into a range of communications, using channels to put across different ideas that build into a larger brand world, rather than reproducing the same idea in different ways.
For me its about building a world of referents and images, held together by a value system and a narrative, communicating it in ways that respects that content is fluid and channels are no longer easily delineated – only forms of content are.
What’s the difference between media neutral and transmedia planning?
Media neutral planning developed as a reaction to the standard industry model of integration – taking a tv ad and diluting it into other channels that didn’t necessarily suit it.
Media neutrality said let’s treat channels as equal and finds way to explode a single core idea into all possible touchpoints – the multiple encodings reinforce each and you get your brand stuck in their brain.
I think consumers can handle more than a single core idea. In fact, I think in an age where increasingly consumers control the media the consume, and we can no longer simply interrupt, entertain for 25 seconds and then sell them something, then we have to offer them more than a core idea well told.
If they are to reach out to brands, we have to be delivering value and a rich content experience is valuable.
So the transmedia model builds a larger world of ideas and delivers different parts of that world in different channels. Some channels are better at some things than others.
Crucially, planning this way also takes into account the community we are talking to. It’s not about individuals responding to the whole world – it’s about whether a community will adopt it. And groups naturally spring up around stories that have rich worlds to explore, discuss and share.
What does this mean for planners?
Well, it’s not necessarily due to convergence culture, but I think the division between ‘account’ planners and ‘media’ planners makes no sense.
Planners need to understand people, and how people consume ideas: creative and media.
Doesn’t this give consumers too much power and control of the brand? Doesn’t this rely on them even caring about what you have to say?
“Consumers” own brands – even when they aren’t consuming.
But yes – it does. If they don’t care, or we can’t give them reasons to care, then they will simply stop engaging with us.
The industry seems obsessed by engagement at the moment – building / offering brand engagement. But from a person, or communities, point of view – why should they engage with brands unless there is some value in the engagement?
And if we’re delivering value, they will care.
How can brands and agencies take advantage of transmedia?
Think about the myth that is the brand you are charged with building. Find the brand’s point of view, create the brand’s world. Don’t treat consumers like idiots. Get online and see how people are living – but that doesn’t mean charge and claim a stake in Second Life!
Yeah, I remember reading a really cool quote by Joseph Jaffe.
“Opening up a storefront/presence in Second Life is not dissimilar to a Wal-Mart opening up in a small town.”
But what if the brand doesn’t have a community – some brands are more interesting than others right? How about Mini Cooper vs Bic Biro?
Not necessarily. Look at M&M’s and the Dark Movie campaign they’ve got running online – it’s generated a number of communities working together to crack it all.
It’s the brand’s myth that is interesting. What’s interesting about trainers? What’s interesting about Japanese cars?
If you had to add a new line to a brief for transmedia to get agencies to start thinking differently, what would it be?
Briefs are fluid – there is no set template that works. But I guess it would be something about what community are you trying to engage or create. And then HOW do they live their media lives. Not what do they consume, but HOW.
What’s in store for transmedia at Naked?
It will help us plan things effectively in a convergence world. Models are only useful if they lead to better solutions.
For our readers in London, any cool cultural things you’ve done in London so far?
I’ve pretty much always lived in London so, as with everything you begin to take it granted, which is a shame but inevitable.
But the best thing I’ve seen recently is Avenue Q – it’s a musical of the digital age: recombinant, referential and brilliant.
As an avid blogger, what are some of your favourite blogs that you read everyday?
There are so many great blogs out there – I wish I had more time to read more of them – even keeping up with the planning blogs can be tough.
So looking only internally [which is never healthy - if we only look inwards pretty soon we'll run out of ideas - so it's good to jump into other blog pools once in a while and splash around, see what's floating] – there are a few of my favourite things, although I’d be hard pushed to look in everyday…
Russell – the godfather http://russelldavies.typepad.com/
Richard – the professor http://www.adliterate.com/
MIT Ad Tech http://adverlab.blogspot.com/
Michelle and Sean: http://diablogue.typepad.com/diablogue/
Asi: http://nomansblog.typepad.com/
Iain: http://www.crackunit.com/
Yusuf and Patrick: http://staufenberger.typepad.com/repository/
Doug: http://admanramblings.blogspot.com/
Beeker: http://beeker.typepad.com/
George: http://www.adscam.typepad.com/
Grant: http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/
Paul: http://lifeinthemiddle.typepad.co.uk/
Dino: http://chromainc.typepad.com/
Mark: http://www.holycow.typepad.com/
John: http://www.brandtarot.com/blog/
Last question, this one is going to be the toughest one – Kate Moss or Heidi Klum?
Kate Moss. She seems more real somehow.
Faris Yakob is a strategist and media guru at Naked Communications in London
If you would like to be interviewed for a future post, please contact me at mikekarnj@gmail.com
