Do you know what Transmedia is? Prior to taking this class I didn't either. Transmedia, a form of social media, involves media that occurs on a variety of platforms as the story grows. Take for instance Harry Potter- while it began as a book series, it has grown into movies, billboards, theme parks, video games, and much more.
What is interesting about this type of media is how it is defined throughout the U.S. While the East Coast focuses on interactivity, the West Coast is much more commercially-focused on Hollywood hits, big pieces of media- films, video games and the like. While it can be used in many forms, the process of establishing a transmedia story follows 2 routes; either spreading the same story across different media, or starting with one piece of media and adding parts to the story using different media.
As a business major interested in marketing, I take a liking to the more commercially driven types of transmedia storytelling rather than the more creative and interactive forms. I am a big fan of the Kardashian franchise and regardless of your opinions and/or views on this controversial family, the fact is that the family has brilliantly built their empire through transmedia platforms. What began as a simple reality show about a family much like The Brady Bunch, exploded into a media empire that now encompasses several different spin-off series, books, video games, mobile apps, and much more, each expanding on the story the family portrays to its audiences. Will they be able to keep this up, or will transmedia storytelling overexpose the family to the point where no one is longer interested in tuning in to the lives of this family? Either way, the family is talked about every day, a true sign of success in transmedia.
No comments:
Post a Comment