In social media, there are always new buzz terms that we have to be aware of when we are teaching or conducting research in the area. Newsjacking. Engagement. Memes. Content Marketing. Lead Generation. There are many of these terms that are being discussed of course in the public relations and social media community. However, there is one that we are seeing more discussion on that would benefit individuals and brands who are managing their online reputation. This term of course is transmedia storytelling.
What exactly is transmedia storytelling? Transmedia storytelling, according to USC professor Henry Jenkins, is “Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience.” I have gotten interested in this topic not only from a research perspective and adding to my social media research line, but also exploring this topic for my upcoming social media class at the University of Louisville this upcoming spring semester.
One book that I would recommend not only for my students in my social media class, but fellow professors interested in this area within new emerging technologies, is to look at “A Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling” by Andrea Phillips. Here is also a short video where Andrea Phillips discusses what exactly is transmedia storytelling:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHTZnh2VK-A[/youtube]
What would be some examples of cases to look at for successful brands or merchandise who have been successful in transmedia storytelling? Andrea Phillips has mentioned both online in various posts and in her book that Star Wars is a clear example of a franchise that has been successful in transmedia storytelling. However, when you look at some of the major brands who have done this very well – I would have to say Oreo has done this very well. They have been present in not only traditional media of course (ex. television commercials), but have really taken their story to social media with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc – which has translated in coverage and other discussions related to their reputation and story effectively in various trade publications in the industry.
With this in mind, this perspective goes along the same line as what my grandfather always preached to all of us when it came to reputation and etiquette: One set of manners. When you think about this, you have to be consistent with your story as well as your character. This will define you not only in one social media ecoystem, but it will help contribute to your overall reputation online. When you are thinking about your overall reputation, it is about telling your story, sharing your expertise and experience, and allowing people to get to know you across multiple channels of communication. We are actively engaged in making sure we are sharing our expertise in blog posts, posting interviews that come across via video, or share pictures of various events like conferences we have attended – and all of this is to tell our story consistently across multiple mediums.
This is what transmedia is – the seamless integration of multiple mediums to establish and maintain personal and professional stories. By understanding this perspective, this allows PR professionals and students to go beyond just knowing the tools of social media (ex. social networks, microblogs, video and photo editing apps, etc) and really investigate the core nature and strategies that are used in these emerging platforms. One of the more recognized infographics that has been used to portray the social media landscape has been of course JESS3 and Brian Solis’s Conversation Prism – and the visual below shows how these communication tools and platforms focused on one particular thing, and that is the content (or other words story) behind the brand or individual and how they can use each of these platforms as way to articulate this story to various audiences:
In summary, for PR professionals and students, we have to understand how transmedia storytelling can not only be a good perspective to know for when we are working on social media campaigns, but also for taking these principles to heart when we are looking at managing our own stories and online reputation management. We have to be consistent and present across these multiple platforms seamlessly by sharing our thoughts, opinions, and expertise in a consistent and transparent manner. More discussion related to this line of thought needs to be incorporated into the classroom for social media classes.
Hope you all are having a great day.
Best Wishes,
Karen
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