Listen to Tina Kuypers insightful podcast on her reflection of the crisis simulation.
Posted by Andrew Murdoch at Thursday, May 5, 2016 1:50:04 PM
Unbuckle your seatbelts and clench less tightly on your hats everybody the wild ride that is the transmedia crisis simulation is over. Now that we have had a day or two to decompress from our first taste of crisis management (or was it?, has anybody dealt with a crisis situation before?) let’s have a look back at our emotions and thought processes leading up to and during the simulation. Before So the crisis simulation first crosses our minds - albeit very briefly - in week one, Bridget says your third assessment will be a crisis simulation where you will be placed in teams and will have to make all the decisions as a PR team handling a simulated crisis. You hear this, you think:
It is about a week until your crisis management simulation, you read through the unit outline assessment description and then you read through the document outlining the assessment. There is a tv on in the background, you have got to go to work or training soon, and you are a little bit hungry, alas, you push through you read through each of the roles and you read through the documents each role needs to submit. You decide there are three roles for you: You have your eye on spokesperson and social media manager, you feel these will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability without the pressure and responsibility of the Lead and Media Manager roles.
The day before and the morning of your crisis simulation arrives now you are really analyzing each of the roles and figuring out which you will be best suited to! During Okay and we are off, you have been bunged into your group you’re at the table – Do you know these people well? Have you got any geniuses in your mix? Yes- Yay No- that’s okay you are all in it together now. You read through the background document – the first time you take in no information, the next two or three some of it starts to seep in. (Now I can only talk about my role) We stated as a team okay does anyone have any ideas on what they want to be? I nominated myself as spokesperson having identified it preclass as one for me and was glad to not have to fight anyone for it (I was prepared to fight both physically and verbally). The simulation started and the details become a little jumbled but some thoughts I remember having were:
And then before I knew it the simulation was and we realized we had made it through unscathed! I was proud of the work the team had done and agree that it was a very enjoyable and valuable learning experience considering how different it was to most classes and most assessments. Let me know if you agree, somewhat agree or vehemently oppose the comments I have made here. Posted by Alyce-Tina Kuypers at Sunday, March 27, 2016 7:12:02 AM
In the year 2000 I was 5. I believed in true love, in happy endings, in Cinderella and Snow White. Relevantly, I also believed in the Easter Bunny. There was this great feeling of wonder waking up Easter day. It was so exhilarating; I remember having butterflies, literally just from the thought of a magic bunny laying chocolate eggs in my garden. A bunny laying eggs…really? Despite the impossibilities of this, I let my imagination create a whole new universe which I loved and celebrated. This year, 2016, I am 21. I believe in hard work, dedication and coffee. Easter for me, is just an exchange of chocolate from me to my family and vice versa. That’s it. No stomach butterflies, no imaginary world, no wonder. Listening to Jeff Gomez, the founder of Starlight Runner Entertainment, in his 2010 TED talk reminded me of all those feelings. He talks about Kikaider, a Japanese storybook hero who battles evil to save the innocent. He is so passionate in talking about the characters and the story in this imaginary world and it really reminded me of how a story- however true or made up- creates this emotional, physical and almost spiritual connection with an individual and a story. This indescribable bond is so eloquently replicated in transmedia storytelling and I believe this to be the root of its success. Gomez addresses this idea that we as humans, are easily lost in the mundanity of everyday life and that as storytellers we should be inspired to challenge this. To create amazement through characters, through plot, through suspense and love and good-versus-evil. Campaigns such as those directed by Chris Milk, (who Sarah Linnegar mentioned in an earlier blog), create this hair raising, spine tingling, butterfly-making sense of wonder. There is a connection; emotionally, physically and spiritually with a brand and their audience. This feeling of wonder took over the world in AAMI’s love-triangle story of Rhonda, Katut and Trent Toogood. It inspired the imagination of The Hunger Game fans as they assumed the roles of Capitol Citizens. It set butterflies off in the bellies of 15 000 000 viewers as they watched a scarecrow grow a whole new way of life called Chipotle. Storytelling is the key to wonder is the key to engagement. Enjoy your eggs this weekend fellow transmedia storytellers; and feel free to share with me all the times your imagination set your stomach in a flutter. #storytellingwonder
By Sarah Linnegar
When I watched Inception as a 14-year-old, I remember being incredibly confused. I had to watch the film several times to comprehend the “dream-state” and multiple layers of narrative the film explored in the various states. My confusion did not mean I didn’t enjoy the viewing experience, or feel challenged. Frank Rose mentions Inception in his interview with Henry Jenkins, stating the movie is made up similar to a “game”. Rose says that screenwriters with gaming experience approach narrative by “moving across multiple levels, thrusting you directly into the story and letting you figure it out for yourself.” Inception does exactly that, the film comprises several levels or layers in the narrative, that make the film one that requires intense concentration. Rose spoke with Jason Silva who says that “These are films that immerse us while also unsettling us. They are multi-layered experiences that suck us into their narrative on one level, while at the same time making unsettling suggestions about our own perception of reality.” This multi-level way of telling a story in a film is similar to the multi-media method of storytelling in Burberry, who target ‘millennials’. As Angela Ahrendts describes, the brand uses music, stores that blur the line between physical and digital, the brand’s history and multiple digital platforms to tell Burberry’s story. Millennials have also been found to prefer long-form storytelling, from Netflix docu-series to Buzzfeed and VICE. As Chris Giliberti states in his Forbes article, this is because it earns our trust, it is authentic and “it’s an antidote to a 140-character world”. These values and perhaps you could say goals, are much the same as Burberry’s who are also succeeding with their storytelling. Chris Milk is another example of a storyteller in the entertainment industry who harnesses Deep Media to tell narratives in new ways. He uses interactive, crowd-sourced curated videos, and constantly pushes boundaries in storytelling to increase the involvement of the viewer. As we tried and tested in class last week, creating videos in new and innovative ways can be a challenge, and telling stories in multi-level, multi-media formats requires sound understanding of your target audience, what they want and expect, and who your brand or organisation is (their story). It also requires strong two-way communication with stakeholders, because the power has shifted and individuals are active participants. The future direction and what will come next in the concept of ‘deep media’ and telling stories will certainly be something interesting to watch play out. What do you predict? Posted by Laura Capes at Wednesday, March 9, 2016 11:15:35 PM
When I received my units for this semester and saw that I was doing a unit called Transmedia storytelling I had no idea what that meant. My brain instead focused on the word storytelling and things such as Cinderella and Superman. But now I know that's only a small part of what Transmedia storytelling is. To understand it more I had to break the two words down and think what each meant:
Disney It is an obvious example, but it does use it very well. Disney started with the concept of creating movies, but that is not all Disney is now:
(The Walt Disney company, n.d.) Nike Nike uses a different way to tell its story and share its brand. It wants people to feel part of its brand and attracted to the lifestyle its products are associated with. It does this through:
With Transmedia storytelling still developing as a concept and my understanding of it only just beginning, I am sure there are many more ways in which it is used. The use of new media allows for brands to share their stories in more ways than ever before, and makes our job as Public Relations consultants more complex and different than ever. What other brands have used Transmedia storytelling well? Reference list
As a part of their final transmedia storytelling report for the semester, students were required to produce a short video that summed up their strategies. The strategy had to follow a narrative of the client and unfold through at least five different platforms. Creativity was a key component of the strategy. Below is some of the best material relating to Bicycling WA's Ride2Work day - enjoy. Posted by Michelle Laarkamp at Sunday, October 25, 2015 10:08:58 PM WST When it came time for me to write my blog, I knew I wanted to talk about a very well-known brand. In saying that, I didn’t want to focus on a ‘loud’ brand. The type that is only well-known because it’s always yelling at people, calling out through big colourful murals – telling everyone about how great it is. Sure, loud brands are fun; youthful; vibrant; all about the here and now; the ‘YOLO’ and the ‘LOL’. We get it Coca-Cola. Life’s a party. Woo. But the loud brands remind me too much, of the cocky guys. They might be eye-catching, but the overly confident Coca-Cola guys are generally very bad for you. They are also shallow show ponies. “Look at me everyone – look at how much fun I’m having!” Eh, no thanks. I wanted to blog about a transmedia brand that was a quiet storyteller. Believe it or not, I’m more interested in the quiet ones. I usually find that they have the most interesting stories to tell, but have a hard time finding anyone who is curious enough to ask about them. Luckily for them, curiousity is my middle name. Which brings me to this: ladies, let me introduce to you, a brand that is like the nice guy of your life. In fact if this brand was a guy, I guarantee you that he’d be in the friend zone. Did you know that you probably grew up together? Yup, this brand was a part of your childhood and is probably still in your life now. The best part about him? He doesn’t make you fat. In fact, he’s even good for you. He helps your brain function, supports your nervous system and decreases fatigue. He’s actually kind of like the perfect guy. Sadly, though –there’s a lot you don’t know about him. Yesterday, on the 24th it was actually his birthday. Did you remember it? Probably not, but I didn’t know either until I became curious about his story. I started following him and Facebook stalking him and here’s what I found: He is a quiet achiever. In 1984, he made Australian supermarket history by being the first product to be electronically scanned at the checkout. He also has his own jingle which was initially broadcasted on the radio way back in 1954, later developed into television campaigns – re-emerging again in 2010. The tune is kind of childish, but it’s fun and catchy. Today, his transmedia story continues through his website, Facebook and twitter. He is the sensitive type. He isn’t really that popular on social media, which makes me pity him a little, but his heart is in the right place. This is from his board ‘Morning start.’ I thought it was really sweet. Finding out all these things made me realise that I neglect him. I go months without noticing him. He sits in my pantry, completely ignored. In fact 80% of Australians have him in the pantry too and I wonder if they treat him any better? When I haven’t done the shopping, I’m hangry (hungry and angry); I’m tired from uni, there’s minimal food in the house and I’m on the verge of dying - there he is. My dependable nice guy. VEGEMITE. I remember VEGEMITE mostly from my childhood, singing the ‘Happy Little Vegemite’ song with my brothers, laughing and having fun together. I remember dad spreading the VEGEMITE on way too thick because he was old and had no taste buds left, making ours want to fall off in the process. Somewhere along the way though, it seems I became too good for VEGEMITE and it wasn’t until about a year ago that I missed it and bought a jar of it again. After writing this blog, I have a new found appreciation for this brand. It doesn’t stand out but though transmedia, it has stayed in the picture. Here’s to the humble brands and the quiet storytellers. Here’s to you, VEGEMITE - and to all the VEGEMITE guys of the world. Keep doing what you’re doing because one day someone will be curious and they will want to hear your story. Posted by Jessica Lynch at Sunday, October 4, 2015 7:24:23 PM WST
Jeff Gomez, one of the pioneers of transmedia storytelling, defines the discipline as "the process of conveying messages, themes or story lines to a mass audience through the artful and well-planned use of multiple media platforms. It is both a technique and a philosophy of communications and brand extension that enriches and broadens the lifecycle of creative content." Political campaigns are also about conveying messages and stories to a mass audience; it's just that in this case, the commodity in question is the would-be politician or political party, not a good or service. It is true that Australian politicians take a transmedia approach to communicating their messages, with Facebook and Twitter being the two main social media platforms used (and then, of course, traditional media platforms like TV, radio and print advertising are used as well). However, it's the "storytelling" aspect that is really missing from many campaigns, and this is arguably the most important. Many political candidates are seen as out-of-touch by the Australian public. The vast majority of them are well-educated, middle-aged and from a high socio-economic background. Being well-educated and middle-aged can be an advantage- the public can see right through those who are immature and lacking between the ears- but sometimes the combination of the above can keep candidates from being relateable to the every-day Australian. There are two transmedia strategies that could be used during campaigns. To appeal to younger voters, candidates (or their campaign staff) could make use of new platforms like Snapchat during their campaign to tell the story of the candidate themselves. While Snapchat doesn't necessarily scream "prime ministerial", it does scream "relateable", "fun" and "engaging". The time limit on Snapchat videos means that messages would have to be kept succinct, and this should help in keeping the public actively engaged. Even a snap at the start of the day containing something along the lines of "Hey Snapchatters, today we're off to XYZ shopping centre to discuss XYZ topic. I'll be there from 1pm, so come down and join me to have your say" could be a good "in" for a candidate. The campaign manager should then ensure regular snaps- at least one every day, preferably two to four- are uploaded to keep the candidate at the front of the publics mind. The candidate themselves should also have access to the account (after being briefed thoroughly about what is/is not appropriate content) and should be encouraged to upload snippets of their "every day" life- walking the dog, coffee with their spouse, funny anecdotes of what has happened in their day. These can also be saved and uploaded to Twitter or Facebook at a later date if they prove to be very popular on Snapchat- not all snaps should be put on other platforms though, as each platform should have its own individual content. It should be noted that while in Australia elections are held to elect a governing party, not an individual prime minister (unlike the USA, where the president is elected on his or her own merit, not that of the party's), many Australians still vote for a candidate first and their party second, and so this strategy will help capitalise on that. The second strategy is to stop with the over-the-top, obviously fake campaign ads featuring fake families and workers. The public isn't stupid, and the actors in these ads never appear genuine. Real people need to be used. This is where true transmedia storytelling comes in. Pick some everyday Australians- one or two for each platform- and let them speak about how the policies the candidates opposition is spruiking would negatively affect them. These people should be appropriate to the platform- say, a young tradie and a University student for Snapchat, a middle-aged retail manager, a doctor and a stay-at-home mum for Facebook and a middle-aged professional (journalist?) on Twitter. Their stories should start off with a bit about them- who they are, what their family/financial situation is like and what they do, so the public has a chance to become interested and emotionally invested in these people- and then why the candidates policies would benefit them/why the competitors policies would negatively affect them. These stories should be drip-fed to the public; stretch the introductions over a few days, then bring up one policy every few days. The campaign should allow for some flexibility so new problems or opportunities can be addressed, but should be structured enough that it moves at a reasonable pace to keep things interesting. Pursuing transmedia storytelling in a political context is certainly something that should be explored more comprehensively in a research context, as it has the potential to massively influence election results and the popularity of candidates. New
Posted by Callista Bella Lie at Saturday, September 19, 2015 4:36:27 PM WSTTrans is Latin for ‘across’. Media is the main means of mass communication (E.g. television, radio, newspapers) regarded collectively. Story is an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment. Telling is an adjective of having striking or revealing effect; significant Over the past few weeks, the term ‘Transmedia Storytelling’ have been defined, elaborated and put into exercise. We have observed many case studies that have utilised the term transmedia storytelling. We have quickly learnt that this practice is simply the ‘new it thing’ for brands to develop and promote their brand image. Through the various different traditional and non-traditional communication channels, executing his routine is made simple – in most cases, these exercises can be completed from your smart device that lives in your back pocket. But has this practice only been recently identified by the PR and marketing wonders? Or has it been around since the pager era, but have only been labeled in an avant-garde term to fit in? We trans the story that we posses, and exercised the action of telling through the different media channels that are available. Think about it. We have been rehearsing this same sequence since… ever! Let’s rewind the clock to when we were naïve vulnerable young tiny member of the human race. As the only daughter and child of my lovely parents, I remember falling in love with the fictive character, Rapunzel. I adored her extremely long, luscious and blonde hair. Everything about her made me swoon. Hence being the spoiled brat I was, I will always nag for everything Rapunzel. From colouring books, CD-ROMs, computer games, clothing, notepad and even being the odd child I was, Rapunzel’s mobile phone – which was meant to connect me to Rapunzel’s private mobile phone. Pfft… as if Rapunzel, THE Rapunzel have the time to answer our bratty phone calls. All of these items and objects of Rapunzel that I possessed as a child, all of them have their own stories. Each of them tells me a tiny snippet of Rapunzel’s story life.
Do you get my drift? In every respect, all of these items and merchandises that my parents splurged me are just different mediums that conveys Rapunzel’s story in different mediums. These products have simply told (/telling) me Rapunzel’s story, trans different media. So my point is… have we actually been exposed to this Transmedia Storytelling thing, since were in nappies and only NOW that someone have been bothered to give it a name? Maybe. Ps: Dear mum and dad, thanks for spoiling me with Rapunzel’s merchandises for a quarter of my life. It’s paying off. Regards, your little girl who used to have endless hours of meaningless conversations with the child sized Rapunzel you guys got me for my fourth birthday.
As a part of their first assessment, students were asked to present the traditional media backgrounder in a video format. The aim was to create something that was shareable, would encourage comments and related to their media release. Below is just a sample of some work produced. The main client for this project was Bicycling Western Australia, however some students chose their own 'client'.
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AuthorBridget Tombleson is a Curtin University lecturer. I've created this space for my PR students as an example for their learning. I love writing, literature and learning. Archives
May 2016
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