If you are still broadcasting messages to your target audience, you’re doing it wrong! Broadcasting is dead, my friends. The days of taking a branded message and plastering all over magazines, walls and bathroom stalls are gone. Marketers no longer seek impressions, we want interaction and audience engagement. Today’s consumer is smart, on-the-go and hard to catch.

How does one capture the elusive consumer darting from place to place, medium to medium? Transmedia.

The concept of transmedia has been around for a while but with new technology redefining how we receive information and messages, the term has regained some notoriety as of late. By definition, transmedia is consistent branding or storytelling across multiple mediums.

One of the most successful transmedia marketing campaigns to date is the Old Spice Campaign. If you haven’t heard about this campaign, you might be living under a rock. In February of 2010, Old Spice introduced the “Smell Like a Man” campaign. The campaign featured several commercials starring the oh-so-manly and charismatic character, Isaiah Mustafa airing on television.

The campaign turned trans when Old Spice introduced new personalized videos on YouTube responding to fan and blogger tweets and posts. More recently the campaign introduced a new character, Fabio and the two dueled over social media and video. The story transcended medium and platform creating a brand experience and introducing thousands more fans to Old Spice.

A marketing strategy involving transmedia gives consumers multiple entry points to a brand and more often than not, encourages interaction and fosters brand loyalty. Brands that get transmedia right don’t just repeat a single message using different devices or applications, they share pieces of a story or brand experience across several mediums creating a brand experience.

Using this concept, Old Spice can leverage the success of their current campaign and create a transmedia phenomenon. The possibilities are endless. Picture this:

• An iPad game in which Mustafa travels the world gathering clues and shark tears, giving out Old Spice and manly tips while killing bad guys with his bullet-proof laser eyes  — an Amazing Race meets James Bond kind of game. Fun!

• They might even consider a workout game for Xbox Kinect in which Mustafa provides workout routines (think PX90) and teaches people how to really “smell like a man."
• This workout video game could be followed up by an event — the Old Spice Games.  A real competition of strength and wit with Survivor-like challenges, prizes and fame!

• Old Spice could take a tip from their newest addition, Fabio and create a series of romance novels in which Mustafa is the main character. This would pull in the women demographic.  (Ok, that idea might be pushing it.)

It is clear from the ideas above that the concept of transmedia is forcing brands to think bigger.  To make it work for you, start thinking how you can engage consumers on other platforms to grow your audience. It doesn’t have to be as grand as an Xbox game or outlandish as a series of romance novels, it can be as simple as a mobile application or social media campaign. Transmedia could work for any business or organization, just get a little creative.

As always, if you want to incorporate transmedia into your business, give us a call.

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