Transmedia Storytelling…Meet Retail
I have been doing a lot of talking about transmedia storytelling lately. While I have a number of entertainment clients, I have a greater number of retail clients.
Does this mean that my posts about transmedia storytelling should be ignored by those clients 
?
Of course not!
What Are Brands?
I am not about to fully define what a brand is in this post, but would anyone out there disagree that there is a story inherent in a brand’s DNA?
Brands are, in a sense, stories.
Even if you feel this is a bit of a stretch, what is not a stretch is that the advertising that supports a brand should be a story.
So why are entertainment companies so far ahead in the realm of storytelling, and consequently transmedia storytelling?
The obvious answer is that storytelling is the entertainment company’s core business and it not as difficult for them to adapt when it comes to marketing and advertising.
Tell Me A Re-Tale
I just read an article by Steve Smith about a company called NearbyNow. NearbyNow is a company that allows consumers to “search the mall” (as it says on their site) via web, mall kiosk and mobile (for more on NearbyNow check out the site, I am sure I am not doing them justice, as I just found out about them and have not done all my research yet).
Unlike the notion of multi-channel retail which aims to create a uniform messages and services across various channels, transmedia retailing seeks to create a linear path of action from one medium to the next.
In the example that Steve Smith uses, mall goers are prompted via SMS to go to Foot Locker for a Blue Light special, moving them from a tradition experience, to an interactive one, then onto a traditional sale.
Not the best story in the world for most, but ask a retailer what they think about this story. I bet they enjoy it!
Tags: NearbyNow, Steve Smith, Mobile Marketing, Transmedia Storytelling
Aug 15, 2007
Hi Adam,
As someone who has spent 23 year in retail technology, I love that story. I think that retailers of 50 years ago understood storytelling. It’s how retailers like Sears or the big city department stores developed their brands, but that was a much simpler time. Over the years, new competitors entered the marketplace, highly fragmented markets made up of small / local players were replaced by national chains, the consumer became enpowered and retailers gave up storytelling (or lost the competence) as management shifted focus from the customer to the quarterly numbers.
At my last company, I was part of a team that developed a long term strategic framework for transforming the customer experience. What we called “a continuous customer journey” sounds very similar to transmedia retailing, only we were just trying to take the initial steps of moving the customer seamlessly between the web, call center, store and home. Other channels like mobile weren’t even on the radar for the first wave. No one is really doing this yet, at least in the US. The first retailers who can successfully implement transmedia retailing in a way that delivers real value to the customer will establish a differentiating competitive advantage.
Aug 16, 2007
Doug
I love the idea of “a continuous customer journey”. I think both retailers and brands need to focus more attention on this, as it truly provides the best experience.
As you know, when it comes to the world of retail, experience is sometimes the only thing that differentiates you from the pack.
thanks for the comment!
Adam