For transmedia producers the challenges of silo-busting and aligning far-flung talent

"Drawing Hands" by M.C. Escher 

Transmedia storytelling is all about delivering a rich, integrated multimedia experience. But one of the challenges transmedia creators face is aligning far-flung project teams operating in talent silos. Lance Weiler, partner in Seize the Media, a social entertainment company that specializes in transmedia storytelling, recently spoke in London about the need for open communication between a project’s central story creator and those developing spin-off story elements. He said data sharing is one way to improve team synchronization. For example, testing a transmedia treatment gauges audience reaction and sharing this feedback enables team members to better dovetail their work into the total program. 

Will multi-channel marketing converge on Google TV?

Google TV, Apple TV and Roku make it possible to converge web-based content on the family television - a development that is sure to change the way people consume media – and commercial messages. Until now multi-channel marketing campaigns reached audiences via dispersed touch points. Converging multiple media channels on a single TV screen will be a whole lot better by making commercial content more dynamic and interactive. 

It'll take some time before Google TV and the like are mainstream. But it’s not too soon for marketers to start thinking about creative and strategic possibilities. Chances are television studios are already looking at ways to make transmedia programming appealing to advertisers. 

Why well-integrated talent/teams produce well-integrated media campaigns

In pre-digital days many ad agencies operated like talent fiefdoms. Agencies where often branded “creative,” "media," or “account-driven,” depending on who was in power.

Today everyone on an account team, whether creative or analytic, has skin in the digital game, requiring agencies to do a better job aligning their talent pools.

Collaboration may be the new reality, but that doesn’t mean it’s easily achieved. As Steve Kerho, SVP, Analytics, Media and Marketing Optimization at Organic, Inc., recently posted on Fast Company's blog, seamless teamwork demands strong leadership from senior managers who foster cross-pollination by making it clear that everyone succeeds or fails together.

The fact is, no agency working in the digital space nowadays can afford the old creative vs. analytics mentality.  Technology, properly used and shared, will unify talent, make agencies stronger, and empower innovation.