The Book
Transmedia Marketing: From Film and TV to Games and Digital Media is the definitive film and entertainment marketing book title from Focal Press in the “American Film Market® Presents” book series, a premiere set of books on financing, distribution, law, and marketing to help the independent production community get their films and productions made.
Focal Press is owned by the Taylor & Francis Group, and its sister imprint Routledge is one of the largest publishers on the theory and practice of media and the arts. American Film Market is the largest motion picture market in the world and is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television industry.
Book Description
Transmedia Marketing: From Film and TV to Games and Digital Media skillfully guides media makers and media marketers through the rapidly changing world of entertainment and media marketing. Its groundbreaking transmedia approach integrates storytelling and marketing content creation across multiple media platforms – harnessing the power of audience to shape and promote your story.
Through success stories, full color examples of effective marketing techniques in action, and insight from top entertainment professionals, Transmedia Marketing covers the fundamentals of a sound 21st century marketing and content plan.
You’ll master the strategy behind:
- Conducting research
- Identifying target audiences
- Setting goals and objectives
- Branding and positioning your project
- Measuring outcomes and impacts
You’ll learn first-hand how to execute:
- Publicity
- Events
- Advertising
- Trailers and video
- Digital and interactive content
- Social media
Anne Zeiser has earned the industry’s respect by taking a strategic approach to everything she does, and this book is no exception.
Transmedia Marketing enlivens these concepts with:
- Powerful in-depth case studies showcasing successful approaches:
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence’s “The Beast” – participatory tribal audiences
- Mad Men – branding the American Dream
- Lizzie Bennet Diaries – perspective storytelling
- Here Comes Honey Boo Boo “Watch ‘n Sniff” Premiere Event – socialized talent and content
- Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues – a macro study of a cross-platform project Anne Zeiser managed, woven throughout the book as a teaching tool to demonstrate various critical techniques in action
- Hundreds of other vibrant examples from across media platforms including:
- A World without Oil
- Anchorman2
- Annoying Orange
- Apple
- Awesomeness TV
- Bachelorette
- BioShock Infinite
- Blair Witch Project
- Breaking Bad
- Bridge to Terebithia
- Chef
- Chronicles of Narnia
- 39 Clues
- CSI
- Despicable Me 2
- Dexter
- District 9
- Downton Abbey
- Everything But the News
- Food, Inc.
- Game of Thrones
- Girl Rising
- Glee
- GoldieBlox
- Gossip Girl
- Half the Sky
- Halo2/Halo4
- Harry Potter
- House of Cards
- How to Train Your Dragon
- ilovebees
- Inconvenient Truth
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
- Level 26
- Lonelygirl15
- Long Island Medium
- Lost
- NASA’s Mars Curiosity
- Marvel’s the Avengers
- Masterpiece (Theatre)
- Minecraft
- My Left Foot
- Mystery!
- Nick app
- Nike
- NOVA
- Outlast
- Pokémon
- Profiler
- Prometheus
- Psych
- Psycho
- Rebel
- Repair the Rockaways
- Reservoir Dogs
- Resurrection
- Rx for Survival
- Sex and the City
- Star Wars
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- The Cove
- The Dark Knight
- The Death of Superman
- The Fosters
- The Good Wife
- The Hunger Games
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Man With the Golden Arm
- The Super Bowl
- The Talk
- Titanfall
- Top Chef
- True Blood
- 20 Feet From Stardom
- War of the Worlds
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Zero Dark Thirty
- Zoom
- Real-world advice from Hollywood’s and the media industry’s leading writers, directors, producers, composers, distributors, marketers, publicists, critics, journalists, attorneys, and executives from markets, festivals, awards, and guilds:
- Andrea Phillips, transmedia creator; Perplex City producer; A.I Artificial Intelligence’s “The Beast” Cloudmakers moderator; author of A Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling
- Andrews Golis, general manager, The Wire, The Atlantic
- Anne Carey, film producer, The American, The Savages, Adventureland
- Bernie Su, storyteller and head writer, Lizzie Bennet Diaries; founder Pemberley Digital
- Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss, formerly director of documentary production, Vulcan Productions and supervising producer, Girl Rising
- Chip Flaherty, co-founder and EVP, Publisher, Walden Media
- Chris Eyerman, creative director 3AM; formerly executive creative director of digital, Ignition; Prometheus, Hunger Games, Arrested Development
- David Gale, film and digital media producer and entrepreneur; CEO of We Are the Mighty; formerly MTV
- David Magee, screenwriter, Life of Pi, Finding Neverland
- Dustin Smith, VP communications, TLC
- Glenn Meehan, supervising producer, The Talk, co-creator Big World, Little People, formerly managing editor, Entertainment Tonight
- Henry Jenkins, provost professor of communications, journalism and cinematic arts at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the USC School of Cinematic Arts
- Ingrid Kopp, director of digital initiatives, Tribeca Film Institute
- James Poniewozik, senior writer, television critic, Time magazine
- Jeff Gomez, CEO, Starlight Runner Entertainment; transmedia producer, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Halo, Hot Wheels
- John Murphy, president, Murphy PR
- John O’ Leary, account manager, LaunchSquad
- John Polwrek, VP promotions, Eclipse
- Jonathan King, executive vice president, narrative film, Participant Media
- Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president, Independent Film & Television Alliance; managing director, American Film Market
- Jordan Weisman, transmedia pioneer, founder of 42 Entertainment and other innovative entertainment companies; creator, A.I. Artificial Intelligence’s “The Beast”
- Joseph Epstein, digital content and marketing strategist, formerly 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Kamal Sinclair, co-director, New Frontier Story Lab, Sundance Institute
- Kathleen McInnis, festival strategist and publicity consultant, See-Thru Films
- Keith Gordon, filmmaker and director, A Midnight Clear, Mother Night, Waking the Dead, Dexter, Homeland, Nurse Jackie
- Linda Button, brand personality expert, co-founder and principal, Tooth and Nail
- Liza Burnett Fefferman, executive vice president, publicity, RADiUS-TWC
- Mark Gardner, creative director, SYPartners; formerly creative director, Imaginary Forces
- Mark Urman, president, Paladin,
- Matt Roush, Senior TV Critic, TV Guide Magazine
- Micheal Flaherty, co-founder and president, Walden Media
- Nancy Robison, director of education programs, Television Academy Foundation
- Nick Fortugno, chief creative officer, Playmatics
- Nicole Purcell, president, CLIO; oversees The Hollywood Reporter’s Key Art Awards
- Nicoletta Iacobacci, curator, TEDxTransmedia
- Rachel McCallister, chair, MPRM
- Rebecca Eaton, executive producer, Masterpiece
- Robert Kenner, filmmaker, Food, Inc., Two Days In October, Merchants of Doubt
- Roland Swenson, managing director, SXSW Conferences & Festivals
- Rose Stark, VP marketing, TLC
- Sheldon Mirowitz, film composer, professor of film scoring, Berklee College of Music; founder, Vérité Music
- Stacy La Cotera, VP, development and global awards, PromaxBDA
- Stephen Saltzman, partner, Loeb & Loeb, LLP
- Susan Arendt, managing editor, GamesRadar+
- Ty Burr, film critic, The Boston Globe; author of Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame
- Author’s Anecdotes – key takeaways or muses about ideas in chapters – derived from Anne Zeiser’s professional experience or perspective:
- Zoom/Zoom Into Action
- NOVA
- Evolution
- Masterpiece
- Mystery!
- Latin Music USA
- Rx for Survival— A Global Health Challenge
- Everest—The Death Zone and Everest
- PBS and Frontline
- Sex In the City
- People/People en Espanol
- CBS News—Boston
- Television Critics Association Press Tour
- PR Week’s “Arts & Entertainment Campaign of the Year”
- Peet’s Coffee/Au Bon Pain
- Cross-platform vs. transmedia
- Marketing vs. promotion
- Marketing plans
- Audience cluster groups
- Focus groups
- Brand essence and personas
- Strategic partnerships
- Content marketing
- Online marketing
- Social media/virality
- Advertising
- Events
- Press conferences
- Publicity/press kits
- Collateral
- On-air promos
- Awards
- Crisis communications
- Social impact campaign design
- Project evaluation
With Transmedia Marketing, you’ll be fully versed in the art of marketing film, TV, games, and digital media and primed to write and achieve the winning plan for your next media project.
Courtesy of WGBH Educational Foundation. Masterpiece and Masterpiece Classic are trademarks of WGBH Educational Foundation.
Transmedia Marketing is an invaluable guide on how to really connect with audiences using a combination of marketing and storytelling in the transmedia age.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements/Preface
I. INTRODUCTION TO TRANSMEDIA MARKETING
Chapter 1 Media Makers = Media Marketers
- Technology—The Great Equalizer
- A Maker and Marketer Culture
- Be Your Project’s CEO
- Transmedia Marketing for Impact
Chapter 2 Be Transmedia
- Roots and Definition
- Bridging Media Making and Marketing
- Transmedia Storytelling
- Transmedia Platforms
Chapter 3 Harness Your Inner Marketer
- Marketing Is Fun and Scientific
- Good Marketing Looks Easy
- Marketing 101
- Who Owns Transmedia Marketing?
II. MARKETING PLANNING
Chapter 4 The Marketing Plan
- Why Plan?
- Plans That Work
- Elements of a Sound Marketing Plan
- A Sample Plan—Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues
Chapter 5 Know Your Media Project
- What Is It Really?
- Situation Analysis
- Seizing the Opportunities
- Overcoming the Challenges
Chapter 6 Research to Win
- Secondary and Primary Research
- Quantitative and Qualitative Research
- Research in Media and Entertainment
Chapter 7 Audience, Audience, Audience
- Why Audience Rules
- Identifying and Targeting Your Audiences
- Engaging and Rewarding Your Audiences
Chapter 8 Goals and Objectives
- Goals—Definition and Examples
- Objectives—Definition and Examples
- Connecting Goals to Results
III. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Chapter 9 Branding
- Brand Discovery through Archetypes
- Brand Positioning and Expressions
- The Creative Brief
Chapter 10 What’s in a Name?
- The Good Title Checklist
- The Bad and the Ugly
- Finding Your Title
Chapter 11 Visual and Aural Identity
- Logos
- Graphics and Art
- The Graphic Style Guide
- Sound and Music
- A Rebrand—Masterpiece Theatre Meets Masterpiece
Chapter 12 Positioning and Messaging
- Honing Your Message
- A Story in a Logline
- Developing Taglines
- Pitch Points
- Choosing Spokespeople
IV. INFLUENCE THE INFLUENCERS—PRESS AND PUBLICITY
Chapter 13 The Project Launch
- Target Audience Strategy
- Timing
- The Launch Vehicle
Chapter 14 Media Relations
- Advertising vs. Publicity
- Journalists vs. Bloggers
- Entertainment Publicity
Chapter 15 Press Materials
- Writing Good Press Copy
- Press Releases
- Press Kits
- Photography and Art
- Pitch Letters
Chapter 16 Media Events
- Choosing Talent
- Press Conferences
- Media Tours and Press Junkets
- All-purpose Events
- Public Speaking
V. INFLUENCE THE INFLUENCERS—A-LIST VEHICLES
Chapter 17 Markets, Trade Events, and Festivals
- Markets and Trade Shows
- Festivals
- General Festivals and Events
- A Sundance Film Festival Strategy—Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues
Chapter 18 Awards
- The Awards Process
- Awards and For Your Consideration Campaigns
- Entertainment Marketing Awards
Chapter 19 Strategic Partners
- The Power of “Us”
- Partnership Criteria
- A Partnership Strategy—Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues
VI. REACHING YOUR PUBLIC—VISUAL EXPRESSION
Chapter 20 The Art of Art
- Concept Art and Key Art
- Posters and One-sheets
- Collateral
Chapter 21 The Open and Title Sequence
- Purpose and Inspirations
- How to Open
Chapter 22 Trailers, Promos, and Sizzlers
- Trailers and Teasers
- Sizzle Reels
VII. REACHING YOUR PUBLIC—ADVERTISING
Chapter 23 The Media Plan
- Media Planning
- What’s a GRP?
- Fishing Where the Fish Are
- Entertainment Media Plans
Chapter 24 Advertising Creative
- Ads for the Ages
- Twenty-first-century Entertainment Creative
- Sample Advertising Creative—Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues
Chapter 25 Advertising Context
- Physical Context
- Native Ads and Brand Integration
- Cultural Context
VIII. REACHING YOUR PUBLIC—DIGITAL AND VIRAL
Chapter 26 Online and On-the-go Marketing
- Content Creation and Curation
- Web Sites
- Blogs, Pods, and Vlogs
- Search Engine Optimization—SEO
- Online Visuals and Video
Chapter 27 The Social Screen
- Social Storytellers and Ambassadors
- Trending and Viral
- Socializing Real Worlds
- Socializing Fictional Worlds
Chapter 28 Interactive Content and Marketing
- Internal vs. External Motivations
- Alternate Reality Games
- Interactive Storytelling
- Gamification
IX. FINDING SUCCESS
Chapter 29 Media-fueled Social Impact
- A Greater Purpose
- Transmedia Social Impact Campaigns
- Lights, Cameras, Social Action
Chapter 30 Measuring Outcomes
- Goals Meet Impacts
- Metrics That Matter
- Anecdotes That Amplify
- An Evaluation—Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues
Chapter 31 Transmedia Marketing Case Studies
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence’s “The Beast”—Participatory Tribal Audiences
- Mad Men—Branding the American Dream
- Lizzie Bennet Diaries—Perspective Storytelling
- Here Comes Honey Boo Boo “Watch ’n’ Sniff” Premiere Event—Socialized Talent and Content
Chapter 32 Market It!
- The Business of Show Business
- Pitch Perfect
- Your Transmedia Future
Created on www.says-it.com
Transmedia Marketing pioneers the powerful idea that successful entertainment projects must blend storytelling and marketing across multiple platforms. Creatives, business execs, and marketers alike will devour this book’s clear guidance and real-world examples of how to shape a project so audiences will love it, participate in it, and share it.
Transmedia Marketing is an in-depth, authoritative, and extremely timely survey of multi-platform marketing in the age of pervasive communications. Anne Zeiser has a unique understanding of the vital role that narrative plays in connecting a mass audience with your content or brand, and her advice for how to close that circuit is some of the best I've seen. There is more than a little bit of secret sauce contained in this book.
Anne Zeiser has earned the industry’s respect by taking a strategic approach to everything she does, and this book is no exception. It takes full advantage of Anne's deep experience and expertise in 21st century transmedia marketing.
The Transmedia Revolution has changed not only the way screenwriters sell their product, but even how they create it. Anne Zeiser's new book is an absolutely essential guide for writers as they navigate their work through all these new and sometimes tricky media platforms to success.
Filmmakers may know their craft but can become deer in headlamps when they hear buzzwords like “multi-platform” and “transmedia” marketing. What is it, why do I need it, when do I need it, and how do I do it? In this highly accessible book, they will find their answers, laid out in common sense language that is sure to allay a lot of fears – and foster some excellent new media!
Transmedia Marketing is an invaluable guide on how to really connect with audiences using a combination of marketing and storytelling in the transmedia age. Anne Zeiser’s experience of both parts of this equation means this is a very helpful primer for both producers and marketeers.
What does it really take to develop, produce and promote a major media project in today’s ever changing and increasingly diffuse marketplace? Not just what tools and platforms to consider, but how to design an approach that will deliver the flexibility, creativity and buzz that can set your project on a pathway to impact. Transmedia Marketing provides a firm understanding of cross-platform media design where each media component’s strength is complimentary and the focus is on the endgame: maximum impact.
Transmedia Marketing, spawned from Anne's Transmedia class at Emerson College, is the first of its kind. As a student in her class, I discovered the potential of storytelling across multiple platforms. Her enthusiasm and passion for the industry carries over from the classroom to the pages of her book as she guides you from developing a project's various storylines through marketing and branding each platform. Listen to Anne, she's the best resource for your next transmedia endeavor!