Comments on: Transmedia: branding’s next new thing? http://cultureby.com/2005/12/transmedia_bran.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Thu, 17 May 2012 21:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Grant http://cultureby.com/2005/12/transmedia_bran.html/comment-page-1#comment-5434 Grant Sat, 10 Dec 2005 12:52:12 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=806#comment-5434 Juri, thanks, the Matrix example, for me, raises the issues of how many more or less different narrative can share a putative sameness and at what point the narrative breaks open like a birthday pinata. It is a measure perhaps of our new tolerance for, and interest in, messy categories that we are prepared to say of all the Maxtrix venues, yes, this is one narrative. And this is perhaps some measure of our new tolerance for, and interest in, multiplicity, that we now care about properties and brands that have "many faces," many identities. Thanks, Grant Steve, Thanks for the link. It's really good. It reminds me that there is one aspect of AG that I forgot to mention: that kids can buy the same outfits as their dolls. I also like your recursion idea and both come out in this passage, which if I may, I will reproduce here. The store plays host to young girls with their mothers, and their grandmothers, each taking this in from a different perspective. Grandmothers remember their childhood, and raising their own children, mothers can continue a legacy, and the girls are into something tuned just for them. The extra dollop of genius is in the next step of recursion: the child can play mother to her doll through these products (certainly, allowing a young girl to play at motherhood has been part of the appeal of dolls forever, but American Girl taps into that incredibly well, for example the Dress Like Your Doll department with matching girl-sized and doll-sized outfits). The result is three-and-a-half generations of customers! (please see Steve's link above for the origin and the rest of this passage.) Thanks, Grant Juri, thanks, the Matrix example, for me, raises the issues of how many more or less different narrative can share a putative sameness and at what point the narrative breaks open like a birthday pinata. It is a measure perhaps of our new tolerance for, and interest in, messy categories that we are prepared to say of all the Maxtrix venues, yes, this is one narrative. And this is perhaps some measure of our new tolerance for, and interest in, multiplicity, that we now care about properties and brands that have “many faces,” many identities. Thanks, Grant

Steve, Thanks for the link. It’s really good. It reminds me that there is one aspect of AG that I forgot to mention: that kids can buy the same outfits as their dolls. I also like your recursion idea and both come out in this passage, which if I may, I will reproduce here.

The store plays host to young girls with their mothers, and their grandmothers, each
taking this in from a different perspective. Grandmothers
remember their childhood, and raising their own children,
mothers can continue a legacy, and the girls are into
something tuned just for them. The extra dollop of genius
is in the next step of recursion: the child can play
mother to her doll through these products (certainly,
allowing a young girl to play at motherhood has been part
of the appeal of dolls forever, but American Girl taps
into that incredibly well, for example the Dress Like
Your Doll department with matching girl-sized and
doll-sized outfits). The result is three-and-a-half
generations of customers! (please see Steve’s link above for the origin and the rest of this passage.)

Thanks, Grant

]]> By: Steve Portigal http://cultureby.com/2005/12/transmedia_bran.html/comment-page-1#comment-5433 Steve Portigal Thu, 08 Dec 2005 08:28:16 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=806#comment-5433 I wrote a fairly long piece about American Girl at http://www.portigal.com/FM/fm16.htm I wrote a fairly long piece about American Girl at http://www.portigal.com/FM/fm16.htm

]]> By: Jüri Saar http://cultureby.com/2005/12/transmedia_bran.html/comment-page-1#comment-5432 Jüri Saar Wed, 07 Dec 2005 20:26:06 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=806#comment-5432 Interesting story, I especially liked the Matrix case, which I followed with interest through almost all of the mediums. Right now "Lost" seems to be all over the place. First making their content available for video iPods through iTunes, then launching podcasts (http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/podcasts.html ) with some experimenting taking place with the format, and now declaring their intention to do original content for mobile phones (http://news.com.com/Lost+deal+hatched+for+mobile/2100-1026_3-5960652.html ). It'll be interesting to see how the "Lost" experiment develops, and if certain mediums begin to get "typecast" e.g. podcasts for behind the scenes and mobile content for alternative views, but I'm looking forward to part 2. Interesting story, I especially liked the Matrix case, which I followed with interest through almost all of the mediums.

Right now “Lost” seems to be all over the place.

First making their content available for video iPods through iTunes, then launching podcasts (http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/podcasts.html ) with some experimenting taking place with the format, and now declaring their intention to do original content for mobile phones (http://news.com.com/Lost+deal+hatched+for+mobile/2100-1026_3-5960652.html ).

It’ll be interesting to see how the “Lost” experiment develops, and if certain mediums begin to get “typecast” e.g. podcasts for behind the scenes and mobile content for alternative views, but I’m looking forward to part 2.

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