MULTI-PLATFORM
           STORYTELLING:
       4 levers, 4 use cases.
Presented by: Gunther Sonnenfeld 4.29.2011
simulation
projectTRUST
OBJECTIVE(s):
       - understand what trust really means across
        industries by seeking out emerging stories
           through topics & themes in videos &
           conversation; use current events as
                        ‘metafilters’
        - identify behavioral, media consumption
          and socio-economic patterns through
            content communities; draw out new
                  correlations & insights
         - use insights to weave together a new
       narrative, with various extended threads &
                       user profiles
       - serve up an experience (such as a game)
         that uses select media to simulate the
           dimensions of trust using real-world
          situations as context; can be used for
               brands, communities or both.
ARCHAEOLOGY FOR KEY THEMES:
           PROPAGANDA
         FAITH VS. TRUST
           RECIPROCITY
          TRUST & MONEY
      RESPECT VS. AUTHORITY
         TRUST & SCIENCE
START
HERE.
persona
OBJECTIVE(s):
         - use Algren estate assets & feature
       documentary to tell a ‘metastory’ around
         artistic influence; allow the narrative
       (chapters & verse) to dictate channels &
                  reinvigorate personas
          - leverage celebrity artists (writers,
       photogs, musicians, directors, etc.) to tell
       their own renditions of the relationship to
         Algren, using select, immersive media
        - invite people to participate in unique
         extended narratives found in games,
        eBooks, webisodes, etc.; blend fiction &
       non-fictional elements (& characters) in a
                new, dynamic storyworld
          - develop a ‘franchise’ around these
        coordinated media & co-created assets
Algren Early Trailer Cut
extraction
OBJECTIVE(s):
      - resurrect lagging sales from the first game
        (“Red Dead Revolver”) with an entirely new
      strategic approach; leverage the strength of
             the writing & central characters
          - audit game components and extract
       current marketing assets; rebuild the John
         Marsten anti-hero archetype into a new
      storyworld with its own mythology; align first
         with Hollywood icons from the Wild West
         - use different media types - billboards,
        street pop-ups, hyperlinks, graphic novels,
      rich media, etc. - as critical entrypoints into
        the storyworld; elicit curiosity, advocacy &
                       participation
      - create added cultural relevance by aligning
            emerging themes to cause-related
              components or modern history
Red Dead Redemption Official Trailer
(rich media depicting Dali-esque trainwreck)




(outdoor media depicting Bronson-esque showdown)
(graphic novels told as prequels)
(serializations told with modern history; Polish Solidarity)
context
OBJECTIVE(s):
        - create a game-like experience in which
         search queries are driven by topical or
                  sentimental affinities
       - conversation pieces emerge as ‘fractals’,
      or clusters of reorganized information; those
          are matched to different media types
             - the fractal/media match-ups
       recontextualize the topics & sentiments &
            reveal new content communities
      - users are then given free online tools with
      which they can remix content as they please
        & they can syndicate it to their interest
                graphs (social networks)
TAKEAWAYS:
    stories are everywhere; we have unlimited
opportunities to curate and contextualize them
           at scale... for profit... or not.
  the most success is found at the intersection
   of media, technology and culture; we should
liberate channels and methods, not be confined
                      by them.
   anything is commercially possible provided
that we use storytelling as a means for better
understanding the human condition, not just to
       push messages or media agendas.
marketing or branding is not the same thing as
 storytelling, but it can be; be unreasonable in
  the quest to tell that better story - it is the
  only way you can earn meaning, relevance &
                       scale.
thank you

Multi-Platform Storytelling: 4 levers, 4 use cases.

  • 1.
    MULTI-PLATFORM STORYTELLING: 4 levers, 4 use cases. Presented by: Gunther Sonnenfeld 4.29.2011
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4.
    OBJECTIVE(s): - understand what trust really means across industries by seeking out emerging stories through topics & themes in videos & conversation; use current events as ‘metafilters’ - identify behavioral, media consumption and socio-economic patterns through content communities; draw out new correlations & insights - use insights to weave together a new narrative, with various extended threads & user profiles - serve up an experience (such as a game) that uses select media to simulate the dimensions of trust using real-world situations as context; can be used for brands, communities or both.
  • 7.
    ARCHAEOLOGY FOR KEYTHEMES: PROPAGANDA FAITH VS. TRUST RECIPROCITY TRUST & MONEY RESPECT VS. AUTHORITY TRUST & SCIENCE
  • 9.
  • 12.
  • 14.
    OBJECTIVE(s): - use Algren estate assets & feature documentary to tell a ‘metastory’ around artistic influence; allow the narrative (chapters & verse) to dictate channels & reinvigorate personas - leverage celebrity artists (writers, photogs, musicians, directors, etc.) to tell their own renditions of the relationship to Algren, using select, immersive media - invite people to participate in unique extended narratives found in games, eBooks, webisodes, etc.; blend fiction & non-fictional elements (& characters) in a new, dynamic storyworld - develop a ‘franchise’ around these coordinated media & co-created assets
  • 15.
  • 20.
  • 22.
    OBJECTIVE(s): - resurrect lagging sales from the first game (“Red Dead Revolver”) with an entirely new strategic approach; leverage the strength of the writing & central characters - audit game components and extract current marketing assets; rebuild the John Marsten anti-hero archetype into a new storyworld with its own mythology; align first with Hollywood icons from the Wild West - use different media types - billboards, street pop-ups, hyperlinks, graphic novels, rich media, etc. - as critical entrypoints into the storyworld; elicit curiosity, advocacy & participation - create added cultural relevance by aligning emerging themes to cause-related components or modern history
  • 23.
    Red Dead RedemptionOfficial Trailer
  • 25.
    (rich media depictingDali-esque trainwreck) (outdoor media depicting Bronson-esque showdown)
  • 26.
  • 27.
    (serializations told withmodern history; Polish Solidarity)
  • 28.
  • 29.
    OBJECTIVE(s): - create a game-like experience in which search queries are driven by topical or sentimental affinities - conversation pieces emerge as ‘fractals’, or clusters of reorganized information; those are matched to different media types - the fractal/media match-ups recontextualize the topics & sentiments & reveal new content communities - users are then given free online tools with which they can remix content as they please & they can syndicate it to their interest graphs (social networks)
  • 34.
    TAKEAWAYS: stories are everywhere; we have unlimited opportunities to curate and contextualize them at scale... for profit... or not. the most success is found at the intersection of media, technology and culture; we should liberate channels and methods, not be confined by them. anything is commercially possible provided that we use storytelling as a means for better understanding the human condition, not just to push messages or media agendas. marketing or branding is not the same thing as storytelling, but it can be; be unreasonable in the quest to tell that better story - it is the only way you can earn meaning, relevance & scale.
  • 35.