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GREAT EXAMPLES OF
MULTIPLATFORM
STORYTELLING
Posted by Shannon Emmerson on Monday, March 12 2018

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It goes by many names: transmedia storytelling, transmedia narrative, cross-media seriality,

and multiplatform storytelling.

But what exactly is ‘it’? And why does it matter?

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At ECHO, we most often use the term multiplatform storytelling to describe the general
technique of telling a story using several formats and/or platforms, ideally with some
involvement by audience or end users.

When a story first arises in the mind, it often comes with an idea of format. You’ll sense, for
example, when a story will best be told aloud, preferably in a group. Or when it needs to be
expressed in writing, with attention to nuance. Or perhaps when it needs to be told on a big
screen with plenty of explosions.

It’s when you start to imagine other ways to express that story, or to make it even better, that
you enter the realm of multiplatform storytelling. It’s when you can envision additional tools
and platforms bringing something else out in the story. It’s when you can imagine all of those
things contributing to layering the story.

WHY MULTIPLATFORM STORYTELLING?

As humans, we tell stories at different times, usually to explain or illustrate something, to

persuade someone and/or to amuse or entertain. It’s how we make sense of the world and
communicate our understanding to others. Our brains may be able to take in isolated facts
and random events, but what we long to do, innately, is to tie things together. To connect the
dots. To create cause and effect. To construct plot. We do this with story. Hearing stories and
telling them is deeply satisfying, memorable and often moving.

We tell and consume stories across, and using, different platforms because we’re curious
little creatures. We wonder: how might that story look from a different perspective? From a
different character’s standpoint? What happened to the characters after the ending? How
else might the story be told?

Technology affords us so many new options for extending a storyline, for customizing plot
and character, for altering or presenting another visual look and feel that for many it can
feel, well, disappointing to settle on a single unchanging narrative.

EXAMPLES OF MULTIPLATFORM STORYTELLING

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So where to find multiplatform storytelling? Thanks to social media and mobile technology,
nearly everywhere. Below, we’ve highlighted a few places to begin your multiplatform
studies.

THE BIGGIES OF TRANSMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

Some would (and do) argue that there are differences between a huge entertainment
franchise, and ‘pure’ transmedia storytelling, but few would argue that The Matrix does not fit
nicely into both camps. Why?

Scholar and transmedia storytelling guru Henry Jenkins chalks that up to dispersal. More
simply, he says a transmedia story is one that tells the full story only as the sum of its parts.
In a handout for a Transmedia Storytelling 101 course, Jenkins explains that “transmedia
storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed
systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and
coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique

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contribution to the unfolding of the story. So, for example, in The Matrix franchise, key bits of
information are conveyed through three live action films, a series of animated shorts, two
collections of comic book stories, and several video games. There is no one single source or
ur-text where one can turn to gain all of the information needed to comprehend The Matrix
universe.”

Other transmedia biggies that have done this well include — you guessed it — Star Trek,
Star Wars, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and the intertextually intertwined Marvel
Universe.

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KIDS ENTERTAINMENT: PBS KIDS

The creators of kids TV have multiplatform storytelling down to an art. They have to: parents
don’t want their kids chained to the TV all day, but understand that their kids develop
relationships with characters presented through TV series — and can learn from them (we’ll
thank Sesame Street for that one).

PBS Kids does educational (and entertaining) multiplatform storytelling for kids particularly
well, treating the launch of any new series as an opportunity to reach kids — and more
importantly, their concerned parents — in numerous ways, on numerous media. Peg + Cat,
as one example, is a math-focused series for the preschool set, launched in
2013 with mobile and integrated online content — multiplatform now being the norm for any
series launch. The series offers web-based games, learning tools, parental resources and a
mobile app, all available at pbskids.org/peg.

J4462, Emerging Technologies at Missouri School

of Journalism

JOURNALISM SCHOOLS: J4462, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AT MISSOURI

SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
As news organizations face the challenge of connecting with people like you and me who

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consume news very differently than our parents did (or than we ourselves did, five years
ago), universities have helped to explore new ways of telling compelling many-platformed
stories. This experiment, which explored multiplatform storytelling among six news
organizations, was led by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri
School of Journalism, based on this hypothesis:

“Different content optimizes to different platforms at different points in a progressive

storytelling process. For instance, slideshows, “Five Things to Know,” and other short, easy-
to-consume elements resonate on mobile phones. But because mobile has varying screen
sizes and optimization opportunities, video clips and data visualization might resonate better
on a tablet.”

PUBLISHING: WIRED MAGAZINE

Every magazine and newspaper editor and publisher on the planet, at one point or another,
has likely asked themselves how (and/or whether) to best utilize digital media to better (and
more profitably) serve readers and advertisers. In a quest to do, editors and digital media
specialists have been gathering for nearly a decade now to plan multimedia content that
rivals the effect of the New York Times’ famous Snowfall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek, or
at least to offer a different, platform-specific presentation of content for their different

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platforms (a long-form article in the magazine, say, with a photo slideshow online and/or a
video or audio interview for the iPad edition).

Even in the early days, Scott Dadich, WIRED’s editor in chief, says he “quickly saw how print
and online content can be adapted to take advantage of each platform’s strengths,” and sees
a very real possibility for a publishing ecosystem where different platforms support one
another effectively. Hear, hear. He spoke recently at The Future of Storytelling conference;
this video offers a summary of his vision for powerful multiplatform storytelling for magazine
titles and well beyond.

INTELLIGENT ACTIVISM: BEAR 71

A wonderful example of multiplatform storytelling intended to educate and inspire action, the
National Film Board of Canada’s Bear 71 explores the ways people, nature and technology
interact, using an interactive social narrative and a variety of platforms. It was launched at
the 2012 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier program, allowing the audience to engage

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with a female grizzly bear (that was watched throughout her life via trail cameras in Banff
National park) through a series of webcams, social media channels, a microsite, augmented
reality and more. The result was a piece of environmental reporting that felt very human, and
very close.

MARKETING AND ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS: AIRBNB

Airbnb is a master at content marketing, and at telling stories that get to the heart of why
people want to connect. It’s not surprising, then, that the company’s Wall and Chain story
was shortlisted for Best Multiplatform Campaign in the 2014 Shorty Awards. The story
was targeted at “inspiring belonging and celebrating a united Germany through the magical
true story of an Airbnb host and guest on the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

Airbnb created an animated film to bring the story to life, as well as at the same time
conducting an economic impact study on Berlin to showcase thow Airbnb travellers support
the local economy and make a difference to the city as a whole — communicating all of this
through an immersive digital experience. They supplemented this with long-form written
articles, updates via social media channels, behind-the-scenes videos showcasing the real
family behind the animated film and hosting a unification event “that paid homage to the
roots of Berlin history and culture through the feature of a Berlin Wall build out.” The
campaign in total earned more than 8 million views across social and digital with 130 press
hits in 15 countries.

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

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Telling rich, interconnected stories may sound complex, and a little daunting. It doesn’t have
to be. It’s still all about communicating, connecting, amusing and hopefully understanding
one another — using the tools and means of expression that make the most sense for your
purpose.

Do you want to mark your company’s anniversary in a meaningful way? Wondering how to
share your organization’s rich heritage in a way that truly resonates with your employees or
customers? We can’t wait to hear from you. Drop us a line at hello@echostories.com or call
us at 604-261-1858.

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