Community and Complementary Media

We like to say that we tell stories, or shepherd certain narratives through popular culture, but in reality the instances of narrative are usually rather fleeting, a story told in 30 seconds, then sacrificed to the big idea.

Better said, we make bits to be consumed by the lowest common denominator rather than stories to be experienced and shared. We must be more mindful of how the audience consumes and participates rather than whether or not they can repeat back a few words we’ve trained them to say. To twist a Truman phrase, if you want to train something, get a dog.

This all stems from the model of branding, usually described by some spherical term, meant to represent a single, simple message told over and over across multiple media. While clearly the simplicity of an idea is important in increasing the chances of propagation, these strategies are generally based on a self-fulfilling assumption of an unengaged audience. If the strategic premise of our branding techniques begins with forced dissemination through a passively consumptive receptacle, we guarantee their lack of engagement from the go.

While we can still buy these indifferent audiences to an extent now, those days are numbered. And without an audience, we are lost. But these stories become far more interesting and inclusive when they build through multiple entry points.

Mostly because interesting brands are like interesting people. They’re nuanced and sometimes contradictory. They stand for things. They tend not to talk only about themselves, but listen and share experiences. They screw up sometimes, but ultimately, they’re interesting because you can’t always guess what they’ll do next. Without surprise, without incongruence, it’s difficult to become noticeable or meaningful.

So saying the same things in similar ways and similar places is inherently less interesting and mostly unextendable. If we are not noticed, we’re surely not talkable either. And if they’re not talking, they probably don’t care.

Communities tend to form not only through common interests, but sharing and mutual respect, things most companies are traditionally very bad at. But by planning for sharing, with intent not to control, but to enable, companies can encourage the formation and growth of these essential building blocks to transmedia communication.

As Jason Oke says, “by putting a brand community in the middle, it also forces us to think about whether we are in fact making brands and communications which are interesting enough for a community to form, and for people to want to talk about our communications.“

If they’re not talking, they probably don’t care.

We must work to build these communities by providing them both the tools and the freedom to create along with us. We must build narratives through complementary media in ways that further the story rather than just repeat it. We should develop more fanatical audiences by using advertising more like a lever, not a ramrod. Doing these things will bring us the successful communication gained through extended relationships.

(photo from steve schofield)