1. group assignment progress (description of our web series)

In the past few years, there have been numeral theories appearing in medias, televisions, movies, story narratives and game studies that feature the rise of transmedia, cross-media and distributed phenomena. The theory of transmedia practice involves the implementation of multiple media platforms to convey a fictional world. Television show nowadays is no-longer just a typical television show, it may have also involved specially crafted books and feature films that are all part of the storytelling. Same goes to websites. For example, Richard Kelly’s 2001 Donnie Darko website, besides just advertising and featuring the film itself, it also reveals details of the character’s lives after the ending of the film plot. (Christy, 2009) Transmedia storytelling was coined by Henry Jenkins. It represents a process where basic elements of a fiction are distributed systematically across multiple channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. (Jenkins and Jenkins, 2007) Each medium makes its own unique benefaction in further developing the story. 

Hence in this class, we did a transmedia storytelling project in group of two. We are tasked to create a web series and a few related transmedia elements. The genre for this transmedia project is transmedia marketing where we collaborated with an essential oil brand called H’ana. Transmedia marketing is believed to be the new marketing as it’s center of attention is more on collaborative approach to storymaking instead of a proprietary pre-planned approach to traditional brand storytelling. (Bill, 2016) The advancement of technology has increased with incredible speed compared to previous times. Besides, customers and audiences today can easily ignore the advertisements posted on social media. Many have already been using the Mobile Ad Blocking to block those advertisements. According to research from Adobe and PageFair, adoption of desktop ad blockers has increased steadily in recent years, from 21 million users in 2010 to more than 181 million users in January 2015. (Dan, 2020) Thus, it is important for companies to advance the way they market their brand too. Transmedia connects brands with consumers through collaboration and story. Many media strategists propose that the future of all digital media marketing will be transmedia marketing. It will deliver a story-world or message via multiple media platforms into customers’ everyday life. (Bill, 2016) 

As for H’ana, they are currently targeting to approach the young American ladies aged 18 to 26. The millennial and modern type instead of stereotypical vegan women. The essential oils U.S. market plays a crucial role in the overall demand. The global essential oils market size was USD 7.03 billion in 2018 and is estimated to reach USD 14.6 billion by the end of 2026. (Fortune Business Insights, 2020) To get audiences attention, it is important for brands to have a business strategy that is significant, emotionally engaging, and valuable. One of the most important keys is to humanize And relate it to your target audience. Convey the message either directly or indirectly and resolve it in a way that is relatable, human, and offers a transformation. With this, it will help the audience to understand and feel connected to the brand. (Costa, 2018)

Therefore, we came out with a campaign idea called 'Unleash with H'ana'. In comparison to young adults, teenagers see themselves in ways in which they care how others think about their capabilities and attributes, sometimes even appearance and liking. So, this campaign carries the purpose of conveying a message that it is important to not measure yourself by the standards of other people. H'ana's proposition, 'Here She Comes' aims to encourage the audience to not take it so seriously and shall always be more confident of themselves. Same goes to our narrative, a girl who has a hidden side of her where she dare not let others know, especially friends and families as she was annoyed by societal pressures and stigmas. She pretended to live a life of her choice, however, it is not. She does not enjoy working in the office as a beauty consultant, wearing makeup and heels, and being such ladylike. Nobody knows she was putting on a mask everyday to work. Instead, she actually loves her night time job being a tattoo artist in a studio. Not having to put on a long wig at work, and have the freedom to do everything she wants. With the help of H'ana, she managed to build her confidence and decided to brave herself up to be who she wanted to be. 

For this campaign, we dispersed the narrative into four media platforms, a web series, instagram, twitter and mobile apps. The campaign is then shared through social media as these platforms help to connect with your audiences, increase awareness about your brand, and boost marketing ROI. (Guest, 2018) The narratives lead audiences to question who the character is. A comment section is available at the web series for the audience to fill in their answers. Free vouchers will be given to those who guessed the answer correctly. The voucher can then be used in each of our personal apps to get a free essential oil. This is to encourage more audience engagement. According to the book ‘Predictably Irrational’ by Dan Ariely, the behavioural patterns of a person changes when something free comes along and they are more willing to comply. Free is a very strong emotional trigger that is often so irresistible. If something is free and there is good reason for it, consumers will love it and eventually lead them to purchasing in the future. (Srinivasan, 2019) 

With this campaign, we hope the idea is helpful for H'ana in their brand launching. A well-planned brand launching enables us to reconnect with existing customers, engage to the new ones, and significantly boost sales. (Lischer, 2020)

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References

Christy, D. 2009. Transmedia Practice: Theorising The Practice Of Expressing A Fictional World Across Distinct Media And Environments. [ebook] Australia, p.372. Available at: <https://ciret-transdisciplinarity.org/biblio/biblio_pdf/Christy_DeanTransm.pdf> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Jenkins, H. 2007. Transmedia Storytelling 101 — Henry Jenkins. [online] Henry Jenkins. Available at: <http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Dan, S. 2020. The Rise Of Ad Blockers: Should Advertisers Be Panicking?(!!). [online] Wordstream.com. Available at: <https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/10/02/ad-blockers> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Bill, C. 2016. Transmedia Marketing Is The Future Of Brand Storytelling. [online] Inc.com. Available at: <https://www.inc.com/bill-carmody/transmedia-marketing-is-the-future-of-brand-storytelling.html> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Fortune Business Insights. 2020. Essential Oils Market Size, Growth, Share | Global Report 2026. [online] Fortunebusinessinsights.com. Available at: <https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/essential-oils-market-101063> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Costa, C. 2018. How To Create A Brand Story That Connects With Audiences And Drives Sales. [online] Forbes. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/celinnedacosta/2018/01/31/how-to-create-a-brand-story-that-connects-with-audiences-and-drives-sales/#28cc1cdd3d34> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Guest, A. 2018. Why Social Media Is Important For Business Marketing. [online] Marketing Insider Group. Available at: <https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/why-social-media-is-important-for-business-marketing/> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Srinivasan, S. 2019. The Psychology Of Free: Why Are People Attracted To Giveaways | Feedough. [online] Feedough. Available at: <https://www.feedough.com/the-psychology-of-free/> [Accessed 24 May 2020].

Lischer, B. 2020. Brand Launch: How To Make A Powerful First Impression. [online] Ignyte. Available at: <http://www.ignytebrands.com/brand-launch-how-to-make-a-powerful-first-impression/> [Accessed 24 May 2020].