If you’ve be reading my blog for the last couple of weeks you know I’ve been keenly interested in the development of Social TV. And while sites like GetGlue and Philo (which was just bought by Local Response) got things kicked off by allowing you to “check-in” to the content you were reading/watching/listening to, I think you’re going to be hearing a lot more about companies like Social Guide and Bluefins Labs in the months to come. This area is developing rapidly now and a recent article in GOOD – Tweet Seekers: How Your Social Media Outbursts Influence TV Networks – was a real eye opener for me. Take a look at what TV programs people are talking about online:
The Tweet Is On
This data comes from Bluefin and shows how Social TV is starting to “hockey stick.” But I think something else is going to emerge here that is going to be significant for both agencies and content developers. It’s what I’m calling Intermedia.
Cross-Media v. Transmedia
Chances are you’re familiar with the terms like transmedia and cross-media. But right now distinctions and definitions are important, so let’s lay this all out. First, here’s a definition of transmedia from SeizeTheMedia:
Transmedia is a format of formats; an approach to story delivery that aggregates fragmented audiences by adapting productions to new modes of presentation and social integration. The execution of a transmedia production weaves together diverse storylines, across multiple outlets, as parts of an overarching narrative structure. These elements are distributed through both traditional and new media outlets. The online components exploit the social conventions, and social locations, of the internet.
Here’s what that looks like, again from SeizeTheMedia:
From SeizeTheMedia
The Producer’s Guild of America has issued a press release on Transmedia, formerly acknowledging the title Transmedia Producer. Brooke Thompson has a fantastic post where she breaks down transmedia, and looks to differentiate it from cross-media (and rightly so). Cross-media, according to Brooke, is defined as:
“[...]but here there may be content that drives you from one platform to the next. However, the relationship is typically one way and it’s quite simple. As far as the entirety of the project, the platforms do not rely upon each other in order to make the experience complete. For example, look at you favorite television show’s website. Does it have character bios? A timeline of big events that have taken place? Extra video? All of these things are driven by the content on one platform (your favorite show), but they don’t have much interaction with each other and virtually none with your favorite show. It’s unidirectional – your show drives the content, but it does not ask for anything in return. In other words, any narrative outside of the show is not only optional but it doesn’t have any impact on the show itself. As you probably gathered by looking at your favorite show’s website, we see a lot of this coming out of Hollywood these days (advertising, too). This is cross-media.
Here’s an infrographic from the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association entitled, How Cross-Media Revived the TV Star:
Courtesy: MIMA
Finally, one last graphic from Brooke Thompson, providing a nice side-by-side comparison of cross-media and transmedia:
Want more on transmedia? Go read Henry Jenkins’ Transmedia Storytelling 101.
What is Intermedia?
But I believe the rise of Social TV is bringing about something different. Something beyond creating related content across multiple channels and platforms (cross-media) or even driving a singular narrative thread across multiple channels and platforms (transmedia). I think we are starting to see the evolution of content traveling between multiple platforms and channels (intermedia).
The term intermedia has been used before. From Wikipedia:
Intermedia was a concept employed in the mid-sixties by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the ineffable, often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting and theatre could be described as intermedia. With repeated occurrences, these new genres between genres could develop their own names (e.g. visual poetry or performance art.)
Note the use of the world between. This isn’t merely turning a musical into a movie or or using a famous painting as the basis of a play like Marat/Sade. The former being something more akin to cross-media, the latter perhaps more accurately defined as an piece of meta-fiction. Nor is it something like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which hovers somewhere between meta-fiction and transmedia. Intermedia has a more direct, and immediate interaction between content from multiple platforms or channels.
Here’s a stab at a more formal definition:
Intermedia is characterized by the real-time interaction of content consumers between themselves and content producers, the content’s participants or notable third parties. This engagement may play a role in the on-going or future development of the content in the form of voting, surveys, commentary or other forms of interaction.
They key here is that intermedia isn’t simply people tweeting about Beyonce’s baby bump during the MTV Video Music Awards. That’s simply an example of Social TV. Intermedia begins when Beyonce starts tweeting back to people immediately after her performance, while the VMA’s are still going on.
There are several scenarios where intermedia can pop up, here are a few examples:
- During a football game, the announcers field questions from Twitter and respond both on Twitter and on television
- Joan Rivers engages in a live Twitter chat from the Oscar Red Carpet and shares the comments with celebrities as they come by
- Show runner Matthew Weiner jumps on Twitter during a first run airing of a new Mad Men episode, providing commentary
- The character Sam Winchester from the CW television show Supernatural tweets between episodes and his interaction with fans works its way into future episodes
- American Idol contestants are voted on via mobile phone by fans
- A football team shows tweets in-stadium on digital boards
- A news anchor hosting a live Google+ hangout during an evening newscast
Many of these are happening, or have happened, to some degree in the past, but I believe you are going to see an explosion of it in the future.
Intermedia Winners
Who is going to benefit from the development and practice of intermedia? Well for one, agencies. There is going to be a fight to see who will become the intermedia strategy agency on behalf of properties. Intermedia planner is going to be a job title in the future – held by the person who understands the platforms, the culture, the talent and the timing to enhance the engagement with and affinity for the property.
The service and tools providers like Social Guide. Check out their mobile app, it’s going to become an essential element to the content consumption experience. Measurement and real-time monitoring of intermedia content will be a lucrative field (hello Radian6, Nielsen and Bluefin Labs).
Savvy content producers will be in high demand. Here’s where Warner Bros. is going to potentially come to dominate in a whole new way. I’ve already written about their dominance of television content production, and much of it is intermedia ready. Shows like the aforementioned Supernatural, and daytime hit The Ellen Degeneres Show are already huge Social TV hits. Understanding how to make shows that work well for intermedia will be a new benchmark.
Intermedia in other channels and platforms
I’ve focused on Twitter and television for this post, but intermedia opportunities will expand and be adopted in other areas:
- Imagine readers posting questions or comments within an interface in Kindle editions of books and having them answered by the author via a YouTube channel
- DJs at a club could simultaneously play the same song in a Turntable.fm room, or take requests from one venue and play the song in the other
In my next post I’m going to look at Intermedia strategy and provide my thoughts on how an agency would develop this new practice. But first I’d like your thoughts. Is Intermedia the right name? Do you agree that this is a rich new area of content integration and engagement? Give me your thoughts below.
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Len Kendall
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:28 pm:
Rick,
This point of distinction is spot-on, and you’re right, there’s a huge opportunity here for agencies. I think what people will challenge you with is whether what you’re describing (intermedia) can still fall under the umbrella of social media. One could certainly argue that social media is focused on the relationships consumers are having with each other sans the involvement of brands or media outlets, but on the other hand, those players are shaping what social media is becoming. They’re creating/guiding the platforms, giving us all topics to discuss, and reporting on them as well. So is intermedia the discipline of making the above function in unique and creative ways on behalf of brands, or is it just creative use of social media?
Also side note, I wrote a gist of your post in case people need a quick review of the topic before diving in.
http://gis.to/gists/intermedia-the-next-phase-in-consumer-engagement
Sports Geek
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 9:01 am:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/tf7DkkT #sportsbiz
Anonymous
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 2:19 pm:
Len, first, thanks for the gist, I’ve already started using that description. Regarding your other comments, yes this is an exercise in distinctions, but I think they are worth making. Hopefully in future posts clarity and consensus will start to surface.
BBH Labs
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:26 pm:
Thoughtful, packed post from @Rick_Now on social TV and what he's dubbing 'inter-media' : http://t.co/Lk4UpmR
Aditya Anupkumar
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:30 pm:
Interesting RT @BBHLabs Thoughtful, packed post from @Rick_Now on social TV and what he's dubbing 'inter-media': http://t.co/4PrZVvM
media140 Worldwide
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:35 pm:
“@BBHLabs: Thoughtful, packed post from @Rick_Now on social TV and what he's dubbing 'inter-media' : http://t.co/hTVSESC” *top post*
Shaun Tollerton
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:36 pm:
Thoughtful, packed post from @Rick_Now on social TV and what he's dubbing 'inter-media' : http://t.co/Lk4UpmR
Ad Broad
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:38 pm:
why agencies will start to care about transmedia. Packed post by @Rick_Now on social TV and 'intermedia' http://t.co/8Q9TKFz via @BBHLabs
MicheBella
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 12:41 pm:
why agencies will start to care about transmedia. Packed post by @Rick_Now on social TV and 'intermedia' http://t.co/8Q9TKFz via @BBHLabs
Patrick Dierdorp
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 1:33 pm:
why agencies will start to care about transmedia. Packed post by @Rick_Now on social TV and 'intermedia' http://t.co/8Q9TKFz via @BBHLabs
Moving Target
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 1:33 pm:
why agencies will start to care about transmedia. Packed post by @Rick_Now on social TV and 'intermedia' http://t.co/8Q9TKFz via @BBHLabs
Jacques Kluger
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 1:37 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/YyOzR6A via @zite
lukenathans
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 1:53 pm:
“@BBHLabs: Thoughtful, packed post from @Rick_Now on social TV and what he's dubbing 'inter-media' : http://t.co/hTVSESC” *top post*
Gina Ravosa
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 1:56 pm:
why agencies will start to care about transmedia. Packed post by @Rick_Now on social TV and 'intermedia' http://t.co/8Q9TKFz via @BBHLabs
Gunther Van Lany
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 2:47 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/4qk2x9X via @zite
Anonymous
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 6:55 pm:
Just wanted to include these comments by Johnny Vulkan of Anomaly:
I like the idea and the observation. A few things spring to mind…
‘Social’ is a source of fear for most clients and agencies and research businesses are guilty of only fueling this (to great commercial, but questionably moral success). Because there is a lot of data doesn’t mean all of it is useful beyond being interesting. It also makes us fixate on the last piece of the puzzle rather than the first. In other-words we fixate on ‘how many tweets are happening in the last few minutes of the super bowl’ rather than the fact that the last few minutes of the super bowl are fundamentally exciting which is what leads to the conversation. It is the latter where there is opportunity… what are brands doing that are actually worth talking about, rather than focussing on where those conversations may happen.
Where those conversations may happen is an evolutionary phenomena – they used to happen in person (and still do), they used to happen on the phone (and still do) and now they happen in social media. We can choose to design for channels or we can choose to design ideas that resonate within channels. They are not mutually exclusive but they do require different focus and skills. The latter is easier.
Easier it not about being lazy it’s actually about what clients and agencies can buy and sell. A campaign that has unique elements that exist in transmedia requires a lot of assets, meaning a lot of management and a lot of hours. An idea that shouts loud in one media but resonates in many takes less hours, is easier to manage and can actually resonate further.
My overarching fear about the social media dialog in general is that we are making it more complex then it need be. This works if your business is creating fear then solving for it. But hand on heart, if your business is just ‘how to I grow my business’ then doing one or three things well is better then attempting fifteen and failing to manage them.
So… I buy everything you’re saying – BUT – what is the simplest way to tell that story. If you had to explain to your son how marketing works (or can work today) how would you describe it. That’s the story I want the industry to tell.
My answer would be Apple. Simple.
Make great products and services.
Explain things clearly.
Control the message.
Be consistent.
Repeat.
Apple does everything against ‘social advice’ – they are closed. Controlling. Non-collaborative. They don’t tweet or use facebook and while iTunes as a music shop is prolific on social platforms (because they have news everyday with releases) the corporate brand is silent. And yet, every meeting people want to be Apple.
Simple. Apple make (do) things worth having a conversation about. If the topic is good enough the conversation then plays out wherever is best for their customers.
Omar Flores
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 3:40 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/M0k9jBF via @zite
Jason Kirk
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 3:49 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/hBZe93B
Yogesh Malik
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 4:17 pm:
The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/ODKKLFQ RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia
thetime
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 4:53 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/TkZv2jR /via @MediaReDEF
Gideon Rosenblatt
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 5:01 pm:
Intermedia: the evolution of content traveling between multiple platforms & channels. http://t.co/yMevQE1 via @YogeshMalik
Aydee Celis
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 5:03 pm:
Intermedia: the evolution of content traveling between multiple platforms & channels. http://t.co/yMevQE1 via @YogeshMalik
Ian Corbin
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 5:23 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://j.mp/pfCemw
heidi browning
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 6:54 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/bH8lxvA
uɐǝS
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 7:27 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/9lLEVki
Artem Sukhoroslov
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 7:41 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/1EPeCzX via @zite
yves bogaerts
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 8:40 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/NPbNvYI via @zite
Mauro Iannizzi
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 9:17 pm:
Il futuro delle (digital?) agency // Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/Ls0P7iI
Stephane Guerry
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 9:26 pm:
call it what you want but it is happening now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/4BeOUiA
Lizzie Azzolino
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 9:38 pm:
Intermedia – Transmedia in which the consumer plays a key role. Great POV from @Rick_Now http://t.co/EJkMMwE
Sukh Sandhu
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 9:47 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/25Bb7Fk
Rick Yeates
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 10:28 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/InzwctU via @zite
Ritesh Patel
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 11:10 pm:
A fab blog post by @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/pxnHTZY
Ann Holman
on Sep 11th, 2011
@ 11:25 pm:
RT @media140: “@BBHLabs: Thoughtful, packed post from @Rick_Now on social TV and what he's dubbing 'inter-media' : http://t.co/1O3ffZ8”…
jannie villacorta
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 12:22 am:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/7jEnLgz via @zite
Daniel Sutton
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 1:13 am:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/PWo9vPM #yam
Rick Liebling
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:04 am:
@gladyssantiago Hey Gladyss, would love your thoughts on this: Intermedia – http://t.co/mvQ2zx6
Kyle Bunch
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:34 am:
Intermedia: The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement. Good read and thought starter from @rick_now http://t.co/XEwrdis
Greg Bolton
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:49 am:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/0dgIKJ7
Anonymous
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 1:44 pm:
My good friend, and somewhere I admire very much, Celestine Arnold, was kind enough to share the following regarding this post:
“I like the idea of naming actions, giving it texture so that people can start thinking about it and achieving it.
Really love the touch back to the 1960s definition. The whole idea of a creation of a new narrative in real time? Kinda an awesome concept. Then this means that the end resulted is always unscripted? Really interesting.
I think you’re going to have outline the benefits more so that we (agencies, brands, corporations) can apply it on the day to day. Content producers love the idea of transmedia because it means more money in their coffers (video game, comic book, mobile novel, Facebook game, etc). Meanwhile, the benefits of transmeida were never really outlined in a way that an agency planner could justify the technique to a brand (unless you happened to be working on a film, music property or video game – entertainment properties all of them). Does intermedia fall into this same trap? You can’t let it.
Okay. So other than entertainment what are the benefits of planning intermedia campaigns? Especially for a brand.
Engagement? Loyalty? Hmm… revenue? Cause that last one is interesting to think about too. Where can you inject sales? For example…
Everyone talks about the baby bump during the VMAs. Beyond tweets to her fans from the front row.
Fans go crazy. Beyonce releases URL to fans. Fans go to site put in 99 cents see video of her and Jay singing a lullaby for their baby.
Aww shit. I went straight to a music property.
A consumer package good is much tougher than Beyonce. It’s about the brands thought that’s where the money is.
Leveraging the platforms they have – broadcast, events, etc. Take it out of theory, make it work for a brand and the agencies will follow.
Charbel
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 9:54 am:
The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/lM94Pev
Fred Wheeler
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 11:25 am:
Interesting stuff here,
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/A8jmc1I
Fred Wheeler
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 11:27 am:
Interesting stuff,
http://t.co/i2m30KQ
Freddie Winckler
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 12:02 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/TyzymAQ
Anthony Bosschem
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 12:21 pm:
Intermedia: de hiërarchie tussen kanalen verdwijnt http://t.co/HGwouGG
eviltomthai
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 12:32 pm:
interesting and though-provoking from @rick_now. what is "inter-media" and are we headed there? http://t.co/iERDouR
Rick Liebling
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 12:43 pm:
Thx to @BUNCH @bloggerton and @eviltomthai for the RTs. Intermedia – The Next Phase in Consumer Engagement: http://t.co/EXqSbcs
Geneviève Petit
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 1:25 pm:
call it what you want but it is happening now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/4BeOUiA
JD Hancock
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:01 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement (by @Rick_Now) #in #media http://j.mp/pIozGF
Steven Callahan
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:05 pm:
Intermedia @Rick_Now The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement
http://ow.ly/6rOX3 #Intermedia #fluxus
Grégoire Peyroles
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:06 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/9EA0X0L via @AddToAny and @lefreddie
Cris Popenoe
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:49 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/R8jJ4Sb #transmedia
Cris Popenoe
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:49 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/R8jJ4Sb #transmedia
Cris Popenoe
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:49 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/R8jJ4Sb #transmedia
Alicia Kan
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:52 pm:
Highlighting the distinctions: @Rick_Now on cross-, trans- and now intermedia http://t.co/LHdhiH4
Ben Millstein
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:57 pm:
@RickLiebling blowing my tiny pea-brain once again: http://ow.ly/6rUHg #businessasusual #intermedia
Massive.TV
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 2:57 pm:
@RickLiebling blowing my tiny pea-brain once again: http://ow.ly/6rVoe #businessasusual #intermedia
Vishal Sapra
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 7:57 pm:
Smart stuff here. RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/SNtEUv4
Laurinda Shaver
on Sep 12th, 2011
@ 9:12 pm:
MUST TRANSMEDIA READ: How soon is now? Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/iqBx0Q0
Gladys Santiago
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 1:49 am:
Not many people bring this up when discussing social TV, but back in 2007, Nielsen launched Hey Nielsen!, a site where viewers could chat and rate shows/episodes and music with other fans. The Hey Nielsen project was shelved prematurely because the first recession hit, but the amount of positive feedback from users was incredible. Initially it was thought that having real-time feedback from viewers would really help networks tweak shows to keep viewers more engaged.
I’m glad to see this extension of content engagement beginning to explode.
Richard Kanee
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 3:41 am:
RT @MediaReDEF: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement. We just can't not make up new words in our business. http://t.co/qihspzj
Rick Liebling
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 12:51 pm:
Wow, I wasn’t aware of that, great knowledge Gladys. Nielsen definitely have a vested interest in this area, it will be interesting to see how they respond, or work with, groups like Social Guide and Bluefin Labs.
Anthony Hamelle
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 8:55 am:
"Intermedia", a good post which uses just another word for #crossmedia or #socialtv or #connectedtv http://t.co/zC3R36W
Faris
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 3:18 pm:
Ello! Nicely mate. I put some thoughts about this kind of thing down as Media is One System and Reverse the Polarity:
http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2011/04/reverse-the-polarity.html
I think we are mostly in agreement. Rock ON FX
Rick Liebling
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 3:21 pm:
Thx FX. I’ll look to give that a read and incorporate into future posts on the subject.
Carrington Faulk
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 1:30 pm:
How soon is now? » Blog Archive » Intermedia – http://t.co/QH0wZaa
John C. Havens
on Sep 13th, 2011
@ 4:36 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/TWmuZNy via @Rickliebling
Mickey Mantas
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 3:33 am:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/kjCNCwM via @AddToAny
augusto velazquez
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 10:35 am:
Entenda os conceitos e diferenças entre #Transmedia, #Crossmedia e #Intermedia – http://t.co/EXWVRDt – GENIAL!!!
Anxo Cereijo Roibas
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 12:28 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement: http://t.co/09kK2wu… http://t.co/KEgJeQq
Carri Bugbee
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 5:21 pm:
Rick, great overview and analysis. However, that gobbledygook definition of transmedia by SeizeTheMedia reads like it was written by attorneys. Ugh. I think it can be boiled down in far simpler and more accessible terms.
Big picture, I think people will continue to use many of these terms interchangeably and it will be impossible to get people using the same terminology. Cross-media, transmedia, intermedia will all be used to describe story-telling across multiple media/platforms. I suspect cross-media or transmedia will be the most popular terms and it will be challenging to get people to adopt a newer term, however accurate it may be.
Johnny Vulkan may be disappointed to learn that this stuff is amazingly complex with a stunning array of moving parts – and this complexity will only continue to escalate. I don’t think you can make it simple. For ad agencies, it’s no longer about the “big idea” that has dominated advertising approaches for decades. It’s about thousands of small ideas that you have to iterate every day. But if Ogilvy and his generation of ad men were alive today, I’m sure they’d see the opportunity and jump on it.
BTW, I wrote an article about social TV for the October issue of Social Media Monthly. You can subscribe to that new publication here: http://thesocialmediamonthly.com/
I also added your article to my Diigo group on Social TV & Film, which anyone can join:
http://groups.diigo.com/group/tv-and-social-media
alejodm
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 3:13 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/nOhBOvz via @zite
Aaron Strout
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 7:45 pm:
Rick – wow! Great post and equally great use of infographics. Plus, you know that you had me at “GetGlue” (I also dig on the concept oh Philo).
Look forward to more!
@aaronstrout
Rick Liebling
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 8:20 pm:
Thanks Aaron!
Rick Liebling
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 8:26 pm:
Hey Carri – Thanks for your comments. I’ll check out the article and the Diigo group!
David_Ogilvy
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 8:30 pm:
@PeggyOlson – Rest assured we are indeed ready to “jump on it.”
Carri Bugbee
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 8:34 pm:
I’d hate for Ogilvy to get a jump on the young & scrappy Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce…I’ll make sure @PeggyOlson:twitter gets the heads up as well.
Matt McDougall
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 9:17 pm:
Rick – really enjoyed your post! I have to share some concerns that appear down the comment stream regarding how to get the concept of intermedia firing outside of entertainment properties. Actually, scratch that – outside of high-passion properties. I have to imagine MINI or Canon or who-have-you could really take advantage of this. A few CPG brands could probably pull off something creative enough to ramp up interest, at least short term. The key would be in the logistics and execution of the interaction. My fear is that the line between actually useful engagement and gimmickry in this area is a very fine one.
Within television specifically, I see pretty major engagement opportunities, from replacing the “panel of morons” they refer to during and after election debates (I think someone’s had a running twitter stream up during debates or during a SOTU address) to providing interaction between the audience and the showrunners/cast of scripted shows. Honestly it could replace/complement the podcast tradition that’s been around for some time (see Battlestar Galactica and LOST as prime examples). Something similar was tried for awhile with BD-Live, but that’s a crippled interface with basically zero use next to Twitter or other social networks.
Looking forward to the next piece!
Anonymous
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 10:12 pm:
Rick, great post and perspective as always. First I do like the term “intermedia” and can absolutely seeing this scale across many other screen experiences. The participatory aspect especially with your kindle example and having a real time discussion appear within a feed on say G+, is very compelling. The scalability to this kind of engagement and experience is a natural with both mobile and tablet, and I can easily see your observation rapidly taking hold.
Aaron Strout
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 7:50 pm:
Love this post by @Rick_Now on intermedia [great infographic porn too]: http://t.co/gnLGT00
Aaron Strout
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 7:50 pm:
Love this post by @Rick_Now on intermedia [great infographic porn too]: http://t.co/gnLGT00
Social Media Filter
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 7:53 pm:
RT @AaronStrout Love this post by @Rick_Now on intermedia [great infographic porn too]: http://t.co/LQltB0k
David Crow
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 7:57 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase in Consumer Engagement http://t.co/rGoIvWmj #crossmedia #intermedia #behavior
Rick Liebling
on Sep 14th, 2011
@ 11:31 pm:
How soon is now? » Blog Archive » Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement: http://t.co/a2z7WlmW (@Rick_Now)
Rick Liebling
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 1:05 am:
Great example of intermedia tonight on @Spike_TV with #DWLive. What's intermedia? Read this: http://t.co/1r8YL4SQ
Crystal Merritt
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 1:30 am:
Great example of intermedia tonight on @Spike_TV with #DWLive. What's intermedia? Read this: http://t.co/1r8YL4SQ
John Evans
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 5:58 am:
Yeah, just imagine telling an interactive story, where people portraying the characters talked about their actions and a moderator decided what effects they had. You could start with something simple, like the characters exploring a dungeon and…oh wait…
Jaime Tenorio
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 5:05 am:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/tua3IAsG via @AddToAny
Rick Liebling
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 11:58 am:
John, I believe this is a thinly veiled allusion to that game played by young men in the 70s and 80s who couldn’t get dates. What was it called again, Creatures and Castles… Vampires and Villages…
Bah, I can’t pretend, I was a HUGE D&D fan growing up and you make an interesting comparison. While interactivity is certainly an essential part of intermedia, the difference is that it spans different media.
I bet there would be some intriguing intermedia options with an MMO like World of Warcraft, which in some ways is the current evolution of D&D.
Ruckus Media Group
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 1:31 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/WMdkhhSp via @AddToAny
Ambal Balakrishnan
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 5:02 pm:
Absolutely Brilliant post by @Rick_Now on Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement. http://t.co/MpgJiCJX
Rick Liebling
on Sep 15th, 2011
@ 6:07 pm:
Thx! RT @Ambal: Absolutely Brilliant post by @Rick_Now on Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement. http://t.co/1r8YL4SQ
Yasser Monkachi
on Sep 16th, 2011
@ 8:29 am:
RIP #Transmedia, Long Live #Intermedia ?! – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://ow.ly/6w4qr
Moving Target
on Sep 16th, 2011
@ 9:02 am:
RIP #Transmedia, Long Live #Intermedia ?! – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://ow.ly/6w4qr
Patrick Dierdorp
on Sep 16th, 2011
@ 9:02 am:
RIP #Transmedia, Long Live #Intermedia ?! – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://ow.ly/6w4qr
Rick Liebling
on Sep 16th, 2011
@ 2:44 pm:
@YasserMonkachi Thanks for sharing my Intermedia post: The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/ax4tTJ4h
Nathaniel Hansen
on Sep 16th, 2011
@ 7:00 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/mPBI8Zhl #socialTV #transmedia #intermedia @GaryPHayes
Christian Hennerfehr
on Sep 17th, 2011
@ 10:55 am:
crossmedia, transmedia, and now intermedia: "Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement" http://t.co/x8GgKkiw #socialmedia #tv
Adam Broitman
on Sep 17th, 2011
@ 4:16 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/otaHU9Om great piece by @Rick_now
Rohnjay
on Sep 19th, 2011
@ 1:13 pm:
Rick: Grand post, well laid out. I think game mechanics really become the framework for this, with the very interesting twist that there are thousands / millions of players trying to influence the choices. How could a TV / Online structure allow for both mass experience and personalization?
Rick Liebling
on Sep 19th, 2011
@ 8:07 pm:
Rohn jay, not only do I agree with you, but I’m already heading in that direction. I’ve been talking with my friends at Badgeville and hope to have a new post on Intermedia and game mechanics sometime soon.
Luc Debaisieux
on Sep 19th, 2011
@ 9:05 pm:
"Intermedia, the next phase in consumer engagement' – by @Rick_Now & I think @AlainGerlache might like it! ; ) – http://t.co/oFKJCRSJ
Rick Liebling
on Sep 20th, 2011
@ 12:07 am:
RE: Rohn jay, not only do I agree with you, but I'm already heading in that direction. I've been talking with my frie… http://t.co/yP7vgMmV
Broadbandito
on Sep 20th, 2011
@ 3:16 pm:
As a pioneer of iTV I find it ironic that the “two screen” “social tv” interaction so many are favoring today today actually had its start in the late 90′s via various “sync” efforts and custom programming efforts via cable nets, set top boxes and large programmers (CNN, Time Warner, Liberty Media etc). The notion if iTV has been around for a long time, the trick still seems to be in the effort to produce content that people want or even need to interact with to have a more meaningful, enjoyable or beneficial viewing experience. So, when you are talking about Intermedia, I suggest you are actually revisiting “convergence”, wherein the tv and the internet collide. The main difference is the emergence of social platforms to enable the interaction, rather than relying on people to go to a site specific environment to interact. I think it has to do with the open ended nature of social media. This read might give you a decent glimpse into what was happening in the mid 90′s http://www.docstoc.com/docs/16202654/Interactive-TV
Antonio Salgado
on Sep 21st, 2011
@ 6:25 pm:
que tan pronto ahora es hoy? http://ow.ly/6vmJH el siguiente paso en el involucramiento de tu audiencia
Emmett T. Pickett
on Sep 23rd, 2011
@ 11:39 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/BdY10YN3
Emmett T. Pickett
on Sep 23rd, 2011
@ 11:39 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/BdY10YN3
Gunther Sonnenfeld
on Sep 25th, 2011
@ 2:53 pm:
Rick – brilliant piece. Between this and Faris’s bit on reverse polarity, there’s a ton to think about.
To add to Carri’s point on SeizeTheMedia’s notion of transmedia – imho – this might be misleading, namely because it seems to ignore three critical components: narrative, character development and storyworld. I’d say this matrix is more about how cross-sections of media platforms can work in concert, rather than a representation of transmedia itself (or specifically, transmedia storytelling)… but to avoid term scrutiny, I’ll leave it at that
That said, I’m working on something right now that attempts to break down the functions and cross-sections of monomedia, intermedia, crossmedia and transmedia through an actual use case, a single instance, so thank you for this!
On a final note, I thought Johnny Vulkin’s POV on social brands using the Apple example was really well articulated. I wonder though if this notion of “controlling the message” is something that falls into an old advertising paradigm. It seems to me that if we leverage social media for what it is – a behavior – then messaging is really more about cultivating interest through collective intelligence, action and interest, than it is about prescribing things or broadcasting a position of sorts. If you look at some of the really impactful brand campaigns, you see how the various channels are used to coordinate an experience, often comprised with unique messaging through each, and so perhaps this is where intermedia can play a vital role.
Best,
Gunther
Rick Liebling
on Sep 25th, 2011
@ 5:09 pm:
I think you are spot on when you say that the concept may not be new, but that Social Media has facilitated the experience, especially when it comes to allowing people to engage with people they already know.
Rick Liebling
on Sep 25th, 2011
@ 5:11 pm:
Gunther,
Thanks for dropping by and contributing your thoughts, glad you find this piece of value!
How soon is now? » Blog Archive » The Intermedia Engagement Ecosystem
on Sep 28th, 2011
@ 9:57 pm:
[...] Ecosystem 28 Sep 2011 by Rick, No Comments » Recently I wrote about the idea of Intermedia – where content interaction happens between platforms through content producers and content [...]
Laura Stagliano
on Sep 29th, 2011
@ 7:47 pm:
@Rick_Now I liked this one on Intermedia: http://t.co/8iZaHTXH Looking forward to the next one
MIP: Transmedia & Teens | Transmythology.com
on Oct 1st, 2011
@ 11:27 am:
[...] broadcast networks are experimenting with it and Rick Liebling garnered significant interest in a recent blog post on the subject, which titled it “intermedia.” There are huge opportunities here for creators and [...]
Alexandre Gravel
on Oct 1st, 2011
@ 8:31 pm:
Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/9mGMiwRS
Web Marketing Therapy » Blog Archive » The new adventure travel: a snapshot from Facebook
on Oct 3rd, 2011
@ 4:54 am:
[...] On Intermedia: http://www.rickliebling.com/2011/09/11/intermedia-the-next-phase-in-consumer-engagement/ [...]
The Socializers :: culture change :: The new adventure travel: a snapshot from Facebook
on Oct 3rd, 2011
@ 6:51 am:
[...] On Intermedia: http://www.rickliebling.com/2011/09/11/intermedia-the-next-phase-in-consumer-engagement/ [...]
Nathaniel Hansen
on Oct 6th, 2011
@ 9:16 am:
On Intermedia:
http://t.co/UevdjhJ0
Gunther Sonnenfeld
on Oct 6th, 2011
@ 11:19 pm:
Good piece from @rick_now on Social TV and intermedia http://ht.ly/6PW16 –> preceding blog post: http://ht.ly/6PW42
How soon is now? » Blog Archive » Mashable Post on Intermedia Strategy
on Oct 7th, 2011
@ 10:29 am:
[...] now be familiar with my use of the term Intermedia. I first used it in my post Intermedia – The Next Phase in Consumer Engagement, which received a lot of positive feedback. To continue this line of thinking I developed a post on [...]
MIP : Transmedia & les Ados | Blogomadaire
on Oct 21st, 2011
@ 8:00 am:
[...] social est, de nos jours, très présent. Tous les réseaux de diffusion l’expérimentent et Rick Liebling a suscité un intérêt important dans un récent article sur le sujet, et l’appelle «intermedia». Les possibilités sont énormes, pour les créateurs et les [...]
Pietari Korhonen
on Nov 25th, 2011
@ 12:00 pm:
Intermedia – seuraava askel kuluttajien sitouttamisessa? http://t.co/kT7ZWGl0 via @Rick_Now #intermedia #transmedia
Mark Diggs
on Dec 14th, 2011
@ 5:01 pm:
Ever heard of the term #intermedia? http://t.co/Zh09pzHZ
Millward Brown / Dynamic Logic Digital Predictions For 2012 #3 Virtual Togetherness « How soon is now?
on Dec 20th, 2011
@ 1:20 pm:
[...] looked at closely this year. Earlier in the fall I wrote a post where I coined the term, “Intermedia” and defined it [...]
Ben Millstein
on Jan 3rd, 2012
@ 9:46 pm:
@jmegs Omg this is like so you! http://t.co/6bzUZn5g
The Emerging Culture Composite Index Edition 2 « How soon is now?
on Jan 13th, 2012
@ 11:01 am:
[...] There are six Love and Hip Hop cast members with more than 100,000 Twitter followers. This intermedia-driven strategy is a blueprint for what all television, not just reality programming, will soon [...]
Jay-Z Hits SxSW; A 340-ton Rock Star; The Homeless, Robots & Wifi; A Video Game for the 99% « How soon is now?
on Mar 12th, 2012
@ 11:41 am:
[...] in a road trip competition. This is a great example of a brand embracing not just Social TV, but Intermedia. We’re moving towards an entertainment landscape that has transitioned from watching a show, [...]
Simon Staffans: From Transmedia to… Intermedia? | MIPBlog
on Apr 4th, 2012
@ 4:43 am:
[...] “Intermedia” then? The next buzzword? It might well be, as Rick Liebling recently made an excellent case for producers and marketing people to take a long good look at the area he wants to define as the [...]
Matthias Nicodème
on May 5th, 2012
@ 3:57 pm:
RT @Rick_Now: Intermedia – The Next Phase In Consumer Engagement http://t.co/BcyVVlJ3