Republishing articles 3: How to make money with crossmedia storytelling

Published in 2003 on Europemedia by Monique de Haas

How to make money with crossmedia storytelling

Now, here is what you must have been waiting for. After that I have analysed the structure of interactive storytelling and discussed the how to’ s, it’s time to show you the money!

Interactive storytelling is done by use of cross media communication. When we look at commercial communication, intelligent cross media communication will;
1. Bring you financial advantage
2. Enlarge and deepen the brand experience for consumers

There are many ways of using interactive storytelling in Business to Business communications, which will be profoundly beneficial in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, but I will start with Business to Consumer communication. Generally seen as the most difficult area to make money using interactive media. Commercial communication in this field is predominated by the work of advertising agencies. To start with: I think that however brilliant Ad agencies may be at producing 30 seconds commercials, they will loose territory to cross media communication. Because…

Instead of just sending a one dimensional advertising message to your target group, with cross media communication, you will be able to enter into a multi dimensional dialogue with your target group(s).

A good commercial, however creative it may be, will only be able to communicate 1 up to 3 unique points about your brand and product. While at the same time and for the same amount of money, you are able to communicate on several information levels at the same time with cross media. Serving several information needs, that different consumers have, at the same time! In other words, you can;
• expose a brand in multiple media channels,
• supply the consumer with diverse information that will influence the attitude towards your brand or product and..
• you may even influence the intention to buy your product.
You can do all that and not pay more than you would for your advertising campaign! It is probable that your advertising agency will not support this view. Making an interactive story is very different from producing a 30 seconds spot. A field where advertising agencies can not service you. You need cross media specialists.

The first advantage of crossmedia communication is that you obtain more and diverse effects with your target group. The second advantage is that you will gain financial advantage. Because you as a narrator are in control over which media channels are being offered to the consumer to engage in the interactive story, you can choose efficient channels like the internet or even, if you wish, make money on the reply consumers give by using premium rate telephony or SMS. So you save on expensive media channels to build reach and contacts and still get the reach and contacts!

In 2003 more advertisers may feel the pressure on their budgets because of the recession. Smart ones start looking into interactive storytelling as a means of getting more of their goals reached for the same amount of money (or maybe even less!),