Convergence Culture

Convergence culture

http://www.convergenceculture.net/aboutc3/focus.html

Fan cultures: the social groups of impassioned consumers of specific genres of entertainment (examples include science fiction, comic books and computer games).

Brand cultures: communities of committed consumers of specific products and services (such as BMW drivers, iPod users and Coke collectors).

Style cultures: the neo-tribes that organize around the ephemeral pursuit of cool. (Bobos in China, Hip hop Hedz in America and Otaku and Kogal in Japan).

These three clusters constantly interact dynamically with each other, reshaping the context of consumption and generating new trends in the process.
C3 researchers are seeking to answer the following questions:

· How has the intersection between old and new technologies shifted the ways that people consume entertainment and brand content?
· What new media methods and models can sponsors and advertisers use to build a lasting emotional connection with their brands? (e.g. product placements, advergaming and viral marketing)
· What happens as brand cultures (the most hardcore consumers of a particular consumer product) interact with fan cultures (the most hardcore enthusiasts of a particular entertainment franchise)?
· What strategies do brand managers need to adapt to the instantaneous global circulation of entertainment content (such as Japanese anime, Korean soaps, and hip-hop)?
· Does greater consumer participation in brand cultures result in stronger brand affiliations?
· Where do companies "cross the line" in their efforts to attach themselves to particular entertainment franchises through product placements and tie-ins?

http://www.convergenceculture.net/aboutc3/convergence.html

There are three core concepts that are central to the way that we at C3 think about the current media landscape. Transmedia entertainment, participatory culture, and brand extension describe the same process as experienced by the creative artist, the media consumer, and the marketer. Each reflects the current moment of media convergence, a process that facilitates the flow of content across the entire media system. To us, media convergence is more than just a technological shift; it is a tectonic shift that has altered the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. We believe convergence stands for a process and not an endpoint.

Transmedia Entertainment describes the newfound flow of stories, images, characters, information, and sounds across various media channels, in a coordinated fashion, which facilitates a deepening expansion of the consumer's experience.

Participatory Culture describes the way consumers interact with media content, media producers, and each other as they explore the resources available to them in the expanded media landscape. Consumers become active participants in shaping the creation, circulation, and interpretation of media content. Such experiences deepen the consumer's emotional investment in the media property, and expands their awareness of both content and brand.

Experiential Marketing refers to the development of novel approaches to brand extension and marketing which play out across multiple media channels so that the consumer's identification with the product is enhanced and deepened each time they re-encounter the brand in a new context.