Controversy and Conflict Surrounding Brand Journalism

Over the past several years, the way our news has been brought to us has changed tremendously with the rapid growth of technology. The art of storytelling has become more popular. With this happening it has given people increased access to digitally publish their stories to the web (i.e. websites, blogs, email, mobile, social media, etc.) without having to worry about the traditional journalistic publication process. With the widespread use of social media networks, mobile devices and other content creation tools by the public and media creation agencies, there has been a dramatic decline in traditional journalism today.

 In a report by Alex T. Williams (2014) on Pew Research Center he states, “Over this 10-year stretch, the number of reporters decreased from 52,550 to 43,630, a 17% loss according to the BLS data. In contrast, the number of public relations specialists during this time frame grew by 22%, from 166,210 to 202,530.” (Para. 6)

Journalists positions are slowly fading away causing some to seek new employment opportunities within the media industry.

Brand Journalism vs. Traditional Journalism

The job of a brand journalist is to persuade the audience to make a decision that benefits the company. Brand journalism is used by any organization that has contact with the public that could include restaurants, school, government agency, etc. These stories can be told in video, audio, text to print or post online, and photographs and be distributed over social media networks, blogs, websites, etc.

Journalists’ goals are to satisfy the reader, but being a brand journalist you must satisfy the reader, editor, and brand organization (i.e. non-profit, government agency, charity, etc.) you’re working for.

“Brand journalism is journalism produced on behalf of a brand, but it’s not used just by brand. It can be used by any kind of organization, or for any cause.” (Bull,2013, para. 1)

Traditional journalism has a variety of jobs from reporters, sub-editors, photojournalists, the editor, news editor, feature writers, and specialist writers. Their jobs consist of gathering information and reporting it in written or spoken form, finding stories that fits the needs of their company, and writing columns for their newspaper or magazine to name a few. Journalists must tell the truth in their writings and keep the opinion making to their readers.

Traditional journalists are people you see on the news channels or that you read a story from online or in a newspaper. Their stories can vary from breaking news, politics, or agriculture. The traditional journalist has a very important job in the eyes of many because with out them we wouldn’t hear about stories that don’t make it around the world.

The Media Industry

The change in online media has presented challenges for the traditional style of marketing techniques by organizations still using old age media techniques. (i.e. magazines, journals, banner ads, and print newspapers) Information sharing will never be the same for “old school” journalists. Some of the changes being sought include the shutting down and consolidation of print media outlets throughout the country.

Are traditional journalists doomed? The drop in subscribers means lost revenue for companies, which causes layoffs and reductions in the quality and quantity of news reporting, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center report. (2013, Pew Research Center) These changes in how we receive our news today is winning over the people by millions.

Content Marketing

“Not only is the adoption of content marketing on the rise (93 percent of marketers use content marketing this year compared to 91 percent last year), but 42 percent of B2B marketers consider themselves effective at content marketing, up from 36 percent last year.”(2013, Pulizzi, para. 5)

The use of social media has increased enormously over the years. Businesses today are spreading their content widely over at least 6 social media platforms, making their content to be widely spread throughout the Internet. The purpose of content marketing is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant content with the intentions of enhancing consumer behavior.

Content marketing is communication with your customers and prospects without selling. Instead of pitching the product or service you’re delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent.

Journalism and Marketing

The two terms journalism (e.g. editorial work) and brand journalism (e.g. content marketing) have provoked controversy within the media industry. “Journalists focus on storytelling, fact checking, and style; marketers care far less about Oxford commas than reaching their business goals. Journalists tend to be realists; marketers tend to be aspirational.” (2014, Burg)

Marketers typically have a direct point they want to make to deliver within their audience. Whereas when it comes from a journalist the delivery of that message changes. As a journalist working with marketers it’s important that the two are on the same page when it comes to the big picture. Ken Kaplan states, “The reporter would take his pencil out and add arrows and start moving things,” Kaplan says. “As much as he ripped what I wrote apart, he took a few minutes, and we’d get on the same page.That’s the kind of stuff we want to help our marketers do.” (2014, Burg)

Digital Tools for Content Marketing Initiatives

Concerns have raised debate throughout the media industry; companies have now developed and implemented digital solutions to mitigate such concerns of brand journalisms’ transparency issues, brand credibility and integrity. Brief lists of some of the content marketing digital tools out there are; BrandVoice, OutBrain, Skyword, and Curata to name a few of the well-known digital tools available. Tools like these enable marketers and brand journalists to curate relevant and the highest quality content as part of a successful content marketing strategy.

Although, these tools are all created by various companies and designed with different features they’re all content marketing solutions meant for storytelling and marketing.

WK4 Reflection: Publish Final Draft

Above is the trailer for my short story.

Here is the link to my rabbit hole.

I really enjoyed this assignment, I had a lot of fun creating it and talking to friends and family about what I should do in it. If I would have had the time to revise this assignment I would add some more audio. After reviewing another students work I enjoyed the audio she made of her story I thought it was a cool way of telling a story when I created mine I thought it needed to have more video, comics, and visuals because I am a visual person however, how she did her audio was really neat and made me want to add that to my story. I wanted to make my comic a little longer and add an ending to it so people could see what happened in the end however, as I stated in other blog posts I had a hard time finding places to create videos and comics the way I wanted them I had to do the best I could with what I had available to me.

I hope to spend some time in the near future going of more Transmedia Storytelling information this was a subject that I really enjoyed and could see myself doing in a career.

GTS WK3 Project: Transmedia Short Story Soft Opening

Here is the trailer for my story. The rabbit hole to my assignment you can find here. My Google folder is available here. I enjoyed working on this assignment. I went at mine a little different. I chose to start it off in a comic and end it in a video. I had a hard time finding a website i could create the type of video I wanted for my story, I tried using goAnimate but it was all business settings and mine wasn't like that and I tried several others which left me going the route I went. I enjoyed putting everything together over the last 14 days. I talked about my story with my husband and asked for input on certain parts or if he thought certain things were okay or if they needed changing once I got on the last few days of the assignment. I wish I could have spent more time on a lot of different things however I had some unforeseen personal issues I had to attend to and gave the assignment all the available time I had. I am happy with the outcome I would love to look more into this in the near future and study up more on Transmedia Storytelling. Here is a link to my survey.

Enjoy! I will enjoy seeing what everyone has came up with.

GTS WK3 Analysis: Games Expand Transmedia Worlds

Console Games- Console Games are games played via Xbox, Wii, Playstation, PS Vita, etc. In earlier years of gaming on Playstation and other consoles you would use a cartridge to play. Today, we use CDs and blue ray CDs. Spider-Man 2 is an excellent example of a game that is used with Transmedia. Spider-Man 2 is based off the movie, the movie and game are tied in together to enhance the experience. 

Mobile App Games- These games are played on smartphones or tablets. All smartphones and tablets come with a pre-installed App Store making it easy for users to navigate the different games available. Minecraft is made available across several different platforms and is also available in the App Store. You're able to build different worlds between the different platforms.

Browser Games- Browser Games are made available via the Internet. They are made where you can play single player, multiplayer, or using plugins. Madden NFL games are a combination of Transmedia and Crossmedia. The game roster has current and former players available and creates different story lines from playing different players. The career mode option allows users that play online to write their own NFL history, keeping users interested. 

Collectible Card Games- Collectible Card Games are often collected at random times or can be bought in stores as “starter kits.” The rules on the different card games can vary. Each card can have different values, points, or powers. The only Collectible Card Game I am somewhat familiar with is Pokemon. Pokemon is available on various platforms and is a television show as well. In this game you take on the role of a Pokemon trainer using the different creatures to battle. Often people will trade cards to obtains characters they don't have. 

Board Games- Board Games involve moving different characters pieces on an already established game board. Board Games are often multiplayer games with the level of difficulty ranging. Clue is a good game example that is part of Transmedia. Clue started as a movie and followed with a Board Game years later. 

Role Playing Games- Role Playing Games allow players to mimic the character. Role playing games have a backstory and grow with the character play. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is an example of a Role Playing game. Star Wars is also available as movies, books, comics, television shows, video games, and apps. Star Wars products use Transmedia to advertise new products and movies.

Live Actions Role Playing- LARP is where each player participates actively to commit to the storyline. These games are usually played with larger groups maybe once a month in a park or larger venue. Harry Potter is an example of LARP’s.

Cosplay- Cosplay is where the players dress up as characters from their favorite movie, story, or game and go out into the public. These costumes range from professionally made to costumes made at home. Star Wars is a common costume amongst players. People often dress as Princess Leia or Storm Troopers. 

Cons- This is where fans choose any genre from movies, television shows, comics, or video games and go out into the public dressed as their favorite character. You often find this at conventions such as Comic Con. Comic Con is a good example of Transmedia and Crossmedia. 

My TMSS story is almost complete but I would like to post some more on my social media accounts and do any last minute revisions. I should have everything finished up by Saturday night so I can prepare for my Sunday launch. 

GTS WK2 Project: Mid-Challenge Check-In

The links to my social media accounts are as listed below.

• southtexasherewecome.blogspot.com
• letsgetrollingsummer.blogspot.com
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004302435907
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008420924944
• Twitter- @zoediaz1105
• Twitter- @anakinwilliams

I think I have an estimate of 65 Media points so far. I am working on more things for my story as well. I am really excited for the big launch on Sunday I can't wait to share it with the class, I am even going to share it with some friends and family I have told about the assignment. This class has been great as they all have. I have gained a lot of knowledge of many things I didn't know about or things I have always wanted to learn about but never have. I hope everyone will enjoy my work on Sunday!

WK3 Exploration: The Rabbit Hole

 - --- / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / --- ..- - / - .... . / - .-. .- .. .-.. . .-. / --. --- / - --- / .... - - .--. ... ---... -..-. -..-. .-- .-- .-- .-.-.- -.-- --- ..- - ..- -... . .-.-.- -.-. --- -- -..-. .-- .- - -.-. .... ..--.. ...- -...- ..... . --. --... - - -- --- ...- ..- -.--

 
I enjoyed working on this assignment and learning why companies and different movies, concert, etc use these types of codes for fans. I think it is a great idea and it is really easy to do. I have seen these codes all over the place but only scanned a few or thought the Morse code was a computer error. I created a QR code leading to the blog of one of the characters in my story. In this blog you will learn a little about one of the main characters in the story leading up to the trip. As for my Morse code I included a link to my trailer. I chose to use a link to my trailer because it gives you a better idea of what my story is about. I am glad we were able to work with these codes I will defiantly be using these for future projects and assignments. I hope to be able to go further into Transmedia Storytelling over some of the holiday breaks we have coming up, I have a long list of things I want to look further into that we have looked into this month.

GTS Week 3 Practice A

Here is my trailer.

GTS WK2 Analysis: Why Create Transmedia

West Coast Transmedia V.S. East Coast Transmedia 

West Coast Transmedia is media that is typically produced in Hollywood such as video games, feature films, and consists of several different pieces of media. East Coast Transmedia is prominently uses social media to disperse pieces of the story, this style of Transmedia is more interactive and digital.

An example of West Coast Transmedia is the television show Gotham which is aired on FOX. Most of us would know Gotham as Batman. Batman has several different movies, television shows, books, and comics. Gotham includes all the characters from Batman. I think this show is a great example of West Coast Transmedia. 

The television show "How I met your mother" is a good example of East Coast Transmedia. The different characters of the show will often mention different bands or websites on the show and if you visit the website of the band or the website mentioned there will be the content that was talked about on the show. The character Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris has books you can purchase in a store. These are pieces of the story that tie the show together. 

Movies like The Hunger Games and others use Transmedia Storytelling to market for a fun way to keep the fans involved. Movies often use billboards or commercials to market the up coming feature. Fans that want to know more about upcoming features often Google search them and stumble upon Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Instagram, and YouTube. Each different social media account had more in depth and interactive material relating to the upcoming feature. With social media becoming more popular each year people enjoy being able to keep up with everything on the upcoming feature over multiple social media platforms. I think with social media on the rise more companies will start to use Transmedia Storytelling for marketing. It is a smart way to get fans involved in a more personal way with advertising at the same time. 

GTS Week 2 Practice B

I have created all the social media accounts I will be using for my characters. However, I haven't added pictures to them yet I am still trying to think about how I would like each character to look or if I will make it a cartoon or use real people. I am doing research on different websites that I can create my story another than Powtoon. On the social media accounts I have made so far I am starting the story off a few days before they head out on the open road so people can have a better idea of their everyday life. Below are the links to their social media pages.

Zoe- Twitter @zoediaz1105

Anakin- Twitter @anakinwilliams

Ben- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004302435907

Ezra- Blogger southtexasherewecome.blogspot.con

Homer- Blogger letsgetrollingsummer.blogspot.com

Skylar- Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=bookmark 

Transmedia Short Story Element Map

Here is the link to my element map.

I am excited about this assignment I have so many ideas I want to try out and since I have 14 days to work on it I think I will be able to try a good amount of my ideas and see what comes together nicer. I shared a brief part of the beginning of my story in my previous blog post. I will be piecing all the elements of my story together over the next few days and creating all the social media pages for the different characters. I will be creating 2 blogs and 4 social media pages for the different characters and I will be sharing their different thoughts and views about the various situations that they are going through. I am going to work on a comic, video, and audio for my story. I didn’t have time to do audio for my fairy tale and that was something that I really wanted to add to it because I thought it would turn out better if you were able to hear the different characters rather than reading. Although reading allows the reader to use their mind to put together the way they think the story is. I’m ready to dive in and get my creative side flowing even more than it already has.

GTS Week 2 Practice A

I had a great time working on last week’s assignment. I found myself laughing and letting my creative juices flow while I was creating my version on Little Red Riding Hood. I wish I would have had a lot more time to plan and put everything together because I had so many other ideas and views of the story I would’ve liked to try. For this being the first time I have ever created a project like this I think I did pretty good considering the amount of time I had to put it all together and the amount of time I had to actually sit down and brainstorm. This project was fun and exciting for me and is defiantly something I would like to learn more about and possibly get into in the future.

For my 14 day Transmedia Short Story Challenge I have decided to create a story of my own. Since I had so much fun last week creating a fairy tale that is widely known I figured I can have twice the fun creating something of my own.

There will be 6 characters in my story Zoe, Skylar, Ben, Homer, Anakin, and Ezra. 6 college students set out on a trip to Laredo from Houston. It’s a foggy night; they set up camp at a park in Oilton for the night. Zoe is walking in the woods by herself in her night clothes when she hears moaning and gargling noises from behind her getting closer. She can feel the pain in her feet from the mesquite and dead brush she steps on as she continues to make her way towards camp. As the noises get louder Zoe starts to run in fear of what is behind her, her arms and legs are getting scratched up from the twigs and branches that brush her body as she hurries through the woods trying to make it back to camp. Zoe falls into a cactus and as she lays there on the ground scared, alone, and wondering what is going on she can hear the crackling getting louder and louder, they are coming. Suddenly she is in the arms of someone, it was her boyfriend Ben.

While Zoe had made it back to camp her boyfriend, older twin brother Ezra, and friends noticed she was a little shaken up about something and they ask her what had happened and why she was out in the woods all alone so late at night in a town they don’t know much about. Zoe explains to everyone what just happened to her in the woods and tells everyone “I know there is someone or something out there.” Everyone thinks she is just very tired from the long drive they had, but she insists there is someone out something out in the woods and that they should take turns sleeping tonight so that someone can be keeping a look out. They all agree to do this to help make Zoe feel safer even though they all think she is just exhausted from the drive.

Ben and Homer decide to take the first shift. Homer drives down the road and grabs some drinks and snacks since it’s going to be a long night. At first it’s quiet as they assume it would be, but as the night goes on they start hearing noises from the woods. “Could it be that were exhausted too or are we really hearing this?” says Ben

This is the beginning of my story and gives you a little summary of how the story will go. I am making my story be mysterious and adventurous. I have always been a fan of mysteries which is why I chose to do my story on something in this genre. I am excited to finish it up I have a lot of ideas to use from where I left it off. I hope you enjoyed a little taste of what's to come.

GTS WK1 Project: Transmedia Fairy Tale

TMFT Folder
Rabbit Hole

I enjoyed this weeks project. I found myself getting really creative and laughing along the way. I chose to do my project on a fairy tale I knew from a child. I think by choosing this fairy tale and adding my own touch to it that I made it more fun in my eyes. Being able to just close your eyes and think of the story and play it out in your head was a huge part of my project this week. At first I wasn't sure how I should start this project but after brainstorming and sitting with my husband and talking about all the different ideas I had I finally knew how I would start. This is the first time I create anything like this and I can say I really had a good time.

I hope the rest of the class enjoys what I have created. I am looking forward to getting further into this class and learning more about Transmedia Storytelling. I am looking forward to getting some feedback on this assignment so I can get suggestions from others on what I could do. I am ready to see what week 2 brings and I hope we get to go further into this project later in the class.

GTS WK1 Analysis: Nailing Down Transmedia

Transmedia v.s. Crossmedia

Transmedia storytelling is telling a story and experiencing it across several different platforms and using digital technologies to tell the story. Transmedia storytelling reminds me of something like a puzzle where each piece puts together more and in the end it will be as a whole story. Whereas Crossmedia is an interactive experience across multiple media sites, with several different authors and can have multiple styles the story is laid out in. The audience is part of the experience in crossmedia. Crossmedia can also me explained as distribution of content such as music, text, pictures, video, etc.

Before starting this class I didn’t know much on Transmedia Storytelling, so what I did was I googled “Transmedia Story” and chose a story to go with. I came up with “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” which is a television show. Each main character of the show had some social media account and viewers can follow the different characters as they go about their lives. It is being able to be a part of the experience that attracted fan to follow these characters. They would share photos, and added more to the story of the show that would enrich the watching experience. I chose this piece because it was the one that caught my eye most out of what came up on my Google search and I am glad I chose this one because from what I saw the fans really enjoyed being able to be a part of the characters daily lives and being able to learn more about the episode that wasn’t included in it. This is a very smart way to bring in more fans and expand the experience for the viewers.

Crossmedia uses media that was already produced and repurposes the content for different platforms. Sherlock Holmes is a good example of crossmedia. Sherlock Holmes can be found in the form of book, movie, and television show. This is a perfect example of what cross media is, it is simply the original story created in several different forms.

Alternate Reality Games also known as ARG’s are video games with several different outcomes. By choosing the different characters to be in the beginning of the game will be a main part in how the outcome will be. Also, in some games you can choose different ways to go or different things to say and that will determine the storyline you will follow that time on the game. I am familiar with this because I enjoy playing video games and a lot of the different games I have come with options like this. I think it’s a great way to bring in more gamers to buy the game because it isn’t just one simple story line to follow you can play the game several times and choose different options and the outcome will always be different.

WK1 Practice B: Show Us the Lettuce

Making a curtain is a very important step, it shows a part of your creativity and shows the viewer some about the story you're trying to tell. I chose to give Red Riding Hood a blog to tell people a little about herself and she will also use the blog to share more stories about her trip to grandmas house. I will also be using other forms of social media for her and the wolf. I also have thought about giving the grandmother a social media page since mostly people think of Red and the Big Bad Wolf why not include grandma and talk about her encounter with the Big Bad Wolf. Here is the link to Red's blog.

Enjoy!

Transmedia Fairy Tale Story Element Map

 

Day 1: Brainstorm ideas for project and lay out characters.

Day 2: Work on the social media sites for Little Red Riding Hood.

Day 3: Work on the social media sites for The Big Bad Wolf.

Day 4: Edit and arrange everything to get ready to put the story together.

Day 5: Place everything in place and get ready for launch.

Day 6: Review work and make any necessary changes.

Day 7: Complete all work and launch animated fairy tale.

I chose the story Little Red Riding Hood because this has been a favorite of mine since I was a small child. I think this is an important fairy tale for all children because it teaches you about talking to strangers.

For my transmedia fairy tale I will make an animated version of Little Red Riding Hood. The story will run the same as the fairy tale but emphasizing on the importance of listening to what your parents tell you. Of course Little Red Riding Hood didn’t listen to what her mother had told her about talking to strangers, instead the first thing she did was talk to the wolf on the way to grandma’s house. I have so many different ideas running through my head at this moment that I can’t really pin point how it will turn out but I am going to add my own personal touch to the fairy tale and let it be seen the way I had imagined it as a child when I had first heard this story. Being a mother myself I think I will be able to make a great animated version of Little Red Riding Hood.