The Hunger Games and Transmedia Storytelling

photo by Tom Perlmutter 

The Hunger Games lives on in the pantheon of novels-turned movie. Their marketing campaign isn't just multimedia - it's transmedia. 

One main difference between transmedia and multimedia is the participatory element. Where multimedia exists on several platforms, it does not neceissarily give way to a producer consumer relationship. In the past, consumers had limited abilities to give feedback, if any at all. Now, the consumer becomes more important than ever, expressing their thoughts and opinions on several media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Not only does Transmedia emphasize audience participation, transmedia marketers also try to create unique brands for a product. 

Take The Hunger Games trilogy was first written as a novel by Suzanne Collins. Afterwards, it became a movie. But the transmedia storytelling doesn't end there. According to The Rocking Chair, a transmedia storytelling marketing company, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie is at work with their campaign. The Hunger Games also has a tumblr about "Capitol Couture", which was advertised on billboards. The blog showcased the fashion that would be in the movie. Moreover, Georgio Armani signed off as a benefactor, skyrocketing the campaign to popularity. 

The participatory element exists on tumblr. Users like and reblog posts. This engages audiences as well as spreads the word about Catching Fire. Tumblr users do most of the work. In Henry Jenkins' book Convergence Culture, he says, "...you must actively seek out information and new products and, engage with others in doing so" (133). 

Henry Jenkins talks about transmedia storytelling  uniqueness in his chapter "The Oragami Unicorn". By the title alone, Jenkin's suggests the importance of uniqueness - a unicorn does not yet exist. 

The Hunger Games and many other transmedia storytelling examples are not entirely unique. Rather, have a new spin on their stories. Harry Potter isn't the first wizard. Likewise, the Hunger Games was not the first dystopian series. But it doesn't mean that it is not special in it's own way. The story differs. 

Jenkins ends the novel saying, "One can also imagine that kids who grew up in this media-mix culture would produce new kinds of media as transmedia storytelling becomes more intuitive" (134).  As we progress, transmedia storytelling will become more widespread - perhaps a permenent part of the future. 

Check out the Hunger Games Capitol Couture Commercial 

Jenkins, Henry Convergence Culture New York University Press 2006.