Book Review: Transmedia Branding: Engage Your Audience, by Burghardt Tenderich and Jarried Williams

Abstract

Burghardt Tenderich and Jarried Williams Transmedia Branding: Engage Your Audience. Los Angeles, CA: USC Annenberg Press, 2016. 111 pp.Today's marketers, public relations professionals, and communication firms face significant competition for audience engagement. Providing needed guidance in this competitive context, Tenderich and William's new book on transmedia branding brings forth an important dimension of communication and storytelling for the 21st century.Tenderich, a USC professor, and Williams, an integrated marketing strategist, describe transmedia branding is an extension of the concept of Henry Jenkins' transmedia storytelling. Jenkins defined transmedia storytelling as,. . . a process in which integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story. (p. 27)Thus, transmedia branding can be viewed as the process of packaging brand information into a cohesive narrative, which is then communicated across multiple media channels.This book provides substantial insight into transmedia storytelling and branding through the use of current and historical examples, interviews, case studies, and best practices. In particular, interviews feature leading scholars in the field of transmedia storytelling. Relevant case studies showcase best practices in effective transmedia branding. Although a number of similar books address the same case studies, this book has the advantage of emphasizing how knowledge derived from the case studies should be applied.Chapter 7 (The Design Elements of Transmedia Building) is one of the most comprehensive and applicable chapters for transmedia branding. The authors go over each of the key steps for implementing transmedia branding and provide current cases and best practices illustrating each step. The PESO Model by Gini Dietrich, a popular media landscape model used by public relations practitioners, forms the foundation for each recommendation.Another highlight of the book is its thorough coverage of disruptive technologies, a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen in 1997 to describe innovations that either rapidly displace existing technologies or initiate whole new industries. This discussion includes examinations of Uber (p. 14) and Airbdb (p. 16). These contemporary cases are placed in context through discussion of more historical cases of brands like Kodak and The Blair Witch Project. Both scholars and practitioners should find this presentation useful. …