X marks the box

Hey folks let me ask you an age old question:

What's the shortest distance between two points?

(I'm thinking we all know the answer to this one. . . )

Well today, it seems that the distance between customers and the product, definitely isn't about shortness. Matter of fact, it's a winding, meandering and zig zagging line (with lots of "play" added to the mix) that's actually becoming the best distance between where your brand is and where your audience is hanging out.  

According to two advertising gurus and a future forecaster playing games (i.e. a fun experience that entertains) may be an ingredient to consider in your business recipes for tasty dishes you might serve to your patrons.  

Now why do I say that?

Well about 2 years ago, while doing research for a client project, I ran across the MIT Convergenc Culture Consurtium website. In reading about their work this description about Convergence Culture stuck with me:

Convergence describes a process rather than an endpoint...It represents a tectonic shift that has altered the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. As advertisers look for new ways to engage audiences, content creators search for new audiences, and audiences seek new ways to connect with culture, the nature of what counts as entertainment, advertising, and culture are rapidly changing. We are seeing the blurring of aesthetic and technological distinctions between media platforms, of 'advertising' and 'content,' and of 'creator and 'consumer.

As I read this in 2008, with the digital media landscape (Youtube, Digg, Flikr, Blogs, etc) exploding all over the place, this, to me, was significant. The three areas that Convergence Culture focuses on are:

• Transmedia entertainment - describes the flow of stories, images, characters, and information across various media platforms.

• Participatory culture - describes new ways consumers interact with media content, media producers, and each other as they explore the resources available to them across the media landscape. 

• Experiential Marketing - looks at developing novel brand extensions  and refers to key ways to capitalize on participatory culture and a transmediated media environment.

So when a good friend of mine, last week, sent me the video below, it was like X marks the box! I'm always looking for kick ass, digital treasure [links] that are cool examples of what's next. . .

An awesome transmedia case study. Enjoy!