“Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences.”
“Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences.” To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to the music industry? (50)
Both cross media convergence and synergy involve the collaboration of multiple services or parts of a system to improve the overall result, which makes them important in the marketing of media products. Cross media convergence is an important aspect of marketing because it consists of two mediums collaborating for the purpose of generating profit which leads to synergy for example the music industry and the film industry. Synergy is the combination of two or more parts of a system working together so that the combined effort is greater than the individual efforts. Synergy works when different elements of companies promote each other. Cross media convergence was used by Warner Bros. in the marketing of The Dark Knight film. A website called whysoserious.com was created to allow the audience to do an online hunt to unlock the teaser trailer of the soundtrack first and was then followed then by a teaser trailer. The use of cross media convergence had helped the film by releasing parts of the soundtrack before it came out, as consumers were excited to see the trailer and here the rest of the soundtrack before its release. This helped build anticipation for the film and contributed to its success as its gross was approximately $200 million in the opening weekend.
An example of the use of cross media convergence and synergy simultaneously in relation to the music industry, is Adele's involvement in the film Skyfall. This is an example of how the music industry and the film industry came together when Adele performed and released the single for Skyfall to create a buzz for the film before it was released. Her fan base was growing around the time of the film's release in 2012 and exploded after the single's release due to a increase in fans of the James Bond franchise listening to her single in excitement for the film. This is an example of how synergy works when different elements of companies promote each other.
Media symbiosis is another important element of cross media convergence and synergy as vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences. Media symbiosis is similar to cross media convergence as it consists of different mediums working together for each other`s benefit. For example, a record company provides a popular television network, like MTV, with a music video which it wants to promote. MTV, in return, gets material for some of its operational time. Similarly, a radio might use MTV as a reference for its new music video release. Here, three different mediums are involved and this chain can be referred to as a three dimensional symbiosis.
An example of the difficulties and problems with using cross media convergence and synergy in the marketing of media products to audiences is the release of The Boat That Rocked by Working Title. Working Title is an example of a company of the British Film Industry that used cross media convergence and synergy for the marketing of their own films. Working Title is a subsidiary company of Universal, meaning that Universal is the conglomerate company, which is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises. Universal owns 67% of Working Title, and this merger between the two companies of the same industry is known as horizontal integration. Universal manages the marketing and distribution of the film, and it used cross media convergence and synergy to achieve this. Due to Working Title being owned by Universal, the film had a budget of £50 million which allowed for the use of cross convergence and synergy in the promotion and marketing of the film. In relation to the music industry, Working Title used Spotify to promote the films soundtrack and made iPhone apps to appeal to the target audience which was those aged between 16 and 24. However even with the use of cross media convergence and synergy in the marketing of this film, the film was not as successful as it maybe could have been as the use of digital marketing strategies didn't appeal to the intended target audience and the film only grossed £36 million in the box office.
The promotion of the film trilogy High School Musical displays the effective use of cross media convergence in pairing the television and music industries together. The film was released in 2006 on Disney`s television channel which is known for its young target audience, films and shows produced by the Disney company, which is a well known conglomerate company. For the initial release of the film on Disney channel, over 7.5 million people tuned in to see the film for the first time which was the highest ratings the channel had received. The High School Musical soundtrack was released in January 2006 and reached number one on the Billboard 200 Albums chart after seven weeks, and remains one of the most downloaded albums on iTunes to date. The promotion of this trilogy did amazing things for the reputation of Disney channel original films and paved the way for future franchises and music based films on the channel like the Camp Rock films, Lemonade Mouth and Starstruck, all of which were well received. The High School Musical brand was useful in the promotion of the films through the release of merchandise, which was successful.
While horizontal integration is an element of cross media convergence and synergy as processes in the successful marketing of products to audiences, vertical integration is also an important part of these processes. Vertical integration is the arrangement of a chain of processes or services in the marketing and release of a product. There are three types of vertical integration: upstream (backward) integration, downstream (forward) integration and balanced integration. Vertical integration provides the controlled structure needed in the marketing and production of a product in the music industry as it gives clear roles to each element of the company in the process of a song or album's release. For example, production is the first stage and involves the creation of the song/ album/ soundtrack. It is then distributed to audiences by the record company (Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group are examples of music record companies). The last stage of vertical integration is the exhibition of the song to audiences. All of these processes are essential in the marketing of a media product.
Both cross media convergence and synergy involve the collaboration of multiple services or parts of a system to improve the overall result, which makes them important in the marketing of media products. Cross media convergence is an important aspect of marketing because it consists of two mediums collaborating for the purpose of generating profit which leads to synergy for example the music industry and the film industry. Synergy is the combination of two or more parts of a system working together so that the combined effort is greater than the individual efforts. Synergy works when different elements of companies promote each other. Cross media convergence was used by Warner Bros. in the marketing of The Dark Knight film. A website called whysoserious.com was created to allow the audience to do an online hunt to unlock the teaser trailer of the soundtrack first and was then followed then by a teaser trailer. The use of cross media convergence had helped the film by releasing parts of the soundtrack before it came out, as consumers were excited to see the trailer and here the rest of the soundtrack before its release. This helped build anticipation for the film and contributed to its success as its gross was approximately $200 million in the opening weekend.
An example of the use of cross media convergence and synergy simultaneously in relation to the music industry, is Adele's involvement in the film Skyfall. This is an example of how the music industry and the film industry came together when Adele performed and released the single for Skyfall to create a buzz for the film before it was released. Her fan base was growing around the time of the film's release in 2012 and exploded after the single's release due to a increase in fans of the James Bond franchise listening to her single in excitement for the film. This is an example of how synergy works when different elements of companies promote each other.
Media symbiosis is another important element of cross media convergence and synergy as vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences. Media symbiosis is similar to cross media convergence as it consists of different mediums working together for each other`s benefit. For example, a record company provides a popular television network, like MTV, with a music video which it wants to promote. MTV, in return, gets material for some of its operational time. Similarly, a radio might use MTV as a reference for its new music video release. Here, three different mediums are involved and this chain can be referred to as a three dimensional symbiosis.
An example of the difficulties and problems with using cross media convergence and synergy in the marketing of media products to audiences is the release of The Boat That Rocked by Working Title. Working Title is an example of a company of the British Film Industry that used cross media convergence and synergy for the marketing of their own films. Working Title is a subsidiary company of Universal, meaning that Universal is the conglomerate company, which is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises. Universal owns 67% of Working Title, and this merger between the two companies of the same industry is known as horizontal integration. Universal manages the marketing and distribution of the film, and it used cross media convergence and synergy to achieve this. Due to Working Title being owned by Universal, the film had a budget of £50 million which allowed for the use of cross convergence and synergy in the promotion and marketing of the film. In relation to the music industry, Working Title used Spotify to promote the films soundtrack and made iPhone apps to appeal to the target audience which was those aged between 16 and 24. However even with the use of cross media convergence and synergy in the marketing of this film, the film was not as successful as it maybe could have been as the use of digital marketing strategies didn't appeal to the intended target audience and the film only grossed £36 million in the box office.
The promotion of the film trilogy High School Musical displays the effective use of cross media convergence in pairing the television and music industries together. The film was released in 2006 on Disney`s television channel which is known for its young target audience, films and shows produced by the Disney company, which is a well known conglomerate company. For the initial release of the film on Disney channel, over 7.5 million people tuned in to see the film for the first time which was the highest ratings the channel had received. The High School Musical soundtrack was released in January 2006 and reached number one on the Billboard 200 Albums chart after seven weeks, and remains one of the most downloaded albums on iTunes to date. The promotion of this trilogy did amazing things for the reputation of Disney channel original films and paved the way for future franchises and music based films on the channel like the Camp Rock films, Lemonade Mouth and Starstruck, all of which were well received. The High School Musical brand was useful in the promotion of the films through the release of merchandise, which was successful.
While horizontal integration is an element of cross media convergence and synergy as processes in the successful marketing of products to audiences, vertical integration is also an important part of these processes. Vertical integration is the arrangement of a chain of processes or services in the marketing and release of a product. There are three types of vertical integration: upstream (backward) integration, downstream (forward) integration and balanced integration. Vertical integration provides the controlled structure needed in the marketing and production of a product in the music industry as it gives clear roles to each element of the company in the process of a song or album's release. For example, production is the first stage and involves the creation of the song/ album/ soundtrack. It is then distributed to audiences by the record company (Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group are examples of music record companies). The last stage of vertical integration is the exhibition of the song to audiences. All of these processes are essential in the marketing of a media product.
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