Media Convergence

In our reading for class tomorrow Jenkins discusses the concept and processes of media convergence. A few quotes to start off with to help me illustrate my point I am going to highlight what Jenkins says about media convergence and then infuse my own experience as an example. Page 552 Jenkins says "horizontal integration, that is, the consolidation of holdings across multiple industries, has displaced the old vertical integration..." He follows this by saying "What emerged are new strategies of content development and distribution designed to increase the 'synergy' between the different divisions of the same company" (552). Jenkins discusses on page 553 that "Marsha Kinder has proposed the term 'entertainment supersystem' to refer to the series of intertextual references and promotions spawned by any successful product' (553). He then elaborates the industry terming of "franchises, using a term that makes clear the commercial stakes in these transactions. This new 'franchise' system actively encourages viewers to pursue their interests in media content across various transmission channels, to be alert to the potential for new experiences offered by these various tie-ins" (553). He clarifies that "the technological integration of the various content delivery systems, what industry analysts refer to as convergence... attractive to the media industries because it will open multiple entry points into the consumption process and at the same time, enable consumers to more quickly locate new manifestations of a popular narrative" (553). Lastly, Jenkins says that this approach "requires constant development of media content... for this synergy-based strategy to be successful, media audiences must not simply buy an isolated product or experience but rather must buy into a prolonged relationship with a particular narrative universe, which is rich enough and complex enough to sustain their interest over time and thus motivate a succession of consumer choices" (553).
Having covered the highlights of Jenkins work on media convergence allow me to infuse my own experience this past summer interning at an advertising agency in London as example of these concepts. Working in London this summer (agency undisclosed) I had the privelege to see and work with the companies involved in horizontal integration. For example I worked on the Virgin Media account which is horizontally integrated from the corporation Virgin. Virgin, most well known for airplanes has a variety of sub-divisions to increase profit and allow for more consumption. Working on that account I saw the importance of streamlining brand identity, what Jenkins calls 'synergy' so that the company/brand has the same look, same feel and same identity across its different divisions and global marketplace. I also had the privilege of working on the BBC account (British Broadcasting Corporation) in which I summated the campaign for the 2010 General Election, which elects officials to the British Houses of Parliament. This campaign personified Kinder's term "entertainment supersystem" as the cross referencing was a key aspect of the campaign. The agency I worked for decided to include intertextual references in all of the advertising for the election to filter different consumers to different means of consumption. There were cross promotions on and for tv, internet, mobile coverage, and radio coverage attempting to allow the consumer to filter themselves to the medium best suited to their tastes. Jenkins calls this approach 'convergence' as it is a "technological integration of the various content delivery systems" (553). In filtering consumers to the BBC's multiple points of consumption this campaign accomplished its goal in reaching more consumers and inspiring more consumption - as such the election had the most voters of all time. What Jenkins calls "synergy-based strategy" (553) as in the consumer buying an elongated relationship with the brand/franchise the agency I worked for sold the speciality of the BBC news broadcasters as the aforementioned prolonged relationship. As everyone in England has watched/watches the BBC, their broadcasters are well known, trusted and reknowned, the agency sold this as a reason for consumption. Not getting into too many specifics but there was a lack of clarity in the previous General Election in 2006 and with the emergence of intertextual media convergence, the agency had news mediums to provide clarity and thus the campaign slogan was "The Election on the BBC. Making it Clear." It was through media convergence that the campaign flourished, encompassing all the technological mediums avaliable using broadcaster credibility as a means of clarity as the reason for consumption.