Super Bowl XLVI: the year of social?

So. This Sunday. The Super Bowl, yeah? The most-watched television event all year. Friends, neighbors, and family gather together to watch this classic American sport as they suck down Pabst and overload on calories. Two titan teams clash on the field in a battle for –

Alrighty, Heather, enough. You aren’t fooling anybody. I think the only sport that interests me less than football is synchronized swimming. (All those hyper-sized smiles really freak me out.) I am not a football fan, so I’m just not that “into”  the Super Bowl game.

I’m far more interested in the ways in which the Super Bowl event is becoming social TV. Over the past several days, media-space has been humming with updates on brands’ commercials, previews, and previews for commercials. Lost Remote went so far as to call the 2012 Super Bowl “the year’s biggest social TV event.” Hefty declaration, that. Yet considering that Tim Tebow’s touchdown pass during the playoffs triggered a Twitter record of 9,420 tweets per second, there is obviously a massive audience for football with whom advertisers can engage.

And boy, are they taking advantage of that viewing mass.

Coca Cola has launched a campaign in which their cute polar bear mascots will watch the Super Bowl in real time and react to the game on the microsite CokePolarBowl.com. People can check in with the bears across several media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. Even Coke’s commercials will vary depending upon which team is winning.

Chevy has introduced a mobile app that will post facts, tweet polls, and ask trivia questions about the game for viewers. Every time a viewer answers correctly, she will be entered into a drawing for thousands of prizes. And I’ve already blogged about Volkswagen’s commercial for a commercial.

Activist groups are also capitalizing on the heightened integration of TV and social media. MissRepresentation.org, a campaign that seeks to empower women by challenging sexist and restrictive representations of women throughout media, has asked for viewers to pay attention to the ads and call out any that misrepresents or demeans women as part of their #NotBuyingIt campaign.

As written on their site, the campaign encourages anyone: “If you see a product or ad…that misrepresents or degrades women, use Twitter to post a description or upload a picture of the offensive item. Use the hashtag #notbuyingit so that we can all follow along!” The campaign has already called out Kia for its overly-sexualized “preview,” as well as GoDaddy.com. (And rightfully so, in my opinion.) More than the actual game, I will be following the #NotBuyingIt campaign this upcoming Sunday.

Whether you interact with animated polar bears or tag sexist media content, brands and organizations are counting on viewers to engage with them via second-screens this Super Bowl Sunday. The question is: will they?

 

want the fashion of Effie Trinket? Capitol Couture offers glam galore

Effie Trinket on 'Capitol Couture'

Last week I came upon this delightful piece of transmedia, thanks to the obsessive coverage by Entertainment Weekly of all things Hunger Games.

It’s the new “Capitol Couture” blog for all those fashionistas who love the mad style and glittery colors of Suzanne Collin’s fictional District One (a.k.a. The Capitol). Unlike the Panem website, which requires a Facebook or Twitter login, Capitol Couture offers a splashy, magazine-style format for anyone interested. Posts are divided into such topics as Cover Stories, Profiles, Capitol Look, Guides, Intel, and Citizen Activity. Fans can read, like, share, and comment on each post, further generating fan engagement and interaction.

The tumblr blog is clever and imaginative. There is a banner that advertises the 74th Annual Hunger Games, creepily similar to the ad banners we all encounter across the web. There is a space for you to write to the editor and a Twitter stream in the sidebar so you can stay up-to-date with the latest announcements from Panem. (Yep, they’ve got a Twitter account, too.) There is a competition for anyone wishing to channel their inner Cinna in the hopes of being selected as their district’s stylist. There is even a Capitol line of nail polish called “Colors From the Capitol” by China Glaze, each color representing a district. You can purchase your favorite starting March 1st.

Several posts incorporate real-life fashion photographers and designers, such as this entry: “Craig McDean – Steal the show from the Tributes with this high-necked number at your next Sponsor’s banquet!” Other posts echo the voice of another fictional fashion-and-society blogger – Gossip Girl – like so: “Spotted! Yummy grosgrain peep-toes on one of the Capitol’s favorite socialites. Just how black were they in person? Coal-black. A sure sign of the District 12-inspired fashion revolution we predict is just around the corner.”

The insider references to districts, events, and characters are sure to delight fans. But really, what is the point?

Lionsgate (or a digital marketing company that is working with Lionsgate) has certainly taken advantage of online and social media to build buzz around the film’s March 23 release. Transmedia elements, like Capitol Couture, do more than garner excitement and prompt Siri reminders. They allow for fans to become part of the story while simultaneously welcoming new fans into the fold.

Sound familiar? AMC executed the same strategy for the third season premiere of its Emmy-winning series Mad Men (coincidentally produced by Lionsgate studio). With the creative genius of Deep Focus, fans were given the chance to create customised, 1960’s-era, Mad Men-inspired likenesses of themselves and then spread them throughout social media. The result? 3.3 million viewers for the premiere – up from the usual 2 million.

Sure, it’s cute and creative to post about Effie Trinket’s shoes as if she were a real person. Yet it is the spreadable and immersive nature of this transmedia that heightens visibility and deepens investment – something producers hope will translate into mega-numbers at the box office.

 

I’m from District 11. Which is your district?

Over the past two and a half months I have been visiting the Capitol’s website. And I do mean the Capitol from the bestselling The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanna Collins. Lionsgate—distributor of the Hunger Games film next year—is presumably the creative producer behind the website. You can register for a Panem district via your Facebook or Twitter account. Once registered to a district (I’m from District 11—go agriculture!), you can download your official District Pass (badge) and keep up with Capitol announcements, such as: “Dreaming about being picked as a Tribute? Remember to choose your District token carefully. Tokens which can be used as weapons will be confiscated.” Certain words are highlighted in gold, which might indicate clues for future site developments—similar to other ARGs (alternate reality game). Those who keep track of such developments could receive special offers or inside knowledge about the upcoming film release. But that is all conjecture.

Also on the site are graphs depicting tessarae numbers and gross district product. A clock counts down to the 74^th Hunger Games, which happens to be the same date as the film release (23 March 2012).

Who knows what this site will offer in the coming months. Considering there are five more months before the film, it would seem that the makers of Panem’s website have more and more exciting things in store for fans. Transmedia and film have over a decade’s worth of history. Movies such as The Matrix and The Blair Witch Project experimented with ARGs and online, immersive experiences in the late ‘90’s. The Hunger Games has designed a transmedia site, but with the added connectivity of social media. It will be interesting to see how the Panem site will use these various technologies to expand the narrative experience.

I will keep you posted on my own Panem journey. So far I’ve got my registration processed and my district identification pass. I’m hoping that as the film release approaches, the website initiates a friendly competition between the districts. Already you can join your district’s Facebook page and socialize with fellow district members. Solidarity!