This isn't just storytelling for story sake, but storytelling with a definite purpose ~ of building brand awareness, driving engagement, and delivering results through wildly entertaining, ingeniously persuasive and totally immersive stories.
Pulling back the curtain on the
thinking & success that launched FX.
At FX our stories are multidimensional~they might start off as a short film, or a stage play, or a game, that then transitions the target audience to an interactive microsite experience that seamlessly continues the story until it connects them to a live event experience that ultimately puts them in direct contact with the brand. Best of all, the story never ends, it just keeps growing and evolving, right along with your brand. Which allows a target audience to make invested emotional connections with the characters and values in a brand's story.
The Perfect Example of Experiential Brand Storytelling, With One Flaw.
In the entertainment world no one tells experiential stories better than Disney.
Take Pirates of the Caribbean for example:
Act 1~This Experiential Brand Story began when Disney started telling stories through their Disneyland rides. Families from all over the world fell in love with the fantasy ride experience of boarding a boat and sailing off into the dangerous, uncharted waters of the Caribbean, in search of swashbuckling pirates and buried treasure. The simple story experience told through this ride became so immensely popular that Disney saw it as the perfect way to extend their brand to a much larger audience-all while targeting an already passionate and devoted fan base.
Act 2~Disney creates the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise that shatters box office numbers with each successive film release, and earns Disney billions. But Disney wasn't done, there was still one more act to this Experiential Brand Story.
Act 3~On April 26, 2017 to promote the most recent installment of the Pirates film franchise Dead Men Tell No Tales Disney surprised a few thousand lucky fans with an up close and personal view of the real Jack Sparrow strolling the docks around the waterway on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. In that moment, Pirates of the Caribbean became more than just a Disney ride or a mega Disney blockbuster film franchise, the Pirates story came to life, in front of a live audience who had an unforgettable personal experience with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and the Pirates/Disney brand.
Walt Disney said:
The instant those lucky Pirates of the Caribbean riders realized that it was the real Captain Jack Sparrow talking to them from the docks, was the moment they invited their friends into the experience via social media. Those videos went viral as millions watched and reacted online... the Pirates/Disney brand story had become real and everyone around the world was experiencing it. This was more than a film, or a ride, or a surprise celebrity sighting. It was a multidimensional brand story experience thatis the epitome of the idea behind FX. Unfortunately, even Disney missed the final most critical step in this experiential brand engagement. We'll show you what they missed and how we ensure that this final connection is achieved.
In the entertainment world no one tells experiential stories better than Disney.
Take Pirates of the Caribbean for example:
Act 1~This Experiential Brand Story began when Disney started telling stories through their Disneyland rides. Families from all over the world fell in love with the fantasy ride experience of boarding a boat and sailing off into the dangerous, uncharted waters of the Caribbean, in search of swashbuckling pirates and buried treasure. The simple story experience told through this ride became so immensely popular that Disney saw it as the perfect way to extend their brand to a much larger audience-all while targeting an already passionate and devoted fan base.
Act 2~Disney creates the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise that shatters box office numbers with each successive film release, and earns Disney billions. But Disney wasn't done, there was still one more act to this Experiential Brand Story.
Act 3~On April 26, 2017 to promote the most recent installment of the Pirates film franchise Dead Men Tell No Tales Disney surprised a few thousand lucky fans with an up close and personal view of the real Jack Sparrow strolling the docks around the waterway on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. In that moment, Pirates of the Caribbean became more than just a Disney ride or a mega Disney blockbuster film franchise, the Pirates story came to life, in front of a live audience who had an unforgettable personal experience with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and the Pirates/Disney brand.
Walt Disney said:
"Do what you do so well that they will want
to see it again and bring their friends."
to see it again and bring their friends."
The instant those lucky Pirates of the Caribbean riders realized that it was the real Captain Jack Sparrow talking to them from the docks, was the moment they invited their friends into the experience via social media. Those videos went viral as millions watched and reacted online... the Pirates/Disney brand story had become real and everyone around the world was experiencing it. This was more than a film, or a ride, or a surprise celebrity sighting. It was a multidimensional brand story experience thatis the epitome of the idea behind FX. Unfortunately, even Disney missed the final most critical step in this experiential brand engagement. We'll show you what they missed and how we ensure that this final connection is achieved.
"When I pitched the idea of an interactive branded musical to the marketing team at Tahitian Noni, for their annual three-day worldwide conference, they were stunned. Tahitian Noni was planning to use this conference to launch a new sports drink line and they needed an unforgettable compelling launch experience, but they never imagined this type of approach. It didn't take long for them to catch the vision, and before the presentation was over the entire marketing team was totally behind it. With over 12,000 people in attendance, we created a one-of-a-kind, live, branded, Broadway musical that combined a re-imagined storyline and lyrics from the musical ~ West Side Story, with brand messaging from Tahitian Noni.
The event took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and featured a three-story practical set, a live orchestra, and over one hundred singers, dancers and performers. The event was a staggering success and I would love an opportunity to walk you through the details."
Matt Hodgson ~ Director/Writer
http://www.matthodgsondirects.com/brand-cinema-2/#/live-events/
"THE ANSWER" - was created for CAESARS Entertainment to promote their new convention center in Atlantic City. I originally pitched "THE ANSWER" as a Live Action short, but due to budgeting issues I was forced to look for an alternate way to tell this Experiential Brand Story. The other aspect of my brand storytelling pitch was that I would create an interactive website that would allow meeting and events planners to experience the same experience that Claire (the Heroine in our film) experienced, as they discovered Harrah's new Waterfront Conference Center for themselves. I decided to take a more organic illustrated approach to the film and combined 2D, 2.5D & 3D animation styles to create a wildly original and hugely successful brand storytelling experience. CAESARS loved the idea so much that I ended up creating a second version of the short film that could be used to promote all of the CAESARS Entertainment properties.
Besides the short film and the interactive microsite experience, meeting and event planners were treated to a surprise meeting with the fortunetelling CAESAR from the story, who answered their questions about various CAESARS properties while helping them plan their perfect event. The project was a huge success for CAESARS Entertainment. The marketing team at CAESARS Entertainment was extraordinary to work with, and my design/production team comprised of illustrators, animators, visual effects artists and creative directors, art directors, programmers, musicians, actors and producers from Hollywood to New York worked together seamlessly.
http://www.matthodgsondirects.com/brand-cinema-2/#/the-answer/
"WANTED" - is a great example of Experiential Brand Storytelling. I conceived, developed, creative directed, wrote, cast and directed this short film for a branding agency as a proof-of-concept calling card to attract new clients. The agency premiered the short film that was attached a Disney animated summer blockbuster that they were helping to promote. Their unsuspecting prospective clients were invited to attend the summer blockbuster, and ended up seeing the agency's short branded film before the featured film began. The following day Zero Halliburton briefcases, identical to the one featured in the film, were delivered to each prospective client, filled with a personal copy of the film and additional information about the branding agency.
The clincher to this campaign was the idea that the hero from the film would show-up at the subsequent new client presentations to seal the deal, just as he did in the film. This branded short film, and the accompanying campaign were both a huge success. I will be forever grateful to my cinematographer Matthew Williams, and my friends at EFilm, Dolby and Deluxe Color in Hollywood for their collective help to make this brand story "theatrical" and "experiential" in every sense.
Matt Hodgson ~ Director/Writer
http://www.matthodgsondirects.com/brand-cinema-2/#/wanted/
Matt Hodgson
Director/Writer
Executive Creative Director
LA / SLC 801.440.7140
[email protected]
Jeff Hoffend
Executive Vice President
NY 585.709.9155
[email protected]
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