Synergy and Cross Media Convergence.

While researching the terms Synergy and Cross Media Convergence in relevance to marketing and production of media products, I discovered that the two are connected concepts. Listed below are the sources I found helpful while understanding the differences between Synergy and Cross Media Convergence as well as their purposes, effectivity and varied examples.

Cross Media Convergence & Synergy from Liz Davies

Synergy and cross media convergence from sandraoddy2

These sources linked allowed me to understand the various uses and of Cross Media Convergence and Synergy, as well as how well blended the two concepts are in Media.

Cross Media Convergence, as I have learnt, refers to the usage of multiple media platforms including OOH, New Media, Traditional Media and Activation to market the same media product.

For example, films such as the Deadpool series were marketed using Cross media convergence- Activation, New Media and Traditional media (As well as Synergy, which is often used as part of Cross Media Convergence) were all used effectively to promote the film.

A more regional example would be Super Deluxe, A 2019 Tamil release that made use of New Media, releasing an extremely popular trailer on YouTube as well as maintaining an active Instagram account with a significant following. Cross Media Convergence could be observed as Traditional Media and OOH were also used- promotional material could be found all over the city and in Cinema theaters.

Synergy could be observed as actors from the film were interviewed or had collaborated with YouTube content creators– marketing the film further to their target market while giving the YouTube Channels more viewers (Brought in by the popular actors from the film). Another example of Synergy in the film Super Deluxe was merchandise- A line of products including T-shirts and posters were released with the film’s title, catchphrases or characters by a popular brand known as Fully Filmy, this was official merchandise for the film.

Synergy in Media refers to the collaboration of different institutions releasing multiple linked products simultaneously to effectively market a media product. This could include a partnership between two or more parties or can be products released by different companies of a conglomerate, etc.

For example, Releasing of films from the Harry Potter Franchise along with a video game series developed by EA (UK) and published by Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts. These release dates coincided with movie releases from 2001 to 2011, making usage of Synergy.

In conclusion, Cross Media Convergence and Synergy are found in the marketing, promotional and distribution aspects of nearly all media products sold. Cross Media Convergence allows for a wider reach and can help increase the sales and potential audience of media content. Usage of Synergy would allow for benefit from and to various sources- growth of popularity of Media Product as well as a growth in profits of the product can be observed.