Here are my running notes of the Lift conference in Geneva. This is The Transition from Broadcast to Multiplatform for a public service broadcaster: getting attention and measuring success (Alice Taylor), part of the Online Communities session. May contain errors, omissions, things that aren’t quite right, etc. I do my best but I’m just a human live-blogging machine.
Found other good posts about this session? Link to them in the comments.
Alice is specialized in games, works for Channel4. Just over two years ago. Head of education wanted to do sth different. Annual budget of about $1 moi £ for educational television shows to reach teenagers, mostly through teachers *steph-note: I think I’m jumbling things up a bit here*.
TV wasn’t working for education. Start spending where teenagers are: the internet. Self-described tribes (which change from year to year).
Teenagers haven’t changed much, they’re just growing up with this stuff. What’s changed for us is trying to get their attention.
What’s changed is the time people have to spend on “stuff”. There are still only 24h in a day. She doesn’t buy that multitasking gives you longer days. *steph-note: I don’t either*
Digital budget pretty big, because they have TV-sized budgets to work with 🙂
Everything was created for Channel 4 by outside agencies. Trying to do something not in a curriculum.
4 things:
- games
- tv
- tv with tools
- *steph-note: didn’t get the 4th one*
Rather than lecture them when they mess up, let them play through scenarios.
How do you approach DNA in an engaging way? Catch a killer… Casual games.
Other example: science of scams.
Metrics: number of teens reached + feedback from interested parties + feedback from critics… and divide by cost. (Qualitative and quantitative, blended.)
Games are a fantastic way of reaching kids.
Spikes in traffic from things like TV ads, or SXSW win.
In some situations, TV is the best media — telling people’s stories for example.
Super Me Videos: they gain points when they watch videos.
Perennial topics: sex, drugs, alcohol, relationships, health… but also money and other new topics.
Sex education game: Privates (great way to reach boys — will be live in June)
The Curfew, political game.
*steph-note: all this looks really great, though I’m having trouble following some of the explanations*
“Afterlife” — death & belief MiniMO.
Facebook games were the big surprise because they don’t come from the gaming industry. They are at the heart of “playing with friends”, and go even deeper (you “help” John with his farm, role-playing dimension).