Digital Storytelling as a marketing tool

This post is about how audio storytelling has been used to publicise a radio play.

On Friday, I attended an industry screening by Cyfle’s Digital Delta multiplatform writers. Cyfle began as a training organisation for TV in Wales and – starting with its landmark Dimension 10 course – it has diversified into digital multiplatform too.

The project that most caught my eye was an audio digital story project called A Shoebox of Snow.

AudioBoo was used as the publication platform and the brief to participants was: “what do you keep hold of in your home because of the stories that are attached to it?”

The concept’s sponsor was Justine Potter @savvyjustine of Savvy Production. That company had won a commission to make a BBC radio play, starring Richard Briers. They wanted to work with Cyfle’s multiplatform writing trainees to generate some press and media buzz and some great stories by inviting people to share their own audio stories about their precious possessions by addressing two questions:

1. What is your object?
2. What is the memory that makes it so special?

Estelle in Plymouth recorded this memory of her dogs and their collars, in an interview with multimedia writer Hannah Wood:

Cyfle’s Digital Delta multiplatform writers were: Medina Bailey, Leusa Llywelyn, Tina Jenkins, Mali Tudno Jones, Dylan Owen, Simon Stratton and Hannah Wood.

And the participants who came from technical and design backgrounds were: Tom Beardshaw, Robbie Brewster, Paula Major, Tara Davies, Natalie Clements, Gareth Milton Griffiths and Jon Maguire.

And the lead trainer was Cyfle’s multiplatform manager Rhys Miles Thomas.

The crew closed their presentation with a peek of Zoetrap – An Alternate Reality Game. The creators are crowdsourcing funds for this Victoria horror game and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be big.
If you’re going to Storyworld San Fransisco starting Halloween ’11, keep an eye out for Zoetrap.