Synergy and Convergence

Synergy- Different companies/businesses working together in order to promote one another, for example a film with a fast-food restaurant

Convergence- The process in which a range of platforms are integrated, for example an xbox is a games console, a DVD player and an internet device

Definitions

Convergence involves media products and Synergy involves non-media products

Difference

Synergetic products of ‘Indiana Jones’: 4 films A comic book series Novels A TV series Video games Toys Attractions at theme parks

Examples:

Harry Potter (2001) Articles on the film in magazine owned by

Time Warner Adverts shown on the HBO channel owned by

Time Warner Soundtrack released on Atlantic Records

which is part of Warner Music

Technological- Is when new technologies are created that take over past technologies and perform the same task but in a more advanced manner

Media- The general coming together of media appliances

Digital convergence- Four media industries combining to form one conglomerate, the ability to view the same multimedia content from different types of devices

Types of Convergence

Vertical- When on production company has the ownership of production, distribution and exhibition of the film and therefor receives all profit made

Horizontal- Where an organisations develops by buying other competitors in the same market, e.g music publisher(big) buys out lots of other smaller music publishers

Integration

Warner bros used synergetic tie-ins with the following establishments; ABC, NBC and AMC, by doing this not only did the film gain more publicity but Warner bros also.

IMAX, blu-ray and surround sound were all technological convergence factors of Gravity, these aspects were all supposed to add to the spectacle in order to make the film more enjoyable and memorable.

Quiet Ones only used blu-ray as a technological convergence device, through this I guess you could say the film tried to reach a wider, more technologically advanced audience, therefore increasing publicity.

Reasoning behind synergy and convergence in my case studies