Clear Benefits, Complex Barriers

Brand Communicators’ Perspectives on Transmedia Storytelling

Bibliographic Data

ID21605901
AuthorsRichie Barker (0000-0001-5908-8973, Deakin University, corresponding author), Karen E Sutherland (0000-0002-9760-1173, University of the Sunshine Coast), Rory Mulcahy (0000-0002-6056-3249, University of the Sunshine Coast)
Year2026
Volume21
Issue2
Pages166-184
Publication date2026-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Creative Communications (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0973-2586 • E-ISSN: 0973-2594
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/09732586261435031
OpenAlexW7150137009
LanguageEN
References cited27

Advances in media technologies have afforded audiences greater control over how, and to what extent, they engage with brand content and advertising. In response, brands have pursued more immersive and participatory ways of reaching consumers, with transmedia storytelling—the coordinated communication of a narrative across multiple platforms with each medium contributing unique elements—emerging as one such approach. While scholarship has examined transmedia storytelling in brand contexts, research has largely centred on case studies of completed campaigns or conceptual investigations, leaving the dynamics of practice underexplored. Drawing on 21 interviews and a cross-national survey of 256 brand communicators, this study investigates the challenges of adopting transmedia storytelling, the industry categories perceived as most suited, and whether obstacles vary across sectors or are broadly consistent. Findings suggest that the most significant barriers tend to arise from external and organisational constraints rather than creative limitations. Although obstacles were largely consistent, sectors such as fashion, health and beauty revealed distinct implementation challenges, while categories like automotive and education showed more uniform patterns. Informed by these findings, the Transmedia Brand Storytelling Model for Practice is reframed to emphasise the organisational and relational conditions shaping the practice in contemporary brand communication

Brand Community · Brand management · Citizen journalism · Conceptual framework · Narrative · Scholarship · Storytelling · The Conceptual Framework · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Literature, Culture, and Aesthetics · Media Influence and Health

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Open DOIOpen Access