Can #transmedia storytelling be the future of adult entertainment?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. Why can’t we see any transmedia storytelling in porn? Seriously. I’m not trying to be funny or to create any unnecessary polemic but think about it. A lot of the things that we have online nowadays were tested before by the porn industry and then migrated to the mainstream media. Sponsored links, pay-per-view and others.

Try to ignore the gonzo hardcore porn movies and focus in the movies which actually try to have a story. What stories except the main movie are being told? I’m not a porn aficcionado or follow this market but I don’t believe they do any. They do have by-products mostly focused in the actors and not in the stories.

There a lot of porn movies which have sequels (some of them based on mainstream Hollywood blockbusters) why there aren’t by-products focused in this stories and characters? Imagine a blog, a novel (like those with that Fabio on the cover but spicier), some fan-made stories, soft porn prequels on cable TV and of course sex-toys. There are so many ways to expand the porn industry that I keep wondering why this hasn’t happened yet.

Ok, I don’t have a clue about the porn industry and I don’t know what motivates their customers. Well, actually I do have a clue about it but I’m sure this is not the main motive. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any porn movie with stories, right? And about transmedia, I’m not an expert in Transmedia Storytelling like Henry Jenkins, Jeff Gomez, Alison Norrington, Robert Pratten, Christy Dena, Christopher Sandberg and others but I don’t understand why this has not been done yet and I didn’t even brought other platforms such as mobile into this discussion.

Is it too expensive and time demanding? Does it generates profit? Does it generates more clicks? Does it makes the audience eager to click on a link to continue the story? I don’t know. But I would like to see some transmedia storytelling in difficult markets such as adult entertainment. Just to see how they would face the limits and adversities of this market, ignore some aspects and focus on their main goal (revenue)  and get a lot of insights by their experience.

I talked to a friend of mine who runs Dickman’s Design, a multi-awarded as best design firm in producing adult web sites, and he told me that
“Adult is bootstrapping itself right now. Low on cashflow, reinventing itself, thinking more about the biz models and performance metrics than innovative marketing tactics. It’s much more about measurable results and rational marketing efforts.”

In a slightly transmedia related note, he also told me that Vivid is doing some different stuff by working close to its fan base, reinforcing its pornstars’ image and even producing a reality show starred by Vivid’s Chairman, Steven Hirsch.

What do you think about it? Is Transmedia storytelling a way of changing the way that adult entertainment is being sold? Is it a game-changer?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.