What is Cross Media?

In short, Crossmedia is the concept of linking different platforms, which provide information, together.

Here are some examples we found, all using different cross media concepts:

Link
http://www.nrc.nl/
Content
It’s an online newspaper, which provides more information alongside the original newspaper. It is even possible, when you pay for it, to get the whole newspaper online with all the extra information and links without finding the extra paper in your mailbox.
Platforms
CM 2: Reality, mail and website. This is because a lot of people don’t like to read from a monitor. And the website is for extra information for news found in the paper, and provide further links to website’s that can tell you more about the news or subject causing the news.
Inspiring or not
What is inspiring is that people themselves decide if they want to learn more about the found news or not. And this is done without pushing them of make it difficult for them to find it. It also reduces the use of to much paper.

Link
http://www.uploadcinema.nl/
Content
This cross media concept was invented to bring the oldest cinema of Holland back to life. They did this by turning the oldest cinema into a cinema of the future. Therefore they started a film club that shows the best and weirdest things of the web on a big screen. Every first Monday of the month the organised an evening full of these crazy movies linked to a certain theme. The members themselves chose these movies.
Platforms
CM 3: Reality, website. This concept allows members of the film club to upload their movies on the website and let them decide what the theme will be of the movie night.
Inspiring or not
This concept is very inspiring because you involve the people you want to reach into the concept. That way they are allowed to create their ‘own’ movie night and this way you reach a lot more people because you are better capable of giving them what they want.

Link
http://www.buitenspeelbond.nl/
Content
This project involved the laundry brand ‘OMO’. They wanted to reduce the number of children that spend more time behind their computer then playing outside. They did this by making commercials and let children start their own ‘outdoor play club’. When the children visited the website the were able to play a game and when it finished the got a plan they could print out to build that exact same game themselves and play with it outside.
Platforms
CM 3: TV commercials, website, mail and Jetix.
Inspiring or not
What is inspiring of this concept is that they not only reach the children but also their parents who go to the website to search for laundry tips. And the fact that they deal with a big problem of overweight children who only sit behind their computer is also very inspiring.

Link
http://iktag.nl/
Content
The ikTag is an initiative by Mediamatic. The ikTag contains a RFID chip that is connected to your profile. With the ikTag you can make contact with other members of the network and work on your profile even when you are not at your computer.
Platforms
Computer, events.
Inspiring or not
Making use of a RFID-chip is an interesting concept to make sure that the user has a sort of connection with a location. The social network is interesting as well. People can share experiences and stories online.

Link
http://www.vriendenvanamstel.nl/
(the campaign is over, site is about something else now)
Content
A few years ago Amstel started a campaign to stimulate sales. By using media as tv, radio and billboards they made consumers aware of their new campaign. The idea was to buy Amstel beer. On each beer bottle a code could be found. The next step was to go to their website and make an account. After logging in you could enter the codes and collect points. After gathering a certain amount of points you could change the points for goodies(t-shirt, football, video game, etc.).
Platforms
TV, radio, billboards, beer bottles, internet
Inspiring or not
The idea of having to look at a certain object so you can collect points/information is inspiring. So is the idea of rewarding people with goodies. The average consumer is easily affected by free items.
Rijksmuseum

Link
http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/
Content
It is about discussing the most expensive and most discussed piece of art: for the love of god. Visitors of the Rijksmuseum could record their opinion on videotape. These videos where uploaded on their website. This stimulated the discussion.
Platforms
Video, website, art
Inspiring or not
Using video to explain your opinion is inspiring. People can express themselves a lot better.

Link
http://pleaseenjoy.com/
Content
The Bubble Project is a concept that Ji Lee though up. The idea is that you print a speech bubble (usually seen in comic books) and you stick it somewhere interesting. Now, anyone with a pen can think of a smart/funny/sad remark to fill the bubble.
Platforms
Aside from the use of the billboards, this project received a lot of attention: press, magazines and newspapers. The project even grew outside New York in countries like France, Italy or Argentina… furthermore some of the bubbles can be seen on the internet. This covers pretty much all available medias.
Inspiring or not
Some of them are quite amusing because with the use of that bubble, the billboard is brought out of context and loses its first purpose. Most of the time, it becomes a joke and stops being an ad. This project creates an opportunity for passersby to tap into their creative side in an impulsive way because you never know when you will come upon an empty speech bubble. Anyone with an idea can participate, the public becomes the artist.

Link
http://pleaseenjoy.com/
Content
Abstractor is another concept of Ji Lee. A TV screen is masked in such a way that only a small strip of the screen is visible.
Platforms
All television screens in any random environment can be used (such as TV billboards) as long as it is switched on. Aside from Ji Lee’s internet site, this project didn’t get much attention from other medias.
Inspiring or not
This transformed a TV into an intriguing black box. The TV isn’t giving any information anymore (because the sound is muted at the same time); it is there just for your enjoyment.

Link
http://pleaseenjoy.com/
Content
To advertise the opening of the New Museum in New York, an intriguing advertisement was used. On a big billboard in New York, magenta paint was spilled, to slowly reveal the logo of the museum (which is the shape of the museum).
Platforms
Other then the billboard, there were “windows” in the same shape as the logo. Every “window” was a small piece of art, they were spread all around the city. The mystery of the “spilled” billboard was covered by many blogs, the press and the newspapers. The New Museum got a lot of exposure out of this.
Inspiring or not
In this case, people’s curiosity was used to create a large scale campaign. By not saying anything and create a mystery, a lot of people were intrigued. Even if not everyone will go to the museum, many people will at least remember its existence.