Transmedia Case Study: How I Met Your Mother

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BY MEGHAN – FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Who doesn’t love How I Met Your Mother? It’s almost impossible not to laugh at Barney’s womanizing ways, idolize Lily’s style, imitate Robin’s tough-girl attitude, snuggle up to Marshall’s marshmellow-ness and sigh at Ted’s hopeless romantic tendencies (whether in frustration or envy is up to you)....

So how did the show use transmedia to keep the world of HIMYM going?

In addition to the traditional TV show that chronicles Ted’s wife-hunt and the lives of him and his friends, the show’s writers have done a brilliant job of interweaving books, websites, products and phone numbers into the script and then into the audience’s reality.

Examples:

1. Ongoing references to Barney’s pick-up guide, The Playbook, and his code-to-live-by, The Bro Code, are not only interwoven into the show’s script and story, but are also physical books (authored by Barney/Neil Patrick Harris) that fans of the show (or fans of picking up women) can buy at the local bookstore. Now every move, maneuver and manipulation that has served Barney well with the finer sex is available for purchase.

2.HIMYM has done a great job of taking the show’s antics, jokes and interests into the real world through live and searchable websites. Everything from celebrating Not a Father’s Day (a Barney-created holiday for the childless) and Slap Count Down (a website created by Marshall as a scare tactic) are real and functioning websites that audiences can visit and even purchase products from..."

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