8 examples of immersive digital storytelling from government agencies
8 examples of immersive digital storytelling from government agencies
Increasingly, government communication teams are using digital storytelling to improve reader engagement — and get better results.
Communication teams provide an essential window into the work of government agencies and public bodies.
Their task is immense: to break down and translate the complexities of policy; explain and outline strategy; share and gain support for campaigns; promote events and cultural celebrations; and much more.
But communication teams are competing with an information (and mis-information) rich world online, where the lines between official and non-official sources can be easily blurred.
They need to find a way to cut through the noise.
Looking for more examples of stunning digital stories? Check out our guide, 15 examples of impressive digital stories.
Why immersive digital storytelling?
Over the last five years, digital storytelling has been used by the world's largest media companies brands — including the BBC, Sky News, and NBC News — to tell their most important longform stories.
Generally speaking, digital stories are stories built to take advantage of the web. Many digital stories incorporate images, including photography and illustrations; some include interactive maps and charts.
The most sophisticated stories use interactive scrolling techniques — sometimes known as 'scrollytelling' — to animate and pace the reader experience. (You'll see some examples of scrollytelling in this story).
In the past, these sophisticated stories have been prohibitively expensive, as they've required a team of developers and web designers to work — often for months at a time. With platforms like Shorthand, though, it's become possible for anyone to getting started with digital storytelling, even if you have no web design or development resource whatsoever.
Increasingly, digital storytelling platforms are being used by public bodies to elevate and amplify their voice in the crowded online arena and improve reader engagement.
The University of Queensland, for example, which produces a swathe of immersive-style marketing and communication stories, records an average increase of 271% in the time its readers spend on these experiences, compared to its original output.
But historically, this treatment has been reserved for the one-offs: big, ‘special’ projects where the additional time and budget required — including developer and web design resource — has been justified.
Special is the new normal
With the rise of digital storytelling platforms like Shorthand, immersive storytelling is becoming part of many government communication teams’ digital publishing toolkit.
Digital storytelling platforms empower communications teams to tell visually-rich, fully responsive stories, without having to contract developers and web designers.
For government communications, special is becoming the new normal — as you can see in the eight examples, below.
Delivering for Scotland
Turning the tide
In this story, Delivering for Scotland cover a £7 million investment in marine life with stunning photography.
Powerful images fade beautifully into bitesize text, as we are taken on a tour of marine life in the UK and its Overseas Territories.
House of Commons (Justice Committee)
4 ways to regulate bailiffs
The House of Commons has designed a captivating list of committee recommendation roundups.
In the story below, see how the result of the Justice Committee’s inquiry into bailiffs and debt collection was transformed into an easy-to-follow, visually-appealing narrative, complete with embedded Tweets for context.
European Council
Taking the lead on climate change
Infographics bring valuable context to many immersive stories. They can be used to break down processes, make statistical comparisons, or simply bring facts and figures to life.
In the European Council’s report on climate change, infographics break down the complexities of greenhouse gases. The story also uses Shorthand’s Reveal feature to animate a chart highlighting rising temperatures over time, powerfully showing the scale of the challenge faced by the European Council to be truly climate neutral.
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British Council
Do your :bit
Community events are a great subject for immersive storytelling. In this story, the British Council provide a captivating round-up of a children’s hackathon in Mauritius. Pull quotes sit alongside beautiful photography, highlighting the wonder of the young coders as they experiment.
MFAT
Our Story
In ‘Our Story’, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade takes the reader on an epic journey through time, visualising 75 years of new diplomatic posts across the world.
Shorthand’s Scrollmation feature is used to transport the reader through the years, with new locations highlighted on a map as the reader scrolls.
Queensland State Archives
Promoting Queensland
In ‘Promoting Queensland’, the Queensland State Archives surfaces tourism advertising posters from the pre-digital age. Posters dating back to the early 1900s transport the audience back in time, while links to Flickr and embedded YouTube videos offer the digital interactivity of the 21st Century.
Mayor of London
Did you know?
Facts and figures unfold in this colourful story on the steps being taken to reduce vehicle emissions in London.
The Mayor of London team use Shorthand’s Reveal effect to add and remove layers of graphics as the reader scrolls, helping to visually emphasise key messages within the campaign.
DCMS
VE Day A-Z
Ahead of the 75th anniversary of VE day, the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport used Shorthand to create an engaging story to boost awareness of the event.
In a great example of creativity, the story uses Shorthand’s Scrollmation feature to deliver each letter of the alphabet in a VE-theme, set to change as the reader scrolls through the corresponding text.
Feeling inspired?
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