Stephanie’s fellowship research focuses on the emerging area of immersive promotional media (IPM). The project investigates the aesthetic, narrative and affective connections between IPM, brands and consumers, and seeks to clarify the role, impact and value of VR, AR and 360° film technologies within media marketing strategies and the Creative Economy in the UK.

Her PhD research focused on the production and consumption of Promotional Alternate Reality Games for Hollywood films. Using interviews with producers and audience research, this project investigates the unique nature of ARG producer/consumer relationships and the implications of that relationship on contemporary theories of fandom, including the ‘mainstreaming’ of fannish consumption practices or ‘fanification’, the potential for consumer empowerment in the contemporary media environment and understandings of fan communities’ relationship with consumer capitalism. The thesis finally questions how we might rework or reconceptualise some of those theories to better understand the diverse experiences available to media audiences.