“This Man” Dream Viral to Become Feature Film Dan Koelsch, May 6, 2010 If you are an avid fan of ARGs and other viral marketing, you may have already heard of ThisMan.org, a website that claims hundreds of people have seen the same unknown man in their dreams. The website is designed as sort of a case study, with descriptions of dreams, theories, subjects’ drawings, and more. It’s created quite a stir with many on the Internet, and it has gotten the attention of Hollywood. See how one horror director is looking to turn a hoax into a hit. The website feels very authentic, and many believed for a time that this phenomenon was real. The man depicted is generic enough that those who come to the site might make a connection, and the international postings of the “Ever Dream This Man?” flyers seemed to imply those behind the site were really looking for an answer. However, it turned out to be a viral marketing attempt by Andrea Natella, an Italian sociologist and marketing guru, discovered on Unfiction via a WHOis search. On the site’s guestbook, someone even linked to a website where you can make a facial sketch that pretty much matches This Man. Still, it’s a great idea, and eventually someone was bound to notice. Ever Dream This Man? As Slashfilm reports, the movie This Man will be written and directed by Bryan Bertino, who last directed The Strangers for Rogue Pictures. The film is being made by Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures, and the plot is a nice twist on the viral premise, as the company’s press release describes below.Based on real life accounts, THIS MAN follows an ordinary guy who discovers that people he has never met are seeing him in their dreams. Now he must find out why he is the source of nightmares for strangers all over the world.The “based on real life accounts” part seems a bit iffy, since the only evidence of people dreaming about This Man is from those who have seen the website. Either way, this looks to go beyond your standard horror fare, so I’ll be interested to see how it does. Have you ever dreamed of THIS MAN? Viral Marketing ARGBryan BertinoGhost House PicturesSam RaimiThis Man
News Dimension Films Would Rather Find Release Date for “Apollo 18” Than Update Its Viral Campaign June 1, 2011June 1, 2011In what was suppose to be one rather exciting viral marketing campaigns of 2011, has turned into a figment of your imagination. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that Apollo 18 cannot find a solid release date. Box Office Mojo is reporting that the release date has shifted for a… Read More
The Underworld Hacks “Real Steel” Press Kits September 8, 2011September 7, 2011Our friends over at FusedFilm got a pretty cool Real Steel press kit on Wednesday that actually involves the World Robot Boxing viral campaign we have been covering. It looks like an anti-WRB group called “The Underworld” has found a way to make its presence known. Read More
“Muppets Most Wanted” Internet Ad Pokes Fun At Unnecessary Twitter Hype January 7, 2014Studios using tweets hyping or giving positive reviews on TV spots, images, or newspaper ads have become commonplace. My tweet was used by WB for The Conjuring last year. But if a film is critically panned, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a marketing team resort to using tweets on… Read More