“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
Graffiti Style “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Posters Are Tagged On The Streets Of Los Angeles June 9, 2014June 9, 2014Part of the art of marketing is based on how awesome your poster looks. Floating heads, back turned, poster drenched in colored hues, all of it are a staple of the contemporary movie poster. But since people have noticed just how dull some of these posters can be and just… Read More
Viral Marketing ESPN Brings Admiral Ackbar to Primetime September 9, 2010October 18, 2011It’s probably not quite the same thrill as destroying the Death Star, but for one evening, everyone’s favorite squid-faced rebel hero, Admiral Ackbar, was the talk of the college football world. That is because ESPN aired a commercial documenting the now infamous campaign by University of Mississippi students to have… Read More
‘Jurassic World’ Viral Video Introduces InGen’s New Head Security February 11, 2015February 11, 2015We’ve already seen some great viral content from Jurassic World. The film takes place some 20 odd years after the events of the first film, with Masnari, a new conglomerate, acquiring InGen and opening the park doors once more. Of course their are other nefarious things going on in the… Read More