The new series of Heroes started this week on NBC. And what a start it made! It was a great opener and promises more good things to come.
Over the past few seasons, Heroes has had quite a few viral sites on the go and have been one of the leaders in viral marketing for TV programs. In this article we are going to have look at some of the previous websites and have a look at whats coming up. It all kicks off on the 28th!
A full blown ARG for Heroes, this campaign won an Emmy due to it’s clever use of digital media, keeping the user hooked and tying in nicely with the show through clues seen in the episodes.
It mostly follows “the agent” and is full interactive adventure.
The ARG is due to start again with the beginning of season 4, so keep watching for more updates.
The cover company Noah Bennet used to work for, Primatech papers has a fully working website that gives you information about the company, products and jobs that you can apply for.
There is also a toll free phone number to call that is answered by a recorded message which started the Primatech papers ARG
The website has been updated over time and the original job application is not available as well as a note informing of the leaving of Noah Bennet, but by using the code given over the phone it started a full blown text/website campaign that gave the user access to a backdoor website.
The backdoor can still be seen by clicking on the “about us” link, hovering over the Primatech symbol and clicking on the helix that appears. The username “bennet” and password “Claire” will grant you access to the site.
You can also click here for a location map
And security footage here
The full ARG details can also be seen at Heroes Wiki.
The “villains” company, Pinehearst was also represented by a website which is in similar vain to the IHC website for 2012.
The Pinehearst website provides a lot of information on the company and the research it partaking in and is overall a very convincing website. It too has a backdoor that featured messages from Rebel as well as audio files.
Full ARG details are located here
The third fictional company in Heroes also has a website devoted to it.
This is a gallery owned by Yamagato industries and has several graphic novels to follow. The site is also part of the evolutions experience and the proof of this can be seen by clicking on Kimiko’s picture, revealing the code “CKLQBZLLATXTLXNABKOCLECYRLLBKOCLEEHDILNOEXVSX” which is later deciphered as “C IS HELPING BUT R IS CLOSE R IS MAD ABOUT ED”
More info on the website here
A site similar to Harvey Dents, this website followed the campaign for Peter Petrelli.
It was heavily tied in with the Heroes Evolution campaign and included photos, speeches etc.
There is also a hidden message text box that reads “Run Howie- REBEL.” another part of the evolutions story line
Full campaign here.
A rather raunchy addition to the heroes world, Niki, a Las Vegas stripper, has her own website.
Clicking on the video or the start link will present you with a message “they kno CV CA” and an application form to join evolutions.
Hana Gitelman’s Website.
Hana Gitelman is the biggest character in the Evolution ARG. Her website contains lots of information and clues to access most of the special features on the other sites as well as introducing new ones.
Hana can be seen in the heroes graphic novels and also has a MySpace page.
Hana’s website is huge, however all her posts are archived. This is one to watch for future clues in up and coming events in the evolutions world.
Full list here.
This website is dedicated to Suresh’s research and the research his father did before him. It is heavily referenced in Hana’s blogs and includes notes on his studies and interviews. It also allows users to submit dreams and interact with the website.
More info here.
Last but not least of the current crop is the Corinthian hotel and casino, which as you will see when you go to the link, has already be hacked by Hana.
This is the casino that was operated by Linderman and a message can be seen on the site relaying the sadness the staff fell for the loss of their founder.
The site featured several games and allowed you to make an account to accumulate prize money. When the user won over $325,000 they were invited to join the Titans group which again had a backdoor site with Linderman’s notes on Kensei’s sword as well as paintings by Isaac Mendez.
Full details of the ARG can be found here.
The Future of season 4:
So, are you all caught up? Good! You’ll see that the ARG has been very well put together and is definitely worth following if you are a Heroes fan, but what is next?
Well, The Evolution ARG is still running, and it has also been recently announced that NBC and Sprint will be teaming up to deliver more content.
There will be ten installments that will tie in with the show, with an exclusive clip tied into that weeks episode as well as online, mobile and interactive gaming sites that will also be launched for the new season.
The new content will tie-in with newly arrived Carnival that appeared in the first episode. It will feature 3 characters from the touring carnival. Go see it here.
Events up-coming will include graphic novels to your mobile, “the carnival“ website and games, a heroes “survival” game and an interactive SMS storyline that will have you receiving clues on your cell phone to further unlock the secrets of the upcoming season.
The Heroes Viral and ARG is truly Epic, utilizing all forms of digital media to full effect, and this article is only a small glimpse into it. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the campaign! What do you think?