Avatar Viral Review Alex Gerage, December 23, 2009December 23, 2009 This review contains minimal spoilers for those who have yet to see Avatar. I definitely recommend checking out Iain’s review of the film, as it sums up my personal reaction perfectly. Although the film’s story was far more pedestrian and predictable than I originally thought (and would have liked), there is no looking past the magnificence of the visuals. Experiencing Avatar in IMAX 3D was a visual treat that I believe can spark a new wave of innovative filmmaking. If you haven’t had the chance to see it or yourself, it’s worth your time. Unfortunately, I cannot really say the same about the film’s viral marketing campaign. Premiering in September, Avtr.com offered a glimpse into the Resource Development Administration and presented clues about Avatar’s plot. I wrote at the time that this offered tremendous potential for a viral campaign. The images, maps, and data logs, were a creative way of showing visitors the motives of the “sky people” on Pandora. In addition, the pictures depicting the monitoring screens, tanks, and holographic maps, proved to be integral to the film. Furthermore, visitors were introduced to a transmission from Colonel Quaritch that offered great insight into his character and highlighted the tensions on the planet. The website looked to be setting us up for something big, something worthy of Avatar’s hype. But then the unexpected happened. The updates stopped. The site collected dust for almost two months. Although an Avatar Twitter account held a faint pulse, and the Facebook and MTV hosted webcasts answered some questions, none of it seemed substantial. Finally, just when it appeared Avatar would hit theaters without so much as a viral whimper, Avtr.com went live-as a promotional site for Coke Zero. Sure, there were some new images, RDA transmissions, and the opportunity to join the AVTR Advanced Team (which amounted to a link to a Facebook game). But with this inundation of content so close to the film’s release, after so much lag time, there didn’t seem to be a purpose. The hype train had left the station. I was ready to invest my time in a massive viral campaign that exposed me to the world of Pandora and this potential new franchise. I was left asking though, what happened? Why wasn’t there an ARG when the circumstances were perfect for one? Although there’s no reason Fox Studios couldn’t have developed a solid viral campaign in conjunction with television spots and trailers, it appeared they opted to focus solely on the latter. In the end, maybe they realized marketing towards a niche demographic wouldn’t meet their box office goals the way mass produced commercials, Coca Cola tie-ins, and Mattel toys would. Judging by the solid opening weekend box office, they may have been right, but the viral remains wasted potential. A film that positioned itself as an industry changing epic gave many hope that a viral campaign reflecting such lofty ambition would be used. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Despite drumming up initial interest through websites like Avtr.com, Avatar’s viral campaign failed to live up to the hype that the final film arguably did. Maybe they will learn their lesson if there’s a sequel. Final Grade: C Viral Marketing Avatar
Classic Viral: Anchorman’s Sex Panther Cologne January 2, 2010July 18, 201060% of the time, it works every time. For those Anchorman fans out there, you may remember the horrendously funny Sex Panther cologne used by Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd). It was a small bit in the movie, but it has gained a lot of traction in the fan world, as… Read More
Viral Video Round Up: Toy Story, Guy Ritchie, Captain Planet, Aziz Ansari, Dark Knight Rises, And More! September 5, 2011September 5, 2011The Internet is full of videos related to movies, whether they be fan made, studio made, or somewhere in between. We regularly bring you the best, most interesting, or just plain weirdest, and today we do it again. Check out the latest viral videos after the break.Pages: 1 2 Read More
Follow the White Rabbit December 2, 2009December 2, 2009Although it sounds like a Jefferson Starship song, it’s not. In fact, you’ll not only be following a white rabbit, you’ll be following 50 of them! All set loose on the streets and subways of NYC during Friday’s morning commute. As part of a marketing campaign for Syfy’s upcoming Alice,… Read More