Cracked’s List Shows How A Viral Can Backfire Kris, June 18, 2010 When it comes to alternate reality games, the more believable and interactive, the better. It’s wonderful experience we love, except for when it backfires.I’m not talking about when its structured sloppy, I mean when it is far too real for its own good. Cracked made a list that covers such a topic. The article, “The 6 Most Insanely Misguided Attempts at Viral Marketing“, includes the Splinter Cell bar scene. To sum it up, what was supposed to be a played out as a bar room hold up and rescue got only half way through the 1st act because it was disastrously to convincing. Cops came in, took down the fake criminal, with a fake gun, in a fake hold up. The guy must have been a great actor. Movies have fallen victim to the same problem. Cracked’s list includes the Boston Bomb Scare from the cheap Aqua Teen Hunger Force campaign. Going back to our roots though, The Blair Witch Project viral, the father of all movie ARG advertising campaigns, did pretty gutsy moves. All it took was a website to make the movie convincing enough to be considered as an actual documentary. As a more recent example, Sony Pictures’ 2012 had a very wide and complex campaign. From the Jackson Curtis Facebook Page to Soren Ulfert’s blog and complex messages, it was hard for newcomers to tell if it was true or not. In fact, the marketing company had to explicitly brand their campaign to keep people from thinking the 2012 doomsday myth had been proven real (which some still did). It all comes down to planning, but sometimes even that’s not enough. But keep in mind: do you really want an obvious ARG? Is it better to confirm an ARG? Of course not, it dulls the experience, as we mentioned last year. For all intensive purposes, I say keep it realistic as possible. Not only is it more fun, but you gotta be brave enough to do it. Viral Marketing Viral News 2012Aqua Teen Hunger ForceCartoon NetworkSplinter CellThe Blair Witch Project
New “Total Recall” Viral Website Says No to Rekall June 13, 2012July 8, 2012A few months ago, a viral website for Columbia Pictures’ Total Recall remake. The site was that of the company featured in the film, Rekall. The site has now become fully active, but there’s another website that wants you think twice about going to Rekall. Get the details after the… Read More
Salt: Day X Exists Mission 7, “Stealth”, Now Live June 30, 2010As we previously reported, Columbia Picture’s Salt, starring Angelina Jolie, has an interactive story you can participate in at their official website. Every week there is a new mission, and last week Salt needed you to track a Day X agent. This week, you’ll need to sneak into a Day… Read More
Social Networks Star Wars And Marvel Geek It Out On Twitter January 23, 2014January 23, 2014Forget the talk about Batman versus Superman. The big rivalry happening this week is between Star Wars and Marvel via their Twitter accounts. What started as an “AskStarWars” Twitter event turned into a hilarious back and forth ribbing between the two brands. Even Iron Man jumped into the fray. Check… Read More