You’re Needed For “Mission Icefly”!

Caleb Hamilton,

As you know we’ve been covering a new viral campaign from 42 Entertainment, the genius marketing firm behind great ARGs such as Flynn Lives and Why So Serious. There has been a lot of speculation as to what The Human Preservation Project could possibly be viral for, with 5 Gum, video games, and The Dark Knight Rises in the running. After laying low, the viral has become active again. Today I received a mysterious package from the preservation project and its contents were just as mystifying. I can tell you now that this has nothing to do with gum. 

The completely black mailer, except for the mailing label (which was white), arrived from Pasadena, California. I was expecting an I.D. badge like the one you created when you first signed up at “Test Subjects Needed“. Instead I got something completely unexpected: a small device which looks like a tracking diode.

A message was included which you can read below:

Following the instructions in the fine print, I removed the battery tab and twisted the diode. It began to flash a bright blue. As you can see in the image above, the diode is attached to a Y-shaped ribbon that acts as a helicopter. There is a QR-code on the helicopter that leads to a countdown for “Mission Icefly“.

The wasp that is on the note and under the diode also appears on the countdown site. When you roll your mouse over it, the wasp darts away to another part of the page. The box underneath “Test Subjects Needed” links to the Mission Icefly YouTube channel, where a video is posted showing a bunch of these devices dropping from a night sky lit up by blue lights at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The night sky is lit up by blue lights.

The countdown runs out on June 30th. Until then you can continue to sign up for The Human Preservation Project at the “Test Subjects Needed” website. Do you still think this is a campaign for a new flavor of gum? Wrigley’s 5Gum was a sponsor at Coachella, another music festival. Have you received a package from the project? Let us know in the comments!

Click Here To Follow the Test Subjects Needed Campaign!

ARGs & Campaigns Viral Marketing

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Comments (38)

  1. Pingback: Op Bonnaroo regende het zwevende ledlampjes « Nieuwsblog nrc.next

  3. okay so i got a silver/crome pakage insted of black. anyone else get a silver? anyone know why?

  4. i got mine a couple days ago after registering with TSN on the first day it was up. i saw another post earlier about someone getting an ID. anyone care to confirm this?

  6. i just saw a commercial for 5 gum, the one with all of the robot bugs. they are identical to the one featured on the mission icefly page…i think that would go halfway to proving the connection, another connection: the pattern on the ‘icefly’ helicopters, matches the pattern on the inside lid of the cobalt package.

  7. Beg to differ…but the circles inside the cobalt 5 gum lid are concentric.
    The circle pattern on the helicopter wings are not concentric.

    But I do not doubt your belief that this is related to 5 gum.

    Is your bug light still flashing?

    Mine has stopped.  Maybe that’s what happens to the bug lights that come in the silver envelope.

  8. Pingback: Viral Point: elicotterini luminosi per The Human Preservation Project | Vita di un IO

  10. i received my black package today.inside was a mission icefly but a little different.its red white and blue lights.and only lights up when close to certain surfaces.but only does that after it has landed..im not sure what it means but thought id share the information..

  11. I may have been premature in casting out 5 Gum as a possiblity. Apparently this is in fact marketing for 5 Gum, the Icefly appeared above the QR code that led to the “test subjects needed” site. On another note, thank you all for sharing what you’ve received, it’s interesting that there are different colored envelopes going out.

  12. There’s a simple way to stop it flashing, unscrew it a tiny bit!

    I got mine here in the UK, silver envelope and blue flashing light!

    #MissionIcefly

    🙂

  15. Got my package today, I have the blue blinking light. i wonder if the lights signify different factions we are going to be separated into.

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