The age of the spectator has passed. Like the gladiators of ancient Rome, it is once more time for the everyman to step, or in many cases, be pushed, into the ring of entertainment. Viral marketing is a word-of-mouth take on advertising that utilizes common networking sites like YouTube or Facebook. It has become so prevalent in the marketing of everything from beer to popular television shows that the active consumer is now forced to become a participant in the virtual universe of their most beloved programs and films.
One of the most prevailing, and quite often, overwhelming, viral marketing campaigns involves the popular ABC television program "Lost." The show's campaign was originally founded on an expansive series of Web sites contained within what the network has deemed an "ARG," or alternate reality game. Now, the campaign has gradually moved beyond the boundaries of the Internet, and has ingrained itself in our own reality. As of the conclusion of the show's most recent season, two major ARGs have launched: "The Lost Experience" and "Find 815."
"Find 815" ran through Jan. 2008, beginning with the debut of a commercial for the show's fictional Oceanic Airlines. The ad never mentions the show itself - there is only a coded overlap that warns viewers to not trust "these people," followed by a Web site set up for the fictive company. "Lost" advertisers also erected a California billboard for the airline - again with no reference to the show.
Call me old school, but when one of my favorite fictional television shows starts migrating into my own reality, I'm going to start questioning my sanity. Seeing fantasy characters come alive is something usually reserved for Disneyland or anime conventions. Still, at least the consumer has control over the extent to which they want to submerse themselves in the campaign. It's not like the characters are going to start calling your house, right?
Sadly, the six-packed and shirtless Sawyer from "Lost" will not be dialing up your home phone anytime soon. Instead many have received messages over the past months from personas like The Joker and Commissioner Gordon from the upcoming Batman sequel "Dark Knight."
I can personally recall one foggy and hushed evening when a friend sent me the link to a Web site called "Acme Security Systems." For lack of better things to do, I decided to investigate. After mindlessly filling in what I assumed to be just another annoying Internet form with my name, phone number and e-mail address, I clicked submit, and seconds later, my cell phone began to ring out with the tell-tale notes of "The Good The Bad and The Ugly." After examining the caller ID, I was slightly disturbed to see that the number calling consisted of nothing but zeros. As I picked it up and entered the voice password "needle," the voice of Commissioner Gordon, played in the movies by Gary Oldman, greeted me and gravely informed me that my previously inputted information of name and phone number, as well as IP address had been logged, and that I would go to jail for criminal conspiracy if I did not cooperate. I need not convey to you that this is not the sort of phone call one just hangs up from and goes about their business. I rapidly pulled the plug on my computer and turned off my cell phone, then I rushed to retrieve my old baseball bat from the garage and hid in the basement for the rest of the night. Maybe I overreacted. Maybe.
It was only a few days later when I turned on the television and broke into a cold sweat. There, on the screen, was a street rally for Gotham politician Harvey Dent, aka upcoming Batman baddie Two-Face. This was not merely a placid commercial or billboard. This was a sizeable group of actual people supporting what I had previously assumed to only be a comic book character. This time I did not dive for the baseball bat, but instead consulted the always-reliable Internet, where I found that the "Dark Knight" campaign had included acts like sending Joker-themed bowling balls to local alleys, and mainstream movie theatres playing Joker-doctored showings of "Dark Knight" trailers. Web sites for cab companies and newspapers in Gotham subsequently appeared. Christopher Nolan and his viral marketing team hadn't just spread around a few grainy videos or Web sites, but had instead created an entire universe for fans to immerse themselves in while waiting for the final film to arrive; and as long as Commissioner Gordon or The Joker don't transition from my phone line to banging on my front door, I'm all for hopping on the ride.
