The Dark Knight Future of Viral Marketing

[baTT]

since Larry Meistrich just started this studio in may we have yet to really hit the trades with it just yet, however you can check out some info at
www.pitchnehst.com
on that site is an article from variety worth checking out, I think were mentioned in it.

also check out nehst studios on myspace
Ratred is one of there top friends.
however the myspace page for ratred is still covering the short film that landed us the deal in the first place.

That looks pretty cool, I will have to keep an eye out for that stuff.

 

[SuperHeroHype]

That may be true, but just look at how many new members you have on these boards....there are a whole bunch of people with join dates in Oct/Nov/Dec, I would bet that the fact that this has been a great source of information for the viral has helped that.

Very true, but in all honesty, I would rather have a few less members than a new e-mail about the Dark Knight viral campaign in my inbox every 5 seconds.

 

[SuperHeroHype]

And by the way, the above is not meant as a negative towards the campaign. The third-party marketing company in charge of that campaign has done an amazing job. It just gets a bit tiring on our side.

 

[raybia]

I'm not really into viral marketing but it is indeed working for TDK and very clever of WB to take marketing to this level. Very innovative on their part.

I'm sure its the wave of the future.

 

[William_C]

If too many films start doing viral campaigns then they lose what makes them exciting and special. I dont want another viral campaign until Batman 3.

I agree a lot with this. If marketing advertisers decide to try viral marketing with everything, then it'll just become the norm, and like you said, wont be as exciting as they were when few were attempting them. Plus, there are just some movies that dont need or probably would not work well with viral marketing around it.

I think that it should stay sporadic.

 

[Pennyworth]

That may be true, but just look at how many new members you have on these boards....there are a whole bunch of people with join dates in Oct/Nov/Dec, I would bet that the fact that this has been a great source of information for the viral has helped that.

That's why I started lurking SHH this summer. Now I'm addicted, reading every day.

 

[mikey09]

don't know if this has been posted, but i'm hoping for a Wayne Enterprises site ... would be cool to get some insight into what exactly 'his company' does?

 

[Alixyveth]

don't know if this has been posted, but i'm hoping for a Wayne Enterprises site ... would be cool to get some insight into what exactly 'his company' does?

Yeah, there should be one! That could be the next step. The first part of this viral campaign (if this is indeed a pause in the game, so to speak) focused on corrupt cops. But Wayne Enterprises should feature heavily in everything... he's hoping!

 

[mcallima]

It's important to differentiate viral marketing from ARGs. An ARG is a form of viral, but viral is any form of marketing that is sustained through audience conversation. I think viral marketing has a huge future, but ARGs are just a fad.

 

[LINK609]

I need 2 posts to start a thread so I'm gonna start by saying..
DON'T CROSS THE STREAMS!
And also, is the video game supposed to be another Ghostbusters story, or just a video game based on one of the movies?

 

[Hox tRue LL]

It's the shiny lure of interaction, and this campaign isn't about getting new fans in to see Batman's latest film. It's about warming us up to the new Joker.

Jack Nicholson is a tough act to follow in any role, and even for those who didn't care for him as the Joker - Heath Ledger (pretty boy with talent) was going to have an up hill fight to win a place in the fans' hearts as Gotham's most notorious mass-murderer.

Instead of showing up the theater muttering about a production still of the Joker's makeup test, fans will be giddy over seeing the mastermind himself on a story-tall screen! This campaign builds a relationship between the fan and the villain - it establishes a tie that will help the die-hard, mild-mannered, and mediocre-intersted all see this Joker as THE Joker.

Sure it's whimsical at times. Some of the clues might seem to lead nowhere for now, but that's part of the fun. The Joker isn't supposed to make sense.

And in the games themselves, we're not working against the Joker (an interesting twist really) we're working FOR him. He's leading us around by the nose, and there's a sense of entanglement that comes with each successful solution. Whatever he's planning, as a participant, you are a part of it.

When the final curtain rises, I think we'll all be pleasantly shocked and horrified at the madman's game, and while you can't say this was a financially feasible campaign until the box office numbers are in - I'd say it's an exceptionally successful one if the fans (new, diehard, fringe, and other) look up at the big screen and don't see Heath Ledger in facepaint and a purple suit. They see the Joker laughing back at them - THAT is success.

 

[Jokeneser]

It's the shiny lure of interaction, and this campaign isn't about getting new fans in to see Batman's latest film. It's about warming us up to the new Joker.

Jack Nicholson is a tough act to follow in any role, and even for those who didn't care for him as the Joker - Heath Ledger (pretty boy with talent) was going to have an up hill fight to win a place in the fans' hearts as Gotham's most notorious mass-murderer.

Instead of showing up the theater muttering about a production still of the Joker's makeup test, fans will be giddy over seeing the mastermind himself on a story-tall screen! This campaign builds a relationship between the fan and the villain - it establishes a tie that will help the die-hard, mild-mannered, and mediocre-intersted all see this Joker as THE Joker.

Sure it's whimsical at times. Some of the clues might seem to lead nowhere for now, but that's part of the fun. The Joker isn't supposed to make sense.

And in the games themselves, we're not working against the Joker (an interesting twist really) we're working FOR him. He's leading us around by the nose, and there's a sense of entanglement that comes with each successful solution. Whatever he's planning, as a participant, you are a part of it.

When the final curtain rises, I think we'll all be pleasantly shocked and horrified at the madman's game, and while you can't say this was a financially feasible campaign until the box office numbers are in - I'd say it's an exceptionally successful one if the fans (new, diehard, fringe, and other) look up at the big screen and don't see Heath Ledger in facepaint and a purple suit. They see the Joker laughing back at them - THAT is success.

QUOTED FOR EMPHASIS!

 

[DunneDeal]

See I work at a summer camp...and in the past we always had a "pirate" day and three years ago...we realized, kids dont want to catch the pirates, they want to the be the pirates...so joining forces with the Joker is an amazing idea...

 

[TKJ9181]

It's the shiny lure of interaction, and this campaign isn't about getting new fans in to see Batman's latest film. It's about warming us up to the new Joker.

Jack Nicholson is a tough act to follow in any role, and even for those who didn't care for him as the Joker - Heath Ledger (pretty boy with talent) was going to have an up hill fight to win a place in the fans' hearts as Gotham's most notorious mass-murderer.

Instead of showing up the theater muttering about a production still of the Joker's makeup test, fans will be giddy over seeing the mastermind himself on a story-tall screen! This campaign builds a relationship between the fan and the villain - it establishes a tie that will help the die-hard, mild-mannered, and mediocre-intersted all see this Joker as THE Joker.

Sure it's whimsical at times. Some of the clues might seem to lead nowhere for now, but that's part of the fun. The Joker isn't supposed to make sense.

And in the games themselves, we're not working against the Joker (an interesting twist really) we're working FOR him. He's leading us around by the nose, and there's a sense of entanglement that comes with each successful solution. Whatever he's planning, as a participant, you are a part of it.

When the final curtain rises, I think we'll all be pleasantly shocked and horrified at the madman's game, and while you can't say this was a financially feasible campaign until the box office numbers are in - I'd say it's an exceptionally successful one if the fans (new, diehard, fringe, and other) look up at the big screen and don't see Heath Ledger in facepaint and a purple suit. They see the Joker laughing back at them - THAT is success.

Could not have said it better myself. I may be new to the boards, but I've been a BAT-manic since I can remember.

~~

 

[RED_Rider]

Incredible post Hox tRue LL. Well done.
I was really looking forward to TDK before the majoer viral attack but soon I found myself caring for nothing but the next viral step and so. Right now, TDK is my MOST anticipated movie ever and Joker is already shaping up to be my all time movie villian.

 

[batgirl2119]

Cloverfield? What's that?

new movie coming out pretty soon. has some wierd stuff. kinda hard to follow. has anyone else been trying? you can check some info and a trailer, at rottentomatoes, and i think each character has a myspace.

 

[Killing Joke926]

If we're lucky, maybe we'll get something like this for the next campaign:

hmmmmmmmmm..............it gives me thought, but I'll wait.t:

 

[Anita18]

And by the way, the above is not meant as a negative towards the campaign. The third-party marketing company in charge of that campaign has done an amazing job. It just gets a bit tiring on our side.

I hear ya. I got it in my head that I wanted to keep up with the ARG as much as possible and help out with the Wiki as much as I could...and then the whole cake scavenger hunt came out and I was like, "Forget it! I'm not gonna update it with every address and bear that comes up!"

And now I'm in withdrawal since I can't update the Wiki since nothing's happening.

It's the shiny lure of interaction, and this campaign isn't about getting new fans in to see Batman's latest film. It's about warming us up to the new Joker.

Completely concur.

I think that once fans realized that the Joker, as written in the ARG, was gonna be the Joker they knew and loved, some of those doubts were erased.