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.
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Vitaliy Zavadskyy is a freelance composer and self-proclaimed “novice music artist” based in Toronto. Through his popular YouTube and Myspace accounts, he’s been releasing fan made single song film soundtracks for years, most recently posting one for Tron Legacy. Check out that song, as well as ones for Repo Men and Kick-Ass, after the break.
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Last week we asked you to vote in our forum for the best in various categories of viral marketing for the year. Now we have the results of the each of those polls, so lets tell you who won, as well as what we think about the results. Lets get to it. Here are your 1st Annual MovieViral Awards winners!
On the ninth day of viral, my movie gave to me…..
Cell phones for calling
Back on day five, I talked about 800 numbers that you could call and get some information. This one goes about twenty steps further and actually gives you a phone. Some can be simple, others can incorporate different ways to get that phone into your hand.
If you remember, back towards the end of the 2012 campaign, they had numerous drop sites all over the country. Most of these contents will be discussed in future days in this series, however, one of the items was a cell phone. The down side is that when the phone finally came in to use, it was information that we have all heard before. Thanks to unfiction for the following recording:
Phone Message
Now you take a film that created all new levels of viral, that again, will be discussed in future days. With The Dark Knight, you found cell phones hidden in “old fashioned” gangster ways like a cake or a bowling ball bag.
Not only do you get the phone, but once you have chosen your side, you are kept posted on what to do next based on that decision. This campaign could have gone in all sorts of different directions had it not been for this one particular form of viral. It opened up so many levels and split the two sides perfectly.
Other Days In The “12 Days of Viral” Series:
A trailer without a title
A Twitter account with the truth
Three Websites
My face on the site
800 Numbers
Password protection
Facebook interaction
Contests and winnings
On the eighth day of viral, my movie gave to me…..
Contests and winnings
Not too many virals are going this route, but when they do, the response is overwhelming. 2012 in fact had a couple of contests rolled into one campaign. First they had the ambassadors program. A simple contest where the winner (our own Nick was one of them) really had to do nothing, but in the end, got a title, and a shirt.
But then they decided to break out the big guns. Forget silly ambassadors, they wanted a new leader. The leader of the Post-2012 world. Filled with strategic games, voting, and good old competition, this game quickly spread through forums and social networking alike. Hell, even I joined. Thought I was doing well too. I was wrong. But, the winner of the competition did decide to join our community and there was a friendly rivalry between him, and another member. Not just a t-shirt this time. Cancun and electronics were the winners prize.
The next contest, is not so much a contest, as it was a way to get more people involved in a film who’s viral was strictly word of mouth. Paranormal Activity had so much extra money to burn after it’s success at the box office, that it gave it’s viewers both the chance to have their name on the DVD, and win a release party for one person and a bunch of friends to view the film.
Other Days In The “12 Days of Viral” Series:
A trailer without a title
A Twitter account with the truth
Three Websites
My face on the site
800 Numbers
Password protection
Facebook interaction
On the seventh day of viral, my movie gave to me…..
Facebook interaction.
I am picking three films to discuss on this day, because those three films use Facebook in such an interesting way. The most common thing to do nowadays is to post the exact thing, on all forms of social networking. It gets tiring after a while. We need originality, and these three gave it to us.
Let’s start with the first on the list, 9. This Facebook page was used almost as a prequel of sorts. Giving you clues on how the characters came to be, and gave you a look at the man who created them. Clues were given on this page, which in turn lead you to the main viral page, which in turn lead to different areas of viral such as Twitter and contests.
Next, we see the film 2012. This movie had a few pages. A couple of them that, as mentioned, just posted what was in their tweets, as well as their site. Nothing great there. But as we got closer to the release of the movie, one of the pages took a turn. A turn for the good.
Farewell Atlantis ended up secretly giving out coordinates to the locations of their “drops” by giving out locations of the book signings. With the help of sites such as ours and unfiction, places were swarmed with hopes of being part of one.
Finally, we look at Sherlock Holmes, which has moved completely out of the arena of Facebook pages. This page, is not really a page at all. It’s a game, where you and a friend, team up as Holmes and Watson, and search for clues. This is genius! Right up until the genius turned out to be someone in 7-11′s corporate office and decided what better way to tine in Slurpee’s, and Robert Downey Jr.
I give them credit. For trying.
Other Days In The “12 Days of Viral” Series:
A trailer without a title
A Twitter account with the truth
Three Websites
My face on the site
800 Numbers
Password protection
On the sixth day of viral, my movie gave to me…..
Password protection.
This, by far, may be one of the most exciting parts of a viral. Once you see that screen where you have to enter a password, people go nuts trying everything from 1234 to the zip code of the city the viral takes place in. Looking everywhere you possibly can to find that code, which never turns out to be simple. Who would have thought to use “jllovesth” as a password. And to that person, we thank you!
You can look at one like Cloverfield and think “how nice, why didn’t I think of that?”. Then, you can take the complete opposite, and look at the film Terminator Salvation and the site of Skynet Research. There password was far from plain and simple. In fact, it was “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious“. Well, maybe not that, but it was extremely close.
I can honestly say though, other than the Terminator password (that was posted on our forum!), I wish I knew how these were found. I remember when Cloverfield’s was posted back in our early stage of 1-18-08news.com (yeah, that was us – long story*). I was wondering how it came about. And, maybe I will continue that questioning. The viral site of Aerospace Robotics Corp had a password. It wasn’t a guess. Somehow these are handed to us, and maybe we don’t even know it.
Or, maybe we have such a dedicated group of viral followers, of all levels, and with enough time, the password will be found. Yeah, I like that one better.
With that said, we’re coming for you DPChemicals. We’ll see you soon.
*Join the forum to learn more!
Other Days In The “12 Days of Viral” Series:
A trailer without a title
A Twitter account with the truth
Three Websites
My face on the site
800 Numbers
On the fifth day of viral, my movie gave to me…..
800 Numbers.
So now all of the people that you have been following, chasing, hating, and loving can be called. And the only thing it will cost you, is fun!
Upset about your favorite Communications Director not returning your calls? Trying to get the scoop on some aliens that just moved in down the street? Or maybe you’re just curious about that lottery you signed up for. Well, pick up you phone and dish the dirt! Operator’s are standing by.
This toll free number gives you another level in the viral campaign in which you are more a part of it. Not limited to simply viewing sites and their changes. It’s now more physical. In the case of 2012, you couldn’t do much but listen, but you were given some key information into future happenings and major players. But it was pretty cool to get that extra level.
Take a movie like District 9, and they went even further. Not only did you have the number to call, but you could leave a message claiming that you saw a non-human, and have your call recorded and played back on their Community Watch site. Just like our very own Nick Butler! Oh the stories he’ll have for the future.
I know a lot of you are thinking about the calls during The Dark Knight, but I’m going to hang on to that one for another day. In fact, that one will be mentioned in a few days to come.
Other Days In The “12 Days of Viral” Series:
A trailer without a title
A Twitter account with the truth
Three Websites
My face on the site
On the third day of viral, my movie gave to me…..
Three websites
And not only do we get three websites, but if the cards are played correctly, we get three websites with “purpose”. I say purpose with quotes for three reasons. And here they are.
Website 1 – This is the site that’s owned by the “company”. This site is actually maintained right in the middle. They make their point known right off the bat, usually the first one, but slowly diminish into nothing. They want themselves to come off as the ones who need you to follow. They have a story to tell and if you listen, then they have someone to spread the good news.
Website 2 – This for the most part is a blog. Maintained by someone who wants you to know the truth. They’ll give you a lot of “Website 1 isn’t telling you the whole truth!” and “I’m making a trip to corporate offices of website 1. Wish me luck”. Never to be seen again. Another particular note is this Website may be run by someone not even in the movie.
Website 3 – I’m not exactly sure why website 3 was even set up. It’s crudely put together, and is more than likely to never change since it’s inception. It may or may not even give you one piece of information in regards to the film. It’s just there to draw your attention away from the initial slow updating of the first two.
Now, with that said, here are some great examples:
Website 1 – The IHC, DP Chemicals, and MNU
Website 2 – Soren’s Blog, Save Ogden Marsh, and MNUSpreadslies
Website 3 – Farewell Atlantis, Ogden Marsh, and Maths From Outerspace
The one thing I’ve noticed is that Website 3 has had a little more participation than in the past. Good for you website 3! And one day, maybe in the land of a sequel, you can move up in the ranks to website 1.
Other Days In The “12 Days of Viral” Series:
A trailer without a title
A Twitter account with the truth
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