Out on the town a couple weeks ago, I got a campaign call from a candidate who really wanted to revolutionize the system. Intrigued by his position, I went to his website, where he offered me these words: The people need change, they want change, they demand change - and we're going to give them change!"" Though there are many who would rather see a certain other candidate elected, he's got my vote. I believe in Harvey Dent, the front-running candidate for Gotham City district attorney.
Though ""The Dark Knight,"" Chistopher Nolan's must-see Batman sequel won't be out for months, its marketing campaign has already been a blockbuster in its own right. By using an almost entirely web-based campaign so far, Warner Bros. has managed to hype a movie that, between the fantastic worldwide reception to ""Batman Begins"" and the unfortunate publicity from the untimely death of Heath Ledger, almost didn't need any more hyping.
The promotion for ""Knight"" didn't stop at Harvey Dent's campaign site (for those of you who don't know, Harvey Dent eventually becomes Batman foe Two-Face). The Warner team has put together an entire city worth of Gotham sites, each aimed at drawing fans deeper into its marketing campaign. Among the other sites created for the film are a Gotham Police Department site, one for the newspaper, The Gotham Times, and another for the Gotham school system.
But the campaign's crowning achievement has been its innovative scavenger hunts. By finding clues left online by the Joker, fans from SÃ £o Paulo, Brazil, to Madison could score one-of-a-kind prizes. Joker's last scavenger hunt, held appropriately on April Fools' Day, led the lucky winners to local bowling alleys, where they'd pick up a one-of-a-kind bowling ball, Joker's trademark calling card and a prepaid cell phone which will almost certainly be contacted closer to the film's July 18 release date. April 1 culminated with Joker sending everyone else to break into a Gotham security company's interactive site, and those unfortunate enough to try getting a phone call from the Gotham P.D.
Viral marketing campaigns are becoming more and more commonplace in films because they grab the attention of younger adults and children who have grown up being barraged by commercials, and now have found ways to filter them out of their consciousness. This winter's ""Cloverfield"" became an Internet sensation when Paramount created dozens of sites about the impending monster attack. To prove just how great that marketing campaign was, there is still controversy on Internet message boards arguing whether some sites were created by Paramount or by some deceptive third party. Another viral site, for J.J. Abrams' upcoming ""Star Trek"" reboot, allows browsers the opportunity to view security tape from the shipyard building the U.S.S. Enterprise.
How well these tactics work, however, remains unclear. ""The Blair Witch Project"" used viral marketing in its infancy and rode it to record-breaking box office returns. ""Snakes on a Plane"" tried to do the same thing, and the film flopped.
At least it's got people talking or, in this case, typing.
To vote for Gotham's finest Harvey Dent, e-mail Brad at boron@wisc.edu.
