Marketing & Promotion

WHY SO SERIOUS? 

In the months leading up to the release of the Dark Knight an alternate reality game attracted more than Ten Million unique players to real time Gotham city. A city where the Joker left his mark on posters and bills and started building an army of henchman all over the world at comic-con players.

• All over the world comic-con players gathered around to take their first Orders from the Joker, working with players online they scavenged for clues. 
• They found their first clue typed out in the sky, it was a phone number: 800-395-9646. When they dialed that number there was a message that was left for them that said: If you want to be part of my crew your going to need to prove your up to the challenge.
• Players ran to the streets dressed as their leader (The Joker) and Gotham city began to creep out into the real world, building excitement and anticipation for the dark knight.
• All their efforts put together yet another piece of the puzzle. They were told to hit local Landmarks with sinful Joker makeup London, to Middle East, to Pennsylvania, to India.
• A world wide community formed out at shows in community and the Newspaper led them further in the world, a world where nothing was safe from the Joker.
• Checkout document fights where corrupt cops shamed the city.
• People picked up cakes at bakeries across America with a hidden package inside, a joker phone to keep in constant contact with the world of Gotham City, a world they could choose to join in any way they wanted, like a campaign to take back Gotham city.  
• Harvey Dent: who was the assistant district attorney 

ARTICLE INFORMATION: 

# 1 Do something remarkable - The publicity Stunt: 

• Seth Godin, one of the brightest minds in the marketing world, summed it up perfectly when he said, "by definition, remarkable things get remarked upon" 
• Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing
• To leverage viral marketing of any sorts, you must begin by doing something worth talking about. 
• When the game of thrones marketed their latest series in the UK, they erected a bus-sized dragon's head, appearing to have been washed up on a Dorset beach. 

# 2 Pre-Roll Video Advertising:

• Pre-roll ads are an incredibly effective tool for drumming up interest and seeding your trailer online. 
• There relatively inexpensive, and you aren't charged if the viewer clicks 'skip' within the first five seconds.
• Using a service like TubeMogul you can easily have your trailer appearing before related videos on YouTube, as well as sites like IMDB, 4oD, Vimeo and many other sites.

# 3 Be smart with Press Junkets:

• Press Junkets are one of the movie industry's most powerful publicity tactics. Essentially, these events fly as many key journalists, critics, and reporters to a location where, over the course of a few days, the press can conduct interviews with all of the main actors and directors from the film. 
• Be smart with who you invite tp your press junket. 

# 4 Let your viewers experience the story:

• The Hunger Games had one of the most forward-thinking digital marketing campaigns of the decade. I'll touch