You Call Him Dr. Jones!

He's baaaack! There are many devoted Indiana Jones fans who have been anxiously awaiting the next installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. So where can you see the trailer for this movie? Well here's where the viral marketing comes in. Instead of just releasing the trailer anywhere, Paramount has released the movie through widgets that can be posted on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace as well as other types of sites.

According to Rafe Telsch of Cinema Blend, Paramount has used this type of tactic for other movies. So why should fans post these widgets? The two people who post these widgets the most across the web will win a free trip to the premiere of the movie. Not only will they get to go to the premiere, but they will also get to be streamed on the widgets as the red carpet correspondents. I think this prize will definitely give fans incentive to spread the word. Offer people a prize, and they will spread the word like wildfire. Indiana Jones fans will definitely be interested in this campaign. It also has the potential to draw in other audiences such as movie lovers or people who use the sites the widgets are posted on. I think this is an interesting way to market a movie because it really keeps people curious. I'm not a huge Indiana Jones fan and I've posted the widget here. This just shows the power of a campaign like this. Maybe you'll see me on the red carpet in May! You can click "grab to win" to download the widget.

To view the full article from Cinema Blend, click here.

The Cart Whisperer

You may have heard of the Horse Whisperer, the Ghost Whisperer, or the Dog Whisperer, but I'm guessing you probably haven't heard of the Cart Whisperer. Well my loyal readers, meet Liberty Fillmore, Cart Whisperer. This hunk has devoted his life to "letting shopping carts know they're not alone." So who in the world could be behind this? A shopping cart manufacturer? Think again. This wacky campaign is actually backed by VeriSign, a company that operates a wide variety of network infrastructure. The purpose of this campaign, according to Tim Callahan, a VeriSign product marketing executive, is "aimed at highlighting the cost of abandoned shopping carts and encouraging action to solve this problem."

The website for the campaign is hilarious. It features three different videos showing Liberty rescuing carts. He takes his job very seriously. The videos mainly work just because they are so FUNNY! The site also features photo albums, poems, a bio, and downloads. One very cool feature of this website is an ongoing contest that it has. Every day there is an animated cart that is hidden in a different part of the site. If you find the cart and click on it, you are then entered to win a prize. This website works because the content is very humorous and engages the user. I myself found one of the carts on the site and I'm very proud of my official certificate. Check it out below! Kudos to VeriSign, you have me interested in a campaign for a company that I would never usually take notice of.




To view the whole post from Tim Callahan, click here.

Menly Men

Ford has launched a viral marketing website to promote their F-Series Trucks. The site is basically geared towards truck-driving "menly men." The site tells viewers they have to "man-up and do their part" and gives them a list of rules to follow. The list of rules seems like something that men would find funny. Check it out:

1. No roller luggage
2. No scooters
3. No puny dogs
4. No meat substitutes
5. No pink shirts
6. No fancy coffee
7. No fanny packs
8. No cutesy cell phone rings
9. No manicures
10. No hair products

They have created videos for three of the rules so far. The COPS-like videos feature the Built Ford Tough cops tracking down rule breakers. You can check out the video for the "no fancy coffee" rule below. What this site mainly does is create a brand image for the F-Series. It doesn't tell you any information about the actual vehicles, but rather creates and attitude for the brand. Truck-driving men may find this to be something that they can really relate to. The videos are funny and entertaining and make it worthwhile to watch all three. The videos feature an option to send to a friend or embed them on a website. Hopefully they will be coming out with more videos soon!



To view the full article from Automo Blog, click here.

Teaser Ads on the Rise

Ads with no obvious backer seem to be on the rise. We've all heard about the clever Cloverfield teaser from last summer. It grabbed people's attention because they have no idea who is advertising to them. A campaign recently appeared on bus stops, subway stations, and transit vehicles in Canada (See example on left). The ads appeared to be promoting a medication called "Obay." This fictional product makes kids listen to their parents. There were many speculations about who was behind the ads. Some people thought the ads were a jab at parents who medicate their teenage kids to keep them under control. Others thought that the Church of Scientology was behind the ads. So who did it? A drug company? Anti-drug lobbyists? A church? The government? WRONG!

The ads were actually backed by Colleges Ontario, the advocate for the Ontario's 24 colleges of applied arts and technology. The goal of the campaign was to address the stereotype that universities are a better alternative than colleges. One of the reasons they decided to implement this campaign was because their research showed that parents favor university over college as the number one choice for their children by a 3–1 margin. According to Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario, they hope to invite parents to "consider all that colleges have to offer."


Phase 2 of the campaign began last month. There are now large stickers over all of the ads that reveal who is behind the campaign. I think this was a great way to reveal that Colleges Ontario is behind the campaign. People who saw the ads initially may walk by again and see the new stickers over them. People who were wondering all of this time now have their question answered.

The campaign was created by Smith Roberts & Co. I think this is a really creative campaign to get people to think about something they probably wouldn't normally. The initial campaign grabbed a lot of attention, and even left many people appalled. The campaign worked because of its shock value. It also made people curious, which seems to be working with all of these mysterious campaigns. However, I have to wonder. People are shocked but do they really care to find out who was behind the ads? Will these ads really change people's opinions of colleges? Will enrollment in colleges increase? Only time will tell.

To view the full article, click here.

Kiddy Politics

During an election year, it seems like there are political advertisements everywhere you look. But there are very few directed at kids, because obviously they are not old enough to vote. There is one website that gives kids the chance to voice their opinions about political issues. The My 2 Cents website is a site completely devoted to children. The look of the website is very kid-friendly. It gives users the option to view the opinions of others, give their "2 cents" on certain topics, and send their opinion to the candidate of their choice. When you sign up to participate, you are prompted to give your gender, religion, and political party affiliation. The ages of people giving their opinions ranges all the way from 4 to 17. This site allows kids to feel like their voice matters, even though they are not old enough to vote. When kids voice their opinion, they can send a message to friends to let them know. The email that friends receive encourages them to come check out the website and voice their own opinions.

I think this website is a smart idea. When kids have the option to voice their opinions, it gives them a sense of empowerment. This would make them more likely to forward the email to friends. All of the animation on the website is fun and interesting. For instance, the menu is written on a hand. Each issue is represented by a well. You can peek inside the well and view other people's "2 cents." This creative site is definitely a great way to get kids interested in the political process and also a great way to spread the word to other kids.

To view the full article from MarketNet, click here.

Back in February I promised to keep you updated on a campaign that Warner Bros. did for Dark Knight using Heath Ledger's character. I had wondered if they would continue with that campaign despite his passing, or focus on another aspect of the movie. Well it seems they have moved on from the Joker campaign. A campaign for the character played by Aaron Eckhart, Harvey Dent, has recently taken off. Warner Bros. claims that this was the plan all along, but this campaign seems to have picked up where the Joker campaign was forced to leave off.


The viral website acts as a fake campaign site for Harvey Dent's campaign for District Attorney of Gotham City. The site has campaign materials available to download, the option to upload pictures supporting the campaign, and a personal challenge audio clip from Harvey Dent. It offers several ideas of how to show your support for the campaign including: write and perform a "Take Back Gotham" song, see if you can get up a Harvey Dent sign in every single window of your dorm building, and get your friends together and spell out Harvey Dent in human letters. You can sign you or you friends up for updates about the campaign. The site explains why people should show support for Dent:

"Show your support for Harvey Dent! Gotham City is collapsing from a runaway crime wave and Harvey Dent can save it. But he has to run for district attorney first.

The only way he’ll run is if he sees an outpouring of public support. Let’s all get out there and show Harvey Dent he’s got support to take back Gotham! Let’s get those videos and pictures coming!"

I think this campaign is a great example of how to do viral marketing. It has continued to keep fans interested over the past year. There are always new developments and features of the campaign, no matter what character it is focusing on. There are a few new Dark Knight campaign sites that are under construction. The Gotham City Clerk website has a link to the Gotham Times website. There is also a Gotham Election Board website that tells users it will be implementing online voter registration in the near future. I will continue to follow this marketing campaign for updates.

To view the full article from Pulp Secret, click here.

Fire and Ice

SimplyMarry.com is an Indian website devoted to helping people find a spouse. They call themselves "India's only metro-monial site." This site allows its users to choose everything about their desired partner from height to caste or skin color. They teamed up with Mudra, an Indian design company, to develop a viral website. This viral campaign was designed to target their metropolitan target audience. The Fire 'n' Ice website features a touching video that depicts the relationship between man and woman. It shows all aspects of relationships, both good and bad. According to Mr. Rajat Gandhi, Business Head Manager of Simply Marry, the video uses a "route of wit and quick humour reflecting the youth’s mindset and their varying perspectives towards each other during their relationship." Rather than having a "send to friend" option at the end of the video, it has a "send to someone you love" link. It also prompts single viewers to find their own partner. It works in more ways than one in that it reminds married people of their love and influences single people to search for that special someone. This is consistent with the focus of the company.

I think this is a great viral idea because the video transcends language barriers. The song sounds romantic, and you do not need to understand the words to understand the video. The "download song" option is very clever because the song can bring the video and company to mind when people hear it. I think a video that leaves you feeling all "warm and fuzzy" inside is a good way to get people to use a matchmaking website. Their target audience is supposed to be young and hip. While I think this appeals to young women, would young men really be interested in this video? Either way, I think it's a great way to prompt people to search for their soul mate.

To view the full article from India PRwire, click here.

No, You're Not Going Crazy

The screen shot on the right looks like any standard online store, right? Alright, well other than the piece of cake it looks pretty normal! That's what I thought too. HEMA is a Dutch department store. HEMA stands for Hollandse Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam, which translates to Dutch Standard Prices Company Amsterdam. The chain has been around since the mid-1920s. There are 150 stores in the Netherlands, as well as international locations in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. The company has an online shopping website that sells everything you can imagine.






Check out HEMA's viral website. You may be thinking I'm crazy when you first see it, but wait! After a few seconds, the magic begins. The products interact with each other, rolling, falling, squishing, burning, and bumping in a pinball-like fashion. At the end of the show, viewers are prompted to "stuur door naar je vrienden," meaning "forward to your friends." You may be wondering how you view or buy the products. That's the funny part, you can't! This site serves one purpose only, to be a viral marketing tool for the company. None of the links even work on it. To do any shopping, you have to go to HEMA's normal website.
The viral website seems to be a huge success. Many bloggers, like myself, have caught on to this cool website. A quick google search resuls in countless blog posts about the it. I'm hooked even though I don't understand one word on the website. This website gives HEMA a fun, hip brand image. It makes me want to go to one of their stores in hopes that it would be as cool as this! Bravo HEMA!

To view the full article from MadSilence, click here.