io9
Fake billboards for Lost's Oceanic Airlines have been popping up all over the globe, touting their return to service and trips to "Places You Never Imagined," like Ames, Iowa and Tustin, California. They also promote their brand-new website at the bottom of each one of these billboards (which probably weren't cheap to rent). Of course, visiting this site takes you deeper into the rabbit hole. Soon you'll find yourself wasting precious hours while you try to unravel the "mystery" of flight 815.
Although the acting by "Sam," whose significant other was one of the flight attendants on the vanished flight, is more than a bit hammy, the site creators have built a lot of clues and games into his conspiracy website. You'll be visiting other sites, doing research, zooming in on photos for clues, calling phone numbers and generally driving yourself bonkers until Lost returns to the airwaves on January 31st.
Cheesy as it may be, this is as close to Lost as we've come in a long, long time, and it is successfully making us drool for new episodes. Chances are that the writer's strike might make alternate reality games and viral marketing like this the only teat we'll have to suck from until they start filming new episodes. Here's to hoping I'm not trying to track down Cylon DNA by visiting different websites in three months time if Battlestar Galactica doesn't come back soon.
Comments
normally you start with a viral marketing scheme and then turn it into an actual story instead of the other way around.
Yeah, but advertising agencies for the big studios didn't know how to do a proper viral campaign until Dark Knight. So now they're stealing from it.
Man, I love the future of advertising. I can't wait until they start making more commercials for ARGs, like they did for the second season of lost. Hell, I'm sure in 5 years people will be willing to watch an hour of network television just to watch an ARG commercial.
I've been having a lot of fun playing the find815 ARG, and it has me all fired up for the new season. So, I guess this stuff really works.
Abaddon? Creepy.
Hint to directors of web promos: don't shoot all cinematic and linger-y if I have to watch your footage on a tiny window on my laptop. At least they have a "skip" button.
I imagined Aimes, Iowa once. It didn't take much. Much like my home, start with a lot of "flat," add corn, subtract people, and there you have it. You just imagined Aimes Iowa.
On point... Lost can die.
ARGs give me heartburn.
So does Lost, now that I think about it.
I make it a point to only visit obsessive sites that collect up all the "facts" from the ARG's so I don't have to do all that clicking myself and can just read.
Hrm...I think the John Locke character is from Tustin, CA. Coincidence?
I love me some Lost, but I can't get into the ARG thing.
That being said, if I remember correctly:
*SPOILER (Maybe?)*
These billboards are popping up in the cities where the main characters are from.
*FIN*
That is, if I remember correctly.
Its just not billboards. I saw commercials for it last night.
@Metropolis:
Yep, there was just one aired a few minutes ago on VH-1 (did I just admit to watching VH-1?).
Can anyone point me to a good site that summarizes all of this? Too lazy to play ;)
OMG, I saw this last night (in Ames, IA). I know nothing about Lost. I was more like WTF - why is there an airline advertising in Ames when we have no large airport.
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