June 27, 2008
When a Hollywood studio wants to generate buzz for a blockbuster, TV ads and billboards don't cut it. The folks behind "Batman: The Dark Knight" (opening July 18th) took a sneakier route. Studio 360's Eric Molinsky was a recent target.
How can you talk about Obama Girl without mentioning the reported news that she failed to vote in the primary!
PS: What is with the media mantra that BO is "good looking". Must be a new component of "affimative action" for "ugly" candidates because they said the same thing about Kerry.
Maybe they can get Denzel Washington to play BO in the debates.
Kind of missed alot with this story. I mean the whole point of the Batman 'viral trail' lead to a contest to be an extra in the movie. Indeed it was to help build buzz for the film, but the clues and the contest were a game. These 'games' have been used to promote videogames and movies long before "Obama Girl". Check out wikipedia for the info on the Halo 2 'viral' trail.
Hi Alex,
You're right, 42 Entertainment is one of the best companies at viral marketing because they turn it into a game that engages fans for months. They don't try to infect the entire culture with a virus -- that strategy fails more often than it succeeds. I actually did talk about that in the piece, but that section had to be cut for time before we aired.
Eric
Please keep your comments relevant to this entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments on Studio 360 are moderated. Studio 360 reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the studio360.org Comment Guidelines before posting.
<< Back to Episode
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and
DK Eyewitness Travel. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
