Viral marketing is a relatively new buzzword, and there's an insane amount of it going on to promote The Dark Knight. The folks behind it are setting the bar to new heights with every little piece of their elaborate puzzle, appealing directly to the hardcore fans who thrive on the anticipation for the film and the sheer fun of the hunt. One of those hardcore fans who have played along with it from the beginning is filling us in on the details. Part One here took us up to December of 2007, and Part Two now jumps ahead to help us try to get in on the action as it happens.
by Katrina Lehto
Fancast Movies
I realize I haven't finished catching you up on what has come before in the viral marketing for The Dark Knight, but I couldn't let this pass without letting everyone know. There is a chance for you to get in on some of the action right now. Go to gothamelectionboard.com and register to vote. I registered to vote myself, and was told that I would be sent an e-mail to validate my registration. I then received an e-mail from the "Gotham Election Board" and it said "Thank you for your registration. Please click the link below to verify your email address and receive your complete registration information. Once your address is validated, you will receive your voter registration number." Clicking on the link below that got me my voter ID and allowed me to log in to vote on several propositions. I voted yes on all of them and then voted for Gotham Mayor, District Attorney and Municipal Judge. (I'm not sure if it was related but I got an e-mail from Harvey Dent's campaign asking for me to vote for him during this process. It was well timed, coincidence or not.) I submitted my vote and was thanked for doing my civic duty. "Election results will be released June 13th."
Lending support to something happening on the 13th, there were phones distributed to people through other viral marketing activities (I'll get to talking about those, I promise) and they've gotten text messages on them. As reported by the guys at Superherohype.com, the first message from Humanresources@whysoserious.com reportedly reads "Clowns, are you ready for some laughs? (y/n)". When the person responded with an affirmative, they received "You put a smile on my face. Hope you're not superstitious." in return. This also points to some more viral marketing activity going down this Friday, the 13th..
