DigitalDuality
Bluelighter
Making a truly successful online viral marketing campaign is not an easy feat to accomplish. So when a golden opportunity to see a brilliant execution of a successful viral marketing campaign - and learn from it - presents itself, we're definitely taking it! Here's how Warner Bros. pulled it off.
First, the company made a website for The Dark Knight, and put nothing on the page but a graphic.
Because people have been anticipating the movie so much, just the fact that they had put a site up for it got people excited. But when you click the image on the site, you are redirected to another site , with the following graphic and that's all.
http://www.pronetadvertising.com/articles/learn-viral-marketing-from-warner-bros21133.html
After that, yet another site pops up, also (mockingly) in support of Harvey Dent and apparently defaced by the Joker.
However, this time there's a catch. User's can interact with the site, and each user, by entering an email address and a verification code, can receive an email which gives the user (X,Y) coordinates that when entered into a link (also included in the email) will remove one pixel from the defaced poster to reveal an image.
But since participation is limited to one user and one pixel removal per email address, the average user will only be able to participate once. And since every ardent fan is desperate to see what lies beneath, it is in the best interest of every fan to spread the word as much as possible and to get the process going faster and faster so that we can all see what lies beneath. At this point the users undoubtedly take matters into their own hands, start spreading the word and try to get other users to participate and remove pixels.
As you can see, the campaign has successfully become viral and the Warner advertising machine rejoices. Not only have the various sites been submitted to socially driven communities, but there have been incoming links from a multitude of film sites and blogs alike. Within a matter of hours, we have the following reconstruction of the final image:
Also check out a Job Offer from the Joker:
http://whysoserious.com/
First, the company made a website for The Dark Knight, and put nothing on the page but a graphic.

Because people have been anticipating the movie so much, just the fact that they had put a site up for it got people excited. But when you click the image on the site, you are redirected to another site , with the following graphic and that's all.
http://www.pronetadvertising.com/articles/learn-viral-marketing-from-warner-bros21133.html

After that, yet another site pops up, also (mockingly) in support of Harvey Dent and apparently defaced by the Joker.

However, this time there's a catch. User's can interact with the site, and each user, by entering an email address and a verification code, can receive an email which gives the user (X,Y) coordinates that when entered into a link (also included in the email) will remove one pixel from the defaced poster to reveal an image.

But since participation is limited to one user and one pixel removal per email address, the average user will only be able to participate once. And since every ardent fan is desperate to see what lies beneath, it is in the best interest of every fan to spread the word as much as possible and to get the process going faster and faster so that we can all see what lies beneath. At this point the users undoubtedly take matters into their own hands, start spreading the word and try to get other users to participate and remove pixels.

As you can see, the campaign has successfully become viral and the Warner advertising machine rejoices. Not only have the various sites been submitted to socially driven communities, but there have been incoming links from a multitude of film sites and blogs alike. Within a matter of hours, we have the following reconstruction of the final image:

Also check out a Job Offer from the Joker:
http://whysoserious.com/