Cloverfield gets Viral

Not since The Blair Witch Project has a film so extensively launched a viral marketing campaign like this... (Back then, a website alone was enough!)

I'm bound to get some of this backwards, since I haven't seen the film, but here goes... Cloverfield is a story about some kind of monster/alien/sea creature that attacks New York. Much like it's occult-themed predecessor, the story is said to be told through friends who were filming a party with their video cameras, again with a hand-held look. And also like Blair Witch, it's been highly publicized both as a film, and as a faux news story. But that's not the only reason I find it interesting.

Their initial tease has gone far beyond the typical teaser type previews that we're used to. (Frightened actors, and fleeting glimpses of the enemy.) They've gone so far as to launch fictional clips on YouTube of the monster coming to shore, prior to the release date. They've also created an invitation to the party on MySpace, and the list goes on. More than anything, I hope the film is actually entertaining and maybe does something as unique with the script as they have with the marketing.

Cloverfield opens 1/18/08. Enjoy the clips:

Official Movie Trailers
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/cloverfield/

English News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KarNwKx5mGY

Japanese News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO2Si3SlY18

Moscow News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWotblAy6Zk

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Robots need mission statements too.

BuyNLarge.com - this is actually a viral mini site for the upcoming Pixar film, "Wall-E", but it's the copy writing that got us tickled.

In particular, you need to check out the Our Company sections. The mission statement and core values pages are hilarious. Please don't come to us and ask for mission statements like these...

Congrats to Pixar on making a corporate funny.

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Bond, Brand Bond.

Culture has a lot to teach us about brands and can give us a glimpse into what consumers are looking for. As I wait for my fresh copy of Casino Royale to arrive in the mail, I rhetorically wonder... why would Hollywood reinvent a cultural icon like James Bond? The answer to me is simple: relevance.

In an age dominated by the likes of Jack Bauer (of TV's "24"), heroes are under more and more pressure to be "real." The "goody two shoes" heros of days gone by aren't resonating with the year 2007. Audiences expect a hero to have real problems. They don't expect their heroes to be perfect, and more importantly, they don't want them to be.

Casino Royale provides a much needed kick start to the James Bond brand. It's generally grittier, edgier, and shows Bond to be (above all other things) human. He makes mistakes. He gets hurt (poisoned, shot, bleeds, and nearly dies). The high sheen that actors (such as Pierce Brosnan) have provided to the Bond role in the past appears to be gone. Here to stay is the new Daniel Craig version. He's out of control. Psychologically unstable. And unmistakably real.

For me, I take this James Bond lesson and apply it to other issues we encounter. Whether we're launching a new consumer product, or introducing a political candidate, today's customer isn't interested in make believe. They want something that feels unmistakably real.

BONUS QUESTION: As we watch the James Bond brand go through the "real filter" it makes me wonder, who's next? What Hollywood franchise is most due for an update, and why?

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