Until a judge says otherwise, WB is moving forward with its ad campaign for Watchmen. With that news, we catch wind that a new website is launched to support the movie.
I just got word that a Watchmen viral website has launched – TheNewFrontiersman.net. In the Watchmen comics, Rorschach is obsessed with conspiracy theories, and gets much of his information from a far right-wing magazine called the New Frontiersman.
The site lacks content, so clicking over to TheNewFrontiersman.net would just get you a look at the spash image above.
Also, /Film calls it a viral site. In the words of Spacey’s Lex Luthor…. WRONG!
If its viral, it catches on and infects the media unintentionally. Numa-Numa guy and the spastic Star Wars kid were viral. They never intended to be famous. This is pure marketing. Not viral. If you have to label a website as viral, then it automatically is disqualified as viral.
But aside from that, it looks to be very well designed and for fans of the graphic novel, this would be the perfect name for a website devoted to sharing insider information and scoops about the film, much like the conspiracy publication in the novel did.
Pure geektastic genius.
Calling it viral is a misnomer – you’re right if an idea’s good enough it will ‘go viral’.
The New Frontiersman is a very integral part of the ‘Watchmen’ book, and I imagine something which would be difficult to incorporate into the film. They are so many facets and layers to the original book that Zack Snyder will have to find a way of including in the film. Perhaps using internet allows him to concentrate on the main narrative on screen while archiving the back-stories online.
I’m intrigued to see how he’ll weave The Black Freighter comic book element into the film though?
When will we see some content though!?
I agree with you except for the definition of viral marketing.
I work in advertizing and we define viral marketing as advertizing that spreads and multiplies by itself. Like a funny YouTube-clip you pass on to your friends. Then there is Guerrilla Marketing, an unconventional, low budget approach.
The Frontiersman website is, like you say, neither.
Games prizes and events dont make it viral either.
Its just promotion.
Viral is something that catches on unintentionally. Intentionally making a website to promote the movie doesn’t make it viral.
The Dark Knight “viral” websites also were not viral. Just advertising.
That would be like saying, “I went to the theater and they showed some viral trailers before the movie, and I picked up a viral magazine with articles about other movies and saw a viral poster or two on my way out.”
Its just advertising. Adding “viral” to it is just more advertising making you want to be a part of the supported promotional materials.
Technically you’re both right, this kind of advertising has been considered viral marketing, although I’m not really sure this can be donimated by either term since it’s nothing like The Dark Knight or Cloverfield marketing that had games with prizes and events.
now thats aweosme