Random Culture

Google Promoting DaVinci Code

In an unprecedented move, Google has teamed up with Sony Pictures to promote the upcoming DaVinci Code movie. The promotion involves adding a DaVinci Code widget to your personalized Google homepage, where players are prompted to solve a series of puzzles. Start playing the game here.

According to the official Google Blog, the puzzles will "be released over the next 24 days, in the form of six different challenges at four difficulty levels."

And there are some pretty good prizes as well, including a $100,000 grand prize package that includes a trip to Paris, Rome and London.

This is a really big deal... Google has traditionally shied away from giving advertisers any outlets beyond Adwords. So are we likely to see more promotions like this? I'm not sure that we will. This particular promotion seems to stem more out of a passion for the material than anything else. But who knows?

Google Promoting DaVinci Code

In an unprecedented move, Google has teamed up with Sony Pictures to promote the upcoming DaVinci Code movie. The promotion involves adding a DaVinci Code widget to your personalized Google homepage, where players are prompted to solve a series of puzzles. Start playing the game here.

According to the official Google Blog, the puzzles will "be released over the next 24 days, in the form of six different challenges at four difficulty levels."

And there are some pretty good prizes as well, including a $100,000 grand prize package that includes a trip to Paris, Rome and London.

This is a really big deal... Google has traditionally shied away from giving advertisers any outlets beyond Adwords. So are we likely to see more promotions like this? I'm not sure that we will. This particular promotion seems to stem more out of a passion for the material than anything else. But who knows?

Xbox 360 Viral Marketing

Microsoft has launched a cryptic site for the upcoming Xbox 360 console: www.origenxbox360.com

It appears that this effort is some variation of an alternate reality game. At the very least, an alternate reality episode or puzzle. The site contains only the following items: a tree, a rabbit sign and a countdown clock. You may remember a countdown being used on the recent OurColony site. No one seems to be sure what the significance of the countdown date of September 27th means. There's speculation that it may be an exclusive preview of the Xbox 360 for those lucky enough to decipher the clues on this site.

You can read more about the effort, and some of the speculation here and here.

Link via AdFreak.

Xbox 360 Viral Marketing

Microsoft has launched a cryptic site for the upcoming Xbox 360 console: www.origenxbox360.com

It appears that this effort is some variation of an alternate reality game. At the very least, an alternate reality episode or puzzle. The site contains only the following items: a tree, a rabbit sign and a countdown clock. You may remember a countdown being used on the recent OurColony site. No one seems to be sure what the significance of the countdown date of September 27th means. There's speculation that it may be an exclusive preview of the Xbox 360 for those lucky enough to decipher the clues on this site.

You can read more about the effort, and some of the speculation here and here.

Link via AdFreak.

Perplex City Update

Perplex City, the Alternate Reality Game we've talked about here before, is set to kick off tomorrow, July 13th. Wired has a great article about this most recent ARG, and talks about some of the pressures of following some the latest and greatest ARGs, like I Love Bees and the Art of the H3ist.

Perplex City is doing things differently, however. First off, they're giving away $200,000. But they're also recouping some costs by having game players buy a pack of cards at $5 each (currently out of stock, but it looks like they're getting more in). As the Wired article notes, the cards are "the key to Perplex City's fortunes."

While you're at it, you can learn more about the company behind Perplex City, Mind Candy Design. I can't wait to figure out what product it is they're promoting.

Perplex City Update

Perplex City, the Alternate Reality Game we've talked about here before, is set to kick off tomorrow, July 13th. Wired has a great article about this most recent ARG, and talks about some of the pressures of following some the latest and greatest ARGs, like I Love Bees and the Art of the H3ist.

Perplex City is doing things differently, however. First off, they're giving away $200,000. But they're also recouping some costs by having game players buy a pack of cards at $5 each (currently out of stock, but it looks like they're getting more in). As the Wired article notes, the cards are "the key to Perplex City's fortunes."

While you're at it, you can learn more about the company behind Perplex City, Mind Candy Design. I can't wait to figure out what product it is they're promoting.

LOST Alternate Reality Game

It looks like the hit ABC series LOST may be using Alternate Reality Gaming as a way to sustain interest and interact with hardcore fans while waiting for the next season...

A site has been created for "Oceanic Air", the airline company featured in the series. It's a fake company site, of course, and contains some interesting hidden information pertinent to the show. This looks to be an official ABC effort, rather than fan created content. In addition... the "Oceanic Air" site directs users to this website.

Update: Another site thrown into the mix, for one of the LOST survivors' band, Drive Shaft.

LOST Alternate Reality Game

It looks like the hit ABC series LOST may be using Alternate Reality Gaming as a way to sustain interest and interact with hardcore fans while waiting for the next season...

A site has been created for "Oceanic Air", the airline company featured in the series. It's a fake company site, of course, and contains some interesting hidden information pertinent to the show. This looks to be an official ABC effort, rather than fan created content. In addition... the "Oceanic Air" site directs users to this website.

Update: Another site thrown into the mix, for one of the LOST survivors' band, Drive Shaft.

OurColony: Update 5

Well, the countdown on the OurColony clock has ended, and on the homepage, you can now download a video that releases more details about Xbox 360. It looks to be a pretty interesting game console, and surely there will be even more details coming out at E3.

But it felt like an odd way to end the OurColony experience, with really no mention of anything about OurColony itself... One of the interesting things about using an alternate reality game to market a product is that you have two distinct audiences... the ARG fanatics, and the product fanatics. Was this conclusion to OurColony disappointing to all the ARG fanatics out there?

OurColony: Update 5

Well, the countdown on the OurColony clock has ended, and on the homepage, you can now download a video that releases more details about Xbox 360. It looks to be a pretty interesting game console, and surely there will be even more details coming out at E3.

But it felt like an odd way to end the OurColony experience, with really no mention of anything about OurColony itself... One of the interesting things about using an alternate reality game to market a product is that you have two distinct audiences... the ARG fanatics, and the product fanatics. Was this conclusion to OurColony disappointing to all the ARG fanatics out there?