‘District 9′ Viral Campaign Attracts Thousands Of Calls
The viral marketing campaign employed to promote Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming sci-fi thriller District 9 seems to be working. According to Sony Pictures some 33,000 people have called the number on their billboards. Humorously, two and a half thousand of those reported sighting an alien.
Sony’s co-president of worldwide theatrical marketing, Marc Weinstock, admits that Sony had no idea that such a unique marketing campaign would be so successful.
“We wanted to do something provocative and that would create a stir,” said Weinstock. “But we had no idea to what extent we’d connect.”
Sony’s president of digital marketing, Dwight Caines, adds: “The concept for this movie is unique, and we wanted to do that justice. In a world where aliens existed, what’s the first thing a government would need to do to manage their existence on this planet? You see regulations and restrictions, curfews, news of where you can and can’t go.”
If you want to see what Caines means by the concept of District 9 being unique, watch the trailer here. You can also read more about the film and watch Neill Blomkamp’s Alive in Joburg (the original short film that District 9 is based upon) here.
District 9 will hit theaters:
14 August 2009 – USA
13 August 2009 – Australia
Source: LA Times
