“The purpose being to not only reach a wider audience by expanding the target market pool, but to expand the narrative itself.” – Andrea Phillips, 2012

The Internet has provided platforms like Facebook, Youtube, or Instagram for modern individuals to engage, communicate, and interact with a pool of shared intelligence and potentially propagate information into different mediums. A good example here would be the viral marketing campaign that was launched by 42 Entertainment to promote Nolan’s 2008 film ‘The Dark Knight’.

“Who is Harvey Dent?” was the question that instilled a deep sense of fascination and curiosity in the public. By transcending the boundaries of multi platform interactivity, the viral marketing campaign not only intensified the interest of existing fans, it also introduced the movie to a demographic that would have otherwise not had an interest. Fake newspapers, scavenger hunts, and even a campaign for Harvey Dent for District Attorney, were all put into motion that further promotes the story of the movie instead of the otherwise unpopular preconceived notion of ‘official release date of an upcoming movie’. The campaign ironically provided fans an immersive sense of “reality”, basically by providing them with an “alternate reality”.