Tag Archives: arg

Marvel’s The Avengers Augmented Reality App

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Marvel‘s going crazy when it comes to incorporating technology, especially augmented reality, into the entertainment they produce.  The latest involves the Avengers which hits theaters May 4.  There’s a free iPhone and Android augmented reality app that improves the more you shop.  Marvel and Walmart worked with Super Hero AR for the experience.  You can choose six super heroes and fight enemies overlaid on top of the real world around you.  You start with just Hawkeye and need to visit Walmart to get other heroes like The Hulk or Iron Man by pointing your phone at a QR Code in the store.

But there’s more… In Walmart there’s superhero placards and when you point your phone at them a life-size version of the hero will pop up on the screen.  You can then snap a photo and share it to social networks.

Walmart will be carrying around 600 different movie tie-in products, so it makes sense why the two companies are driving traffic to those stores and the app is exclusive to the controversial chain.  There’s also a T-Mobile promotion at the stores were employees will demonstrate the app on Android phones.

Marvel launched Marvel AR last month which uses augmented reality in their comic books.

Amazing Spider-Man Goes Viral

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It looks like Sony has been paying attention to what’s worked for a certain dark knight…. they’ve decided to launch a few viral/arg’ish elements in the lead up to this summer’s blockbuster movie reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man.  At Wondercon, this poster was seen around the convention.

That poster has the hint to go to the website webbedmenace.com.  That website has various elements including this video “Law vs. Disorder” which is part of the Daily Bugle‘s YouTube channel and is an interview with  Captain Stacy (played by Denis Leary).

The website also encourages folks to submit photos of Spider-Man committing crimes… an engaging, fun and creative element.

 

 

The Dark Knight Rises ARG Launches and Reveals Bane

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The Alternate Reality Game (ARG) for The Dark Knight Rises has launched and has revealed the first look at Bane.  Much like for The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. is using games and puzzles to promote the upcoming movie.  Generally referred to as ARGs, this type of marketing forces the consumer to complete tasks or puzzles, often working with others, to get teases about the products.  The previous Batman films featured and it’s been used by bands like Nine Inch Nails, a pioneer in this type of promotion.

When you head to the movie website you are greeted by music and a black screen.  One member of the Superherohype Forums then discovered in the spectrum the music says #thefirerises.

The Fire Rises

That hashtag tipped off people to this Twitter account, http://twitter.com/thefirerises.  That Twitter account then took you to a link with this photo.

Bane_ARG

That’s a photo of actor Tom Hardy who plays Bane in the movie.  What’s even neater is the photo is made up of the icons of the Twitter and Facebook users who have partaken so far.  This has just started and looks to be as fun as the “I Believe in Harvey Dent” political campaign that was run.

Here’s a clearer picture of Bane.

Bane The Dark Knight Rises

S.H.I.E.L.D. DataCore

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Marvel Comics has embraced the idea of Alternate Reality Games with their “Embrace Change” campaign for their recent Secret Invasion event.  From websites, print ads, and even television Marvel has looked towards media and especially new media to promote their series and events.  It is with little surprise that a new campaign is stirring with their Dark Reign thread permeating their books over the next year.

After the events of Secret Invasion the villains have take over as Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) has become the National Director of Security for the U.S. and is now overseeing all super human activity and in charge of the Shield replacement, Hammer.

Dark Reign: New Nation, which came out this past week, promoted the new upcoming series sprouting up from this new status quo.  After the teaser story for Secret Warriors a website is given, http://www.agentofnothing.com/.  The series protagonists have been described as terrorists in various interviews as they are up against the legitimized former villains.

If anyone has the password to crack this site post up here, but I look forward to seeing what Marvel has up their sleave both in story line and extension of it online.

Mayor Hundred the Original Obama?

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In the latest issue of Ex Machina, a flashback is shown as the Great Machine decides to give up crimefighting for politics.

Effective immediately, I am retiring from volunteer community crimefighting.  And running as your independent candidate for Mayor of the great city of New York.  I’m hoping to be part of a truly grassroots campaign, one that will finally utilize the internet’s true potential to reach all voters.  Starting today, contributions as small as one dollar can be made directly to my new website at http://www.hundred4mayor.net.  That’s the word hundred and the number four, so please don’t–

The interesting part of the above quote is the focus on small contributions and the internet as a grassroots tool for campaigning.  Both show an understanding of the tool and the history of it’s evolution of use by the writer of the series.  What caught my attention was the use of a real world website (not sure if there’s an alternative like 555 for phone numbers on television).

With great dialogue showing an understanding of the internet by the writer of the comic book, it seems DC’s marketing team doesn’t quite have the same level of understanding.  DC and it’s parent company Warner Bros. dropped the ball on this one.  Having shown a brilliance for alternate reality games (arg) for the film the Dark Knight, including a fake campaign site for character Harvey Dent, one would think there was a possibility that they’d do a similar campaign for this comic book’s fake campaign (hell you could use the Dent site and change some text and graphics).

To my surprise, on a whim, I decided to see if the above web address and it’s .com equivalent were available.  To my shock, they were, and without missing a beat I purchased both (both are redirected to this site).  We’ll see and keep you updated as to the traffic lost through this slip up.

No malice is meant, just an interesting missed opportunity by DC I think (especially in this political season).

SPOILER – With the books hint at a Presidential run by Mayor Hundred I wonder if DC and Warner Bros. will take the opporunity for a real cool website tie in.

Batman ARG Live Stream?

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Wow, looks like a missed something really cool on July 7th. Citizens for Batman which has been covered in an earlier post showed a sign of force to promote the upcoming movie The Dark Knight. In New York City and Chicago, giant Batman logos were posted on the sides of buildings.

Now the cooler part, and what appears I missed, is a live streaming of this event along with a chat room.  As far as political actions goes, that holds in a place in my heart.  Last year I was a part of the Chris Dodd for President internet team where we made live streaming and chat rooms a big part of what we did online, introducing UStream to the political scene.

Maybe we rubbed off on the Batman ARG?  Too cool to even think about.

The Dark Knight ARG Continues

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Citizens for Batman

In Frank Miller’s the Dark Knight Returns we saw the writer take on some of the citizen reaction to Batman’s return to Gotham. It looks like Chris Nolan’s upcoming movie the Dark Knight might be incorporating part of that story in his latest take on Batman.

Continuing the very political Alternate Reality Game (ARG), a website called Citizens for Batman has popped up online. The first thing I notice is the site is a .org and not the usual .com. It’s a protest site praising the work Batman has done for the citizens of Gotham proclaiming, “Don’t Let City Hall Arrest Batman!”.

The political portion is pretty clear:

VOTE “YES” ON PROP D
Batman has been called many things – a menace, a legend, an enigma – but, the one title that seems to follow him wherever he goes is “vigilante.” Because of this label, Batman has been unfairly dogged by the Gotham authorities for far too long. But now, voters have the chance to help him do his job. Proposition D will require the Gotham Police to turn their priorities from so-called “vigilantes” and make them focus their efforts on the real criminals. So, when you go to the polls, say “yes” to a safer city, say “yes” to supporting a true hero and say “yes” to Prop D.

The site also sports a forum with this post from June 13th:

Looks like we didn’t do it! Proposition D is going down. This stinks! How could people have done this!

Much like the campaign site for Harvey Dent, the blurring of real world politics and the greater Batman storyline is blurred as discussion of civic engagement, best practices on how to engage people, and how to register to vote are discussed.

Overall kudos to Warner Bros. and the company running their ARG. I do wonder the spill over of this imaginary civic engagement and any real civic engagement in the real world. Any chance this story has driven real life action and engagement?

Harvey Dent for AG?

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Just received this email from the Batman Dark Knight movie ARG:

If someone were to tell me four months ago that Harvey Dent was going to win by the biggest margin in Gotham City history, I would have directed him to Arkham Asylum. But that’s the big story today. Thanks to the incredible efforts of people like you, we have changed the fate of Gotham City.
Harvey Dent won every precinct, every neighborhood, every demographic, and every gender and age group. His sweeping victory shows just how far the desire for real change goes in Gotham City.
This is not just Harvey Dent’s victory, it’s your victory. You passed out flyers, rallied, marched, created political videos, and got out and voted. You made your voices heard. And today, the entire world can hear you. Today, “Take Back Gotham” is not just a slogan – it is a reality.
This is the last campaign email we’re sending out. Now, we turn our energies to the hard job of fighting and winning the war on crime and corruption. We’ll need your help – to keep the pressure up on the politicians, to show the criminals our will, and to support Harvey Dent’s crackdown on corruption.
Together, we will save Gotham City.
Allan Cypes
Media Manager

Dark Knight’s Political ARG

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With the release in a few weeks of Warner Bros. newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, I felt it was a good time to look at their political themed Alternative Reality Game. Taking place over months this promotion has followed the election of the character Harvey Dent for Gotham’s District Attorney. This online promotion has bled into the real world leading to “Dent Mobile’s” traveling the US handing out campaign signs for the faux candidate (I’ll get a photo of one this weekend).

The side story has included a campaign website for Dent as well as election board site for the city of Gotham. Since March I’ve received 8 emails laying out the election ups and downs for the fake candidate. Honestly the layout, tone, subject line, “from”, and graphics of the emails have often surpassed actual real world candidates. The asks, tone, and length of the emails are very realistic and focused and makes me long to hire this imaginary campaign team for a real world go.

Below you can find the latest email I received and if you’d like I’d be happy to post up the rest.

It’s been an incredible last few weeks. Ever since the vicious smear campaign collapsed and Harvey Dent’s remarkable courage at the hostage crisis at Rossi’s Deli, our campaign has ridden a wave of support I have never seen in all my political life.
Our Headquarters reopened and thousands of volunteers show up here every day, every night, fighting for change. Fundraising has reached incredible heights, with over 100,000 Gotham citizens contributing their hard-earned money in support of Harvey Dent’s vow to take back Gotham.
We’ve expanded our reach, opening branches in neighborhoods that haven’t seen political campaigns take them seriously for decades. And we’ve harnessed the incredible grassroots support by sending volunteers to knock on doors throughout the city. Amazingly, we will achieve our two millionth door knock sometime in between now and Election Day.
Harvey Dent has committed himself to lead the charge to take back our city, face down the criminal and corrupt and restore hope for our future.
Now, we need your help. We need to get out the vote!. And we need you to vote yourself. If you can’t make it to the polls, go to www.gothamelectionboard.com and find out how you can vote online. Working together, we will take back Gotham!
Allan Cypes
Media Manager