So today I was browsing through my daily list of blogs and to my surprise came across an article about the most expensive piece of merchandise at San Diego Comic Con this year: For $147,000 you can be the proud owner of a very rare treasure indeed- four original toys from the classic sci-fi show “Sargasso Planet.” Then I happened upon another also reporting on it. Both sites wondered about “Sargasso Planet,” and both sites talk about the craziness of the price tag of those toys. The funny thing is? They’re unknowingly reporting on fake toys for a television show that never existed. “Sargasso Planet” is a viral campaign for NBC’s next big show “Day One.” It’s set to take over the “Heroes” time slot and has something to do with a cataclysmic ending of our world and the subsequent survivors.
This by far is one of the more successful and clever bids I’ve seen in a while for a viral campaign, especially at something that’s getting as much attention this year as San Diego Comic Con. There’s already a fansite set up by one of the main characters of Day One, Sargassoplanet.com. It was intentionally designed crudely so it looks like a fan made it on his home computer in his spare time. The site in fact has links to Sargasso Twitter feeds, Facebook groups and Flickr feeds. In other words, without coming out and saying it, it’s a hub for viral marketing.
Well played NBC, well played indeed.
