I like how Disney's promoting their upcoming film "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." While it's nothing new to put up a website, which they did of course, they are doing something that I think will keep people thinking about the film until it's released on December 21.
They are including a number of games and puzzles that get visitors interacting with various elements on the site.
The major parts of the marketing campaign include prizes offered by Odyssey Marine Exploration, a real-life shipwreck exploration company, that adds some provenance to the marketing.
What they are doing is connecting one of the recovered shipwrecks of this company, which dates to the Civil War era of the United States, and tying it into the film, which includes documents supposedly from the diary of Abraham Lincoln's killer, John Wilkes Booth.
Some of the awards for participants in the online games will be directly from the SS Republic, an actual ship from the times of the Civil War. It adds a nice connection between the film and the contest and rewards.
I think what this does is get people thinking of themselves as participating in the film itself; being somewhat of a bit player in the process.
The contest is also running over a 10-week period, ending as the film is about to be released. That should keep it in the minds of potential theater-goers.
The whole idea is to keep people immersed in the story, to the point of needing to go see the release. The only thing I'm wondering is if the 10-week period might be too long. It'll definitely work great for existing fans, the question is will be do something to draw additional fans to the franchise.
This campaign will attract extra interest, it's a matter of if that interest will translate to increased theater attendance. After the new year we'll get that answer. I do think it has some good things going for it that may make it a success.
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