ExperienceCurve by Karl Long

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Social Media and New Marketing Strategy

Apr 3, 2007

Nine Inch Nails Using Alternate Reality Game (ARG or “Big Game”) To Market New Album

I think the concept of marketing using “big games” or ARG’s is one of the most exciting marketing concepts that has emerged in recent years. The way it combines customer experience, co-creation, word of mouth, and customer engagement and lets not forget FUN, makes it a very powerful tool in a marketers repertoire. As Trent says though this is not just about marketing but a new form of entertainment.

To promote new album “Year Zero,” Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor is using a multimedia scavenger hunt that leads fans to online destinations, reports CNN. The campaign will encompass everything from cryptic phrases on T-shirts to Orwellian Web sites to MP3s found on USB drives in bathrooms at NIN concerts.

A source with knowledge of the project says Reznor perceives it all not as a marketing campaign but as “a new entertainment form.” 42 Entertainment is helping to create the experience; that’s the agency behind 2005’s “alternate-reality game” promoting the Halo 2 videogame for the XBox.

Via

Trent Reznor

iamtryingtobelieve.com

Related: Five Trends Driving Big Games

6 Comments, Comment or Ping

  1. Michael Wagner

    “it combines customer experience, co-creation, word of mouth, and customer engagement and lets not forget FUN”

    Man, this is the Swiss Army Knife of marketing concepts!

    I should not have read this post just before bed time. My mind is racing.

    Thanks for extending this conversation.

    Keep creating…it freaks people out,
    Mike

    Apr 3rd, 2007

  2. karl long

    Thanks so much Michael, I really think it’s a very big idea, and the tools are getting to a point where you can do some very creative stuff.

    Apr 3rd, 2007

  3. nin fan

    if you all are interested in just how complex the year zero “experience” is, check out the fan-created nin wiki at http://ninwiki.com/

    and how about the RIAA suing websites that host the tracks purposely leaked by the band via “MP3s found on USB drives in bathrooms at NIN concerts.”

    Apr 5th, 2007

  4. karl long

    Wow, thanks nin fan, that is a very interesting and useful resource, and yes I can well believe that the RIAA are suing fans, why wouldn’t you sue your customers :-)

    Apr 5th, 2007

  5. Niamh Kiernan

    It is interesting to learn about ARGs. I had not heard of the term and of course it has now got me thinking.

    Nov 13th, 2007

  1. This Is Mind Candy - Apr 6th, 2007

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