Universal Turns to Social Nets

NEW YORK Universal Pictures is looking to connect with young moviegoers in new places for its upcoming release, Smokin' Aces. The studio is complementing more traditional advertising on TV and Web sites with a Second Life action game that will let users hunt each other down for the opportunity to win a share of 1 million Linden dollars, the metaverse'svirtual currency, or about $3,750. It is also running a widget campaign that encourages movie fans to spread the word by placing trailers on their blogs and MySpace profiles. Smokin' Aces, starring Alicia Keys, Ben Affleck and Jeremy Piven, opens Jan. 26. The film revolves around a mob informer who is pursued by several different hitmen. Universal hopes to re-create the vibe of the movie in Second Life by offering a video game-like experience. Visitors to an island Universal bought in the virtual world can sign up to be a hitman, charged with hunting down others and given a choice of weapons. The game is set at a virtual Nomad Hotel, which figures prominently in the movie. Doug Neil, svp of digital marketing at Universal, said the studio wanted to go beyond simply offering a screening in Second Life to let fans experience the movie on a deeper level. "It's basically living out the experience of the movie online," he said. Second Life is a small but growing virtual world. It boasts over 2.6 million "residents," although only a third have visited in the last two months and typically about 25,000 are logged on at the same time. Universal also hopes fans will do some of its marketing for it with a widget promotion. The widget containing the film's trailer is available on a wide swath of social media, including MySpace, Bebo, Friendster and Xanga, aswell as NYCMovieParties.com and BlackPlanet. The Smokin' Aces widget plays the movie's preview and invites visitors to the personal Web pages carrying the trailer to embed it on their own sites. Other Web aspects of the campaign include a blog by director Joe Carnahan and a digital version of the comic book he created for the film. "Everything on the Web is in a test mode now," Neil said. "A lot of what we expect the Web to deliver is of a viral nature." Unlike simply uploading the clip to YouTube, custom widgets give advertisers more control. Universal can update the widget with additional promotional footage, and it is tracking the results of the application program through tools provided by Clearspring Technology, the company that provided the widget platform. It will be able to ascertain how many fans have embedded the trailer and how many have viewed it on what sites. "With the data we're collecting, we're starting to get an interesting picture about where the viral hubs are, where the widgets are gaining momentum," said Chris Marentis, CEO of Clearspring. The company is working on tools that will add an option to look up movie times and even buy ticketsdirectly from the application, he said.

Brand Marketing

Universal Turns to Social Nets

Brian Morrissey

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Brian Morrissey