Viral Advertising

The film Prometheus used various methods to advertise the film. As you would expect for a major Hollywood blockbuster there were the usual trailers on television and posters. In addition to this adverts and websites for the fictional organisation futuristic products found in the film can be found all over the internet. In the film which is set in the year 2093 Guy Pearce’s character Peter Weyland appears as a very elderly man probably about 90 years old. This was done so that a fake TED talk could be created where Guy Pearce appears as Peter Weyland in the year 2023 when the characters organisation ‘Weyland Industries’ is supposed to have been created. There is a very realistic looking website dated 2073 for ‘Weyland industries’ which contains detailed information about the company, for example it is valued at $218 trillion and employs 619.698 million people on planet earth. Michael Fassbenders character in the film is a robot and a viral advert for this type of robot starring an unnerving Michael Fassbender as his character was created. I am impressed with this level of detail in film advertising; it is quite submersive and builds tension and excitement up to a film’s release really well. It is an example of innovation in advertising and an excellent use of a widely accessible medium.

Weyland Industries