Comments on: Sneaky viral ads

Sneaky viral ads

NortonDC — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:12:06 -0800

OK gang, how many times are we gonna let MetaFilter be made a tool for marketing Hollywood product?

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:13:22 -0800

Heh, the post you're complaining about was tagged pepsiblue.

By: peacay

peacay — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:19:17 -0800

eleventy twelve times

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:26:07 -0800

can someone connect the dots for me here?

By: peep

peep — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:27:45 -0800

OK, I read the whole first post you linked. I'm totally dim - the Morgellon's thing is totally fake, is that what you're saying? I saw a piece on my local news about it, and while I totally thought "psychosomatic" I never thought it was a hoax or anything. If so, hilarious.

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:37:43 -0800

Seems like the slashdot people think the Morgellon's news story linked here is viral marketing for a new movie. I'm skeptical that it is.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:37:51 -0800

I'm not seeing it either. I mean, it's possible that Linklater planted these cases in south Texas, then convinced doctors at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma to act like they're investigating the disease, but it seems like a real stretch to me. I don't see how these two articles really are all related.

By: NortonDC

NortonDC — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:44:53 -0800

jessamyn, the Morgellon's stuff has come out of nowhere to suddenly appear on at least MetaFilter, Boing Boing and Slashdot in the last week. The first comment on the Slashdot link points out the connection to the Dick's A Scanner Darkly and then the comments below that one start examining the shady domain ownership trail for the sites pushing Morgellon's, once they've clued in regarding the marketing connection.

Beyond that, we also got a whole front page post dedicated to getting us to make marketing materials for A Scanner Darkly.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:51:43 -0800

dw, can you confirm that Oklahoma doctors are, indeed, investigating the disease? I mean, the media has been duped before.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:52:20 -0800

As many times as it takes to get it right.

By: LarryC

LarryC — Sun, 21 May 2006 09:52:26 -0800

I don't see the Morgellon's link at all, it seems like fervid speculation. And as to our helping advertise the movie, don't we do the same for every single new Apple and Google product?

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:00:37 -0800

From the slashdot link, I found this. Apparently, the goverment's in on it too.

Also from slashdot: "Of course, the claim that it's a VM campaign for Scanner may be part of the VM campaign for Scanner...."

If this is the case, the infection has clearly spread to from Mefi to Meta. Our real question should be: can we save AskMe? I'm out of Asks this week, but somebody should go over there and query about quarantine procedures for memetic infections.

By: matteo

matteo — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:02:42 -0800

I'm impressed by how the community managed not lose its collective shit after the new Apple stuff came out the other day. the PKD posts were OK -- I was under the impression that ~~nerds~~ MeFi members liked PKD quite a bit.
but maybe I'm biased because, as a good ~~nerd~~ MeFi member, I like PKD quite a bit

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:03:48 -0800

Not just the media, Norton, are you saying that pubmed has been scammed? One of the authors, Stricker RB one hundred and twenty five papers in the database. Raphael B. Stricker, has a pretty impressive CV

Do you think he was paid off or something? Or do you think pubmed was hacked?

I suppose it's possible some marketing people found a strange, but real (or psychosomatic) disease and are promoting it because it fits, but quite frankly it sounds like a pretty paranoid conspiracy theory to me.

By: NortonDC

NortonDC — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:05:42 -0800

Nowhere do I say the disease is fake. I'm asserting that the attention is drummed up by marketeers.

By: mendel

mendel — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:09:21 -0800

And Metafilter lets posters point out things that got their attention. So a movie promo maybe got someone to post an interesting post about a freaky disease. Where's the problem?

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:10:04 -0800

There's some interesting detective work in that Slashdot thread, with evidence tilting both ways.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:11:57 -0800

Nowhere do I say the disease is fake. I'm asserting that the attention is drummed up by marketeers.

Okay, so what then?

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:13:27 -0800

From slashdot:

Both of the websites I've been linked to today, morgellons.org and morgellonsusa.com, are registered by anonymous DNS-by-proxy companies.

Okay, this means nothing. Every time you register a domain these days it asks if you want the extra 'anonymous' option.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:14:26 -0800

I'm impressed by how the community managed not lose its collective shit after the new Apple stuff came out the other day.

Holy shit, you're right. That has to be a first.

Thank you, Apple Fanboys, for not bringing seen-it-everyfuckingwhere Apple news to MeFi!

And, yes, I'm a fanboy myself. Time and place for everything, though.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:15:39 -0800

Here's the earliest version of the Morgellons article on Wikipedia -- February 2005.

From the current Wikipedia article:
Randy S. Wymore, Ph.D., of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, OK is the current Director of Research at the Morgellons Research Foundation (since spring of 2005). Wymore is examining the fibers, scabs and other samples from Morgellons patients. To date, Wymore's preliminary research has no conclusive results.

Here's Wymore's OSU directory entry.

Here are the people listed as with the Morgellons Research Foundation.

Ken Cowles, their media director, was listed as a guest on this Coast to Coast show (February 15, 2005).

Based on all this, you're either looking at Linklater and the studios starting an Astroturf campaign using real people and their credentials in February 2005, or this is a real group of people investigating a medical condition that looks remarkably like something found in a Philip K. Dick novel. And if Occam loaned me his brand-new 20-bladed shaver, I know which of these possibilities would get the clean, close shave with no irritation.

So, if there is any Astroturfing, it would have to be in the cases.

By: scarabic

scarabic — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:17:13 -0800

The first comment on the Slashdot link points out the connection to the Dick's A Scanner Darkly and then the comments below that one start examining the shady domain ownership trail for the sites pushing Morgellon's, once they've clued in regarding the marketing connection.

Let's quote the passages that comprise this airtight prosecution:

1) The "pointing out of the connection"
Ah HAH. The movie Scanner Darkly is coming out soon. It's a viral marketing gag. Although I guess in this case it's a Pull your head out parasite, not a virus ... ;-)

2) "The examination of the shady ownership trail"
Both of the websites I've been linked to today, morgellons.org and morgellonsusa.com, are registered by anonymous DNS-by-proxy companies.

It reeks to high heaven of marketing hoopla.

Norton, I would love nothing more than to believe that this morgellon's disease is fiction, but you're jumping to conclusions and considering Slashdot banter to be conclusive evidence. Please post something more convincing.

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:18:12 -0800

Beyond that, we also got a whole front page post dedicated to getting us to make marketing materials for A Scanner Darkly.

Which worked out pretty well for Chevy.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:19:45 -0800

Every time you register a domain these days it asks if you want the extra 'anonymous' option.

And it's by default if you go through GoDaddy, which they did.

By: NortonDC

NortonDC — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:25:05 -0800

Norton, I would love nothing more than to believe that this morgellon's disease is fiction, but you're jumping to conclusions

Again, I'm not positing that Morgellon's is fiction.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:26:16 -0800

Then what are you positing?

By: scarabic

scarabic — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:41:04 -0800

I'm asserting that the attention is drummed up by marketeers.

But again, you do nothing to support this assertion except point to some slashdot folks who are shooting from the hip about it.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:44:51 -0800

If you want to prove that this is a marketing campaign, then you need to identify the source of the south Texas cases that KVUE and then Fox News picked up.

Honestly, this sounds like a terrible marketing ploy. If it's revealed to be marketing, the backlash of belittling a syndrome no one understands would kill your box office.

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:50:00 -0800

NortonDC, are you part of the conspiracy, too?

Seriously, if you strip away the Morgellon's, this is just meta-pepsiblue. And whoever thought that gross pictures of skin diseases would be a good marketing tool? Imagine the pitch:

"We've worked up a number of campaigns using the abject appeal of dermatological conditions to spread the film. We thought maybe to go with ebola, but our testers show that blood diseases are losing marketshare fast."

"So you want to pair the film with grotesque, stomach-churning mystery ailments? Sounds great! Can we work a speed-freak element in there? It's about drugs, so anything that shows drug-users in the worst possible light will really put butts in the seats. Hey, we need to follow up on all that Requiem for a Dream buzz."

"Lemme ask you: how do you feel about gangrene?"

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:56:06 -0800

This post is viral marketing for NortonDC's forthcoming movie We Have Cameras (in which a trio of intrepid Internet Rangers document and expose shills). The irony is that the main backer of the movie is... PepsiBlue! How could you, NortonDC? How could you?

By: NortonDC

NortonDC — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:10:54 -0800

You're next, languagehat.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:42:24 -0800

NortonDC, you're on crack. You're seeing connections where there aren't any.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:45:44 -0800

(Y'know, now that I think about it, NortonDC's paranoia is actually quite PhilDickian. Very fitting.)

By: alteredcarbon

alteredcarbon — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:46:19 -0800

This 'Scanner Darkly', it's causing a debate? Or just more buzz?? Damn those clever marketeers. *looks at bug crawling across floor*

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:51:05 -0800

Also, NortonDC you're making me want to see this movie.

By: graventy

graventy — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:53:13 -0800

So, you think all of the publicity that happened recently for a new disease with freaky symptoms that has "water cooler topic" written all over it was completely drummed up by Linklater and Co?

I'll have what he's having.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Sun, 21 May 2006 12:46:45 -0800

Metafilter: You're on crack.

By: c13

c13 — Sun, 21 May 2006 13:11:34 -0800

He's not on crack. He's just gotten a case of "brain fog".

By: birdherder

birdherder — Sun, 21 May 2006 13:18:44 -0800

He's not on crack. He's on Substance D.

The new salads from McDonalds is Linklater's doing to get buzz for Fastfood Nation.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sun, 21 May 2006 13:55:49 -0800

Linklater controlls all culture.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Sun, 21 May 2006 15:26:48 -0800

Dammit, now I wanna see the movie. Great campaign. ;)

*swats bug*

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Sun, 21 May 2006 16:39:58 -0800

There is no proof that the conspiracy doesn't exist.

By: wendell

wendell — Sun, 21 May 2006 16:46:41 -0800

Bringing a whole new meaning to "viral marketing".

Anybody who equates Dick's bugs with fibers is either (a) on drugs I never want to try or (b) trying to turn this disease into a promotional device for the movie. Congratulations, NortonDC (and Ohreally and the other Dotslashers), Linklater should be sending you free tickets...

By: exogenous

exogenous — Sun, 21 May 2006 17:44:19 -0800

Parasitic marketing? Also, Oklahoma State seems to take Morgellons pretty seriously.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 21 May 2006 18:20:01 -0800

Yes, exogenous, but you're forgetting the VITAL FACT that RICHARD LINKLATER is from TEXAS.

Oklahoma, Texas...well, I don't have to spell it out.

By: onlyconnect

onlyconnect — Sun, 21 May 2006 19:00:38 -0800

By: Tlogmer

Tlogmer — Sun, 21 May 2006 20:48:58 -0800

Warner forgot to send me my cheque.

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Sun, 21 May 2006 21:18:15 -0800

Suckers!

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 22:06:06 -0800

Yes, exogenous, but you're forgetting the VITAL FACT that RICHARD LINKLATER is from TEXAS.

You don't seem to understand the white-hot hate for Texas that brews in the heart of every Oklahoman. There's a reason Okies call it Baja Oklahoma.

And Linklater is from Austin, home of the Texas Longhorns. Do you not know about The War that happens every October between the Stealers of Land and the Steers? No Okie would be caught dead collaborating with the enemy like him. Not even Jeanne Tripplehorn.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sun, 21 May 2006 22:50:45 -0800

So like Oklahoma is Texas' canada?

By: dw

dw — Sun, 21 May 2006 23:01:38 -0800

Wouldn't being "Texas' Canada" imply that it's a liberal place with universal healthcare and a love of hockey? Because Oklahoma is only one of these. (two hints which one)

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Sun, 21 May 2006 23:39:14 -0800

Is this AskMe post evidence of viral marketing mission creep?

By: bingo

bingo — Mon, 22 May 2006 02:48:48 -0800

I'm impressed by how the community managed not lose its collective shit after the new Apple stuff came out the other day.

I was going to post about that time-lapse thing with the 5th avenue store and the louvre-like entrance, but I was so sure someone else had beat me to it that I didn't bother.

By: flashboy

flashboy — Mon, 22 May 2006 03:12:13 -0800

The film is actually a marketing tool for the disease.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Mon, 22 May 2006 07:37:39 -0800

Thanks for the investigative work, dw. I still want to believe the disease is a fake; that'd be a lot more fun, yes? But your sources seem to indicate otherwise.

By: davy

davy — Mon, 22 May 2006 07:58:32 -0800

Please, don't anybody mention Mefites made up like movie "zombies" staggering around in public. That's not "pepsiblue", it's avant garde performance art!

By: dg

dg — Mon, 22 May 2006 20:35:44 -0800

To answer the question, at least once more, I bet.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Tue, 23 May 2006 09:15:17 -0800

davy writes "Please, don't anybody mention Mefites made up like movie 'zombies' staggering around in public. That's not 'pepsiblue', it's avant garde performance art!"

C'mon, not that tired old horse again. PepsiBlue is intentionally seeded publicity. Unless some guy planned/seeded the whole zombie horde thing as a promotional gimmick, it isn't Pepsi Blue. You can call it "playing into their hands", but calling it "Pepsi Blue" or "astroturfing" is just changing the definitions of words around, and when you start changing the defenses of worms, it glops riotously horse two cavalier.