Playing to Win

This past weekend I was in Canada as my family there was throwing my wife and I a small wedding reception. While there we visited my grandfather a few times who, though physically handicapped since WWII and wheelchair-bound for a good portion of that, has remained to this day one of the smartest and most mentally fit people I know. Though he has fell into a weaker state lately, he came out with a quote the during our last visit that set me aback.

"If you play a game to lose, you shouldn't be playing at all."

Every day of our lives whether in our personal lives or in business we climb obstacles that we fear falling from. This quote, to me, seems to represent how my grandfather lived his life. I've never once heard from him that something was impossible or that something may be too hard to accomplish. He set his goals, through determination achieved them and continued on.

Sometimes the most obvious of comments can be the most profound.

Viral Marketing Gets LOST

Okay, so I'm a LOST junkie. Yes, I'm one of those people who come into work the next day and talk your ear off about how GENIUS the show is. I'm one of those schmucks who gets conned into surfing the web after an episode to find those creepy hidden clues.

However, peeling back the skin of ABC's LOST reveals a genius marketing engine (yes, I used the word 'genius' again). Whether you like the show, hate it or don't care either way whether Michael is really one of the 'Others' we can all learn from the efforts put forth in making the show as popular as it has become.

If you're not familiar with the show, it surrounds a group of plane crash survivors 'lost' on an island who attempt to decipher strange occurences, structures and creatures that inhabit the island. Beyond that is an overlying reason for them being on the island that remains a mystery.

However, there are so many elements that make the show interesting both on air and off. The show is saturated with symbolism, mathematical schemes, phylosophy and mysterious character connections that have been the fuel for viewer speculation. Each episode is followed by a flood of internet traffic where viewers talk about the show and attempt to decipher the new clues presented.

Having noted the massive following of LOST, creators decided to fuel the fire with their own viral campaigns. The campaign started with a web site developed as a corporate presence for the ficticious airline, Oceanic Airlines. Users found that by clicking around the site in certain combinations they were given additional clues or information pertaining to the show. This was followed by numerous other campaigns including a site for the ficitious company The Hanso Foundation and a site made by a ficticious band presented in the show, Drive Shaft.

Producers have also launched several television commercials, newspaper and magazine advertisements that look like ads for the ficticious companies featured in LOST. Recently they also released a book, "Bad Twin", which makes mention of The Hanso Foundation adding to the mystery.

Message boards, podcasts and water coolers are jam-packed with viewers discussing the intricacies of the show, LOST. In fueling the discussions, producers have found a way to keep viewers involved by empowering with the means to decipher the show's mysteries and talking.
Last week I found myself on the phone with my step-father, both of us trying to unlock clues on a web site promoted on a new television commercial for the Hanso Foundation (http://www.sublymonal.com/). Once I hung up the phone I sat back and looked at the situation. What was I doing? How did I become a marketing guinea pig? The answer is easy. They empowered me to make my experience fun and intiguing. Even as a marketing professional, I couldn't resist!

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