MIB3 Attempts to go Viral

Saw this on my way into the offices this morning. At first glance it’s another typical L.A. bus bench that’s been spray painted over, though you don’t get a lot of taggers passing out 800 numbers. Barely a second glance reveals a semi-subtle advertisement for Men in Black 3. The ad assumed the identity of “Bugeyes”, a 14 year old budding conspiracy theorist trying to spread the word of extraterrestrial life on planet earth and the existence of their caretakers, the men in black suits.

Wet paint or Alien goo?

Call the 800 number on the bench and you’ll get a recorded message with several options. Bugeyes will fill you in on what he knows and about his suspicions of a local man named Clive. He gives you a blog URL and Facebook page to visit for more on the eerie goings on as well as a chance to let you record a message to him about what you’ve seen, provided you don’t mind it being used in perpetuity for the marketing of the film.

It’s kinduva overly-blatant attempt to be viral and not the most original campaign I’ve seen, but it DID get me to call the number and visit the site out of sheer curiosity, so I suppose it succeeded on those levels. You can see the site for yourself here: themeninblacksuitsarereal.com or on Facebook, but you’ll probably get more entertainment from the trailer.

Sony/Columbia, if I may make a suggestion? You want to get a lot of attention? You have this crazy lookin talking graffiti character in your teaser for the movie. Wouldn’t it make more sense, and be a helluva lot of fun, to create an augmented reality app that, when you held up your phone to said bench, lets users see him or other aliens from the movie, relaxing, waiting for the next bus? That’s what I’d like to see.

Men in Black III invades theaters May 25, 2012