Cloverfield Movie: Viral Marketing Infects San Francisco

What is Cloverfield? 1-18-08 Viral Marketing Fever: Catch It!

Do our corporate overlords actually pay people to mark up the sidewalks of San Francisco for the purpose of promoting their goods? Yes, they do. Didn't Paramount Studios learn from the expensive mistakes made by IBM and NBC a few years back?

Well actually, it appears Paramount DID learn from past transgressions, as these chalk markings we saw being put down all over the place will come off pretty easily. But this kind of approach doesn't work at all anyway. You're not going to check out the offical trailer or the affiliated, clue-laden fake web sites (some, like Slusho.jp written partially in Japanese). You're not even going to look at the crossover promotion they've got going on Alias featuring pouty spy Jennifer Garner. Nobody in San Francisco is ever going to respond to this kind of tactic. We're above that kind of thing.

So, Paramount, take your chalk bag and go home! Just start heading south and you'll find the 101 in no time. Or just wait around for the High Speed Rail. Either way.