Chapter 89

The newly revised promotional plan has begun to be implemented.

The entire promotional period is divided into four stages, with new content being released in each stage.

The first stage is in the first month, during which the distribution department will intensify the promotional efforts, unleashing the "viral bomb" to attract widespread attention from movie fans.

On the newly launched official website of "The Matrix," most people were puzzled by the green digital rain on the site: What is this movie about? Who can make sense of this rain-like digital stream?

"Is it a dream, or not a dream?"

"Is it reality, or virtual?"

The website lists two simple sets of opposing words, arousing many people's curiosity.

Isn't it about hackers? Why are there scenes of a superhero flying, and what does this have to do with hackers?

What does the movie title "The Matrix" mean?

Apart from a solitary trailer hanging on the website, there are also some mini-games. To see more content or get a glimpse of something others can't see, you need to complete tasks like maze games.

The game is called "Follow the Rabbit," and the final goal is to find "Wonderland," drawing on the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland." It also fits the movie's plot. After some netizens completed the maze game, they received a hint: "This reality is virtual; you are in a virtual world."

Completing the game naturally comes with some rewards, such as "a new movie poster," "a new interview video," "a funny behind-the-scenes clip," and so on.

But before the netizens figure out the next move, they receive a new hint: "The computer police are tracking you, run, don't get caught!"

The players have no choice but to continue playing.

Some lucky players receive small model toys of "mechanical squids" or "The Matrix" T-shirts.

The luckiest viewers get precious premiere tickets, only fifty in total.

This is the second stage of the promotion.

During this stage, the characters in the movie are deeply explored. Neo's character is very popular among female fans, and Kate Beckinsale's video has received extremely high views, even being hailed by many netizens as the most beautiful dark goddess.

Her actions and scenes are shot so beautifully by Chen Tian, and her moves are so cool.

Similarly, Charlize Theron also receives a lot of attention. She plays a female computer police officer who frequently appears in the mini-games and is also hailed as the most beautiful female agent, almost on par with the female robot in "Terminator 2."

During this process, it's also a time for netizens to showcase their intelligence. Often, as soon as a clue is released, someone has already cracked it.

Of course, this can also be due to the viral marketing team helping behind the scenes, often releasing some game-clearing information. Some experts have identified the ID frequently releasing information as a plant from the movie company. These posts need to be deleted promptly. However, it is understandable because the goal of viral marketing is to spark interest. If everyone is stumped, they lose the interest in solving the puzzles, and the marketing goal cannot be achieved.

At the same time, advertisements, videos, flash, and email messages begin to spread on various websites.

Gradually, more and more people learn about the movie.

Since no one in the entire promotional team understands viral marketing better than Chen Tian, he had to cancel his holiday and abandon his plan to meet Kate in Europe, leaving her waiting for a long time.

Although Kate didn't say anything, Chen Tian could sense that she was very unhappy.

He was also helpless. Now, while both of them are not very famous, it's still manageable. But if their work becomes busier in the future, such long-term separations will likely increase... He was busy for the movie, and there was no better solution, so he had to do it this way.

The viral promotion of the movie needs to strike a balance—neither too secretive nor too revealing. It should familiarize the audience with the movie in advance while still keeping some surprises for when they watch it.

Easier said than done. Many movies fail to strike this balance during promotion, resulting in the audience already knowing everything about the movie before they see it, losing the excitement of watching it.

Under Chen Tian's direction, the marketing team did not focus on the plot but rather on the core concepts of the movie, such as "virtual reality," "hacker behavior," and "computer police tracking," building a promotional slogan like "a virtual reality battlefield."

This way, the audience can understand the key settings of the movie before watching it (similar to previewing the difficult points of the next class before school), making the viewing experience much smoother.

In the past few months, "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" has grossed nearly $400 million in the U.S. and is rapidly climbing globally. During this period, other excellent works like "Tarzan," "The Mummy," and "Daddy Day Care" have also achieved good box office results of $150 million. And the "Blair Witch Project," which Chen Tian mentioned earlier, has created a box office sensation that stunned Hollywood, grossing over $100 million with a mere $1 million production budget, leaving people speechless.

Many media outlets have hailed it as this year's "The Sixth Sense," but unfortunately, "The Blair Witch Project" is clearly not as classic as last year's "The Sixth Sense," and its box office draw is ultimately not as strong.

The topic of "The Matrix" has never stopped, and more and more people are paying attention to the movie, making it increasingly well-known.

One month before the movie's release, the third promotional stage begins. Online, more and more movie websites, fan forums, video sites, and social media platforms join the discussion, capturing the attention of movie fans.

At the same time, in the real world, a carpet-bombing marketing campaign is underway. The lucky audience members attending the premiere will be the focus. As the release date approaches, the main cast and crew will finally step into the spotlight, participating in various events and interviews.

On this day, huge posters large enough to cover an entire skyscraper are hung on the walls of a building in New York.

The posters feature the three main actors in ultra-cool poses, with a strong visual impact that no passerby can ignore.

This is the final stage, moving the marketing activities from online to offline. Two giant posters are hung on buildings in New York, creating an illusion that the scenes from the movie are happening in real life.

The two posters are extremely impactful and very fitting for the movie's late-stage promotional slogan, "Virtual World." Once released online, they are quickly shared by various websites, successfully attracting people's attention and further hyping the movie.

On July 26, Chen Tian, who rarely turns down work, took Kate to an amusement park in Los Angeles and played all day. They came to a shooting range, and the owner handed them guns.

"How are you with guns?" Chen Tian asked.

Kate raised an eyebrow, "No, I don't know how to shoot these guns. It's up to you, dear. I want the biggest teddy bear."

"Come on, give it a try." He smiled and handed her the gun.

Kate took it, "I've never played with a long gun before. Is this how you hold it?"

"Aim first, then shoot."

Kate fired several shots at the wood but missed the metal target. "I was aiming... don't laugh, I'll get it."

"Use one eye to aim!"

Chen Tian confidently set up the gun. He had trained for a while for the movie, and his training results were good, giving him a lot of confidence. "A teddy bear, right? Watch me."

After ten shots, the metal target rang eight times. Eight out of ten, a good score, but Chen Tian was a bit disappointed. "Any prize? Can I get the teddy bear?" He coolly avoided looking at Kate.

The owner handed him a white rabbit instead of a teddy bear.

Feeling Kate's gaze, he shrugged and boasted, "Just a lucky guess. Too bad we didn't get the teddy bear. Let's go, I'll get you a bigger one next time."

Kate raised an eyebrow, "I want to play again."

Chen Tian looked at her and handed money to the owner, "One more time."

Just as he was paying, he heard the sound of shots hitting the target.

The owner shouted, "Wow, ten out of ten, great shooting! Here's your teddy bear."

Chen Tian: "..."

After a while, the two of them continued playing, now carrying a large teddy bear. "How did you shoot so well? Where did you learn to shoot?"

Kate mimicked Chen Tian's earlier gesture, shrugging, "Just a lucky guess."

"Ha, okay."

The two played all day, and Chen Tian finally took her home. As soon as they entered, they saw a room full of roses and a large cake in the middle. Kate's eyes widened, and Chen Tian smiled, "Happy birthday, Kate. I'm sorry for being busy with the movie and letting you travel alone."

"No, don't say anything."

Kate placed her finger on his lips, "I'm very happy. Hold me, kiss me."

Chen Tian happily stepped forward, and soon, soft and delicate sounds could be heard from the bedroom...

...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends