VIRAL NEWS
Super 8 Viral Update: Are Rocket Poppeteers the New Slusho?
by Alex Billington
May 16, 2010
Source: MovieViral.com
"You can't drink just six!" Everyone remembers Slusho from the Cloverfield days (right?). Well, it looks like we now have our new Slusho for J.J. Abrams' Super 8 movie - Rocket Poppeteers. Sometime last week after the first trailer for Super 8 hit in front of Iron Man 2, an interesting new viral site was discovered at scariestthingieversaw.com. The site would connect to a server that eventually displayed a countdown timer that would connect with some files. After the timer ran out a few days ago, our friends at MovieViral.com discovered a newspaper article with an ad for Rocket Poppeteers popsicles and a new website for them, too.
Before we get into the meat of this viral update, since they seem to have discovered some interesting little hints in the newspaper article, I might as well give you guys the link: RocketPoppeteers.com. The actual article on the second page mainly talks about President John F. Kennedy's "Radio and Television Address to the American People on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty" from 1963. They also discovered that the two articles have an "x" on them that when lined up causes various black markings on one page to black out words on the other page that spell out: "no certainty if alive, may be after us, we go underground." Now that's creepy.
The other bit they discovered was in the ad for Rocket Poppeteers that has an astronaut spokesman named "Captain 'Coop' Cooper." They're saying that maybe this is the same Col. Gordon Cooper who was a real-life astronaut who claimed to have seen a UFO while flying over West Germany in 1951. However, then in 1957 he also met soldiers at Edwards Air Force Base who, on a regular basis, saw "experimental aircraft flying and landing around them as part of their job of filming those aircraft" and submitted this footage to authorities, but figures that it was lost when the Air Force tried to control rumors surrounding UFOs. The plot thickens.
I'm loving the viral for Super 8 so far and this gets creepier by the week. I'm scared out of my mind of aliens, so the more I read about this, the more scared I get, but that's besides the point. The Rocket Poppeteers popsicles seem pretty interesting and will probably be the Slusho of Super 8, especially because the actual movie is supposedly about some kids in the 1970's who shoot some footage on Super 8 cameras of the alien that's unleashed in the teaser and I can bet you these kids eat some popsicles in the movie. This seems to be the only viral update related to Super 8 we have for now, but we'll keep you updated on all of this as always!
33 Comments
1
Viral - another form of advertising that needs to die. Seriously, WTF was derived from that slusho nonsense? It had ZERO explanatory power. Its just a way for you to THINK you can solve some cool little mystery but in reality its a way for you to be manipulated by advertising. Its stopped being funny and cute and its started to be a complete insult to our intelligence.
jezusfinfrist on May 16, 2010
2
The premise behind viral marketing is to manipulate and plant a desire for a product. Our kids have been viral marketed since they first heard a radio broadcast or watched a cartoon program on Saturday mornings. Viral marketing was born on the radio waves. Captain Midnight, Red Ryder, the Shadow, Shirley Temple, Superman, Buck Rogers, all the Saturday Matinees and radio programs that our parents listened to as children. Why? It made them buy products, send in boxtops and get little jinky junk mementos that are worth 1,000.00's of dollars today to collectors with sentimental ties. VIRAL MARKETING will live as long as there is a product to sell.
docanaheim55 on Jan 29, 2011
3
well someone feels rather strongly about viral marketing....
Nick on May 16, 2010
4
COuldn't have said it better #1. Viral is pathetic and shows very little if a movie will be good since the people working on the viral have nothing to do with the script and layout of the movie. Seriously alex? scared of aliens? this is scary?
tra la la la la di da on May 16, 2010
5
7
If you don't like viral marketing, don't participate in it. Nobody holds you at gunpoint, damn. Most ppl know its unsolvable but enjoy it regardless. It builds suspense.
kindbuddy on May 16, 2010
8
and 3, trailers don't even show if the film will be good nowadays. So I guess trailers are as pointless as viral marketing.
kindbuddy on May 16, 2010
9
What are you guys talking about! Viral marketing is friggan great because it lets you CHOOSE to be involved or not. Unlike other forms of marketing that are shoved down your throat everywhere at least viral marketing turns it into a fun game and not an annoyance during your tv show or when you're trying to make a phone call.
peloquin on May 16, 2010
10
Actually, I got pretty into the Cloverfield viral marketing, and if you played all the games and did everything, there's alot of history that is revealed. I feel that Cloverfield was only half the movie, and the other half were the viral videos online. One of the sites was http://jamieandteddy.com/ (the password is jllovesth) Its about the girl that is in the first scene of the movie, and they say if they ever release a sequel, this will play a major role. I'm just saying, that I for one do enjoy viral marketing, even if the relevance to the movie isn't thrown in your face.
JAPIV on May 16, 2010
11
Heres why/how it insults your intelligence and why its a complete waste of time: 1. They attempt to establish that participation will yield SOME KIND OF INFORMATION. They give you a poster, an item, a product or some kind of seemingly related piece of information (seemingly) that engages you with the promise of relevant information and/or future pay-off. 2. You engage in investigating the given item/clues in pursuit of said promise. You spend time and effort attempting to solve what YOU THINK is a riddle whose answer will make the MOVIE VIEWING EXPERIENCE BETTER. 3. You wait for more and more pieces of information. Stringing together clues that arent really clues, connecting dots that arent really there and investing your time all with the PROMISE of being privy to a more exclusive set of info that will just rock ur socks when the movie comes out. 4. THE MOVIE COMES OUT. When Cloverfield came out the cult of Slusho went to see the movie in theaters expecting the final bit of information to SOLVE THE PUZZLE (the puzzle promised to explain WTF was going on in that movie and why things were happening) that was put forth in the viral campaign. 5. EXACTLY JACK AND SH** ARE DISCOVERED, except for the fact that you just wasted a bunch of time and effort playing their manipulative game. You get played. They get you interested by promising pertinent and "secret" information that NEVER materializes all to sucker you in to paying a premium movie ticket price, to hype the people around you (because you are more likely to talk about it with friends) and YOU BECOME THEIR ADVERTISING WORKHORSE. Its just advertising; and advertising is designed to get you to buy sh** you dont need or stuff that just isnt very good. Cloverfield was just like that. Lost is like that. They sucker you in to half-assed stories that go nowhere while making you do the heavy lifting for their marketing and writing teams. Case in point: FirstShowing.net You guys just gave them PRIME, FREE, ADVERTISING. Based on what? The promise that fans/potential consumers might GET SOMETHING FOR FREE. But you dont get anything. Nothing is gained. Release your trailers and let us decide. Dont hype, hype, hype, hype and hype more to compensate for what often times turns out to be a mediocre product at premium prices.
jezusfinfrist on May 16, 2010
12
@jezusfinfrist: The point of the Cloverfield marketing was to find out where the monster came from. It was all just a prelude to the movie. It added to the movie because I recognized characters and elements that they hid in the background. I wasn't looking for the answer to the meaning of life or anything. Also, at firstshowing: keep doing what you're doing. I'm always game to hear alternate points of view and what other people are thinking about upcoming movies.
JAPIV on May 16, 2010
13
@ JAPIV; If THAT was the point of the CloverField viral campaign then i think we can all give it a big FAIL. Heres what we knew from the trailer; The monster came from the sea. And what did we find out from the viral marketing? THE MONSTER CAME FROM THE SEA. There was the indication that humans helped "wake" it up....but thats not exactly a big reveal nor does it explain ANYTHING about the origins of the monster, its motivation or its goals (just be angry and destroy things? Looking for a monster baby that was taken? To challenge godzilla to an arm wrestling match?). Oh gee, thanks. So glad i watched those videos and read all that BS. Nothing was learned; NOTHING WAS GAINED. My points still stand. That illusion of information made you think you discovered something; you didn't. No one did. Seeing people you recognize in the movie doing superfluous and unrelated things doesn't add to the movie, it just makes you think that there's some kind of mystery coming to together to reveal something pertinent and worthwhile. That didn't happen. A sucker is born every minute and movie studios are realizing that this giant group of suckers can be crowd-sourced to compensate for bad products, overbearing advertising campaigns and to elevate their product above an overly crowded market in which 99% of the products available are complete garbage. None of this makes your experience as the viewer any better; its an illusion that manipulates human curiosity.
jezusfinfrist on May 16, 2010
14
what happened to the days when you walked into a theatre not even knowing really what the movie was about...
vrl on May 16, 2010
15
@10... Riddles don't insult intelligence, they enhance it (even if there is absolutely no payoff). For instance, it takes mental capacity to find your way through a maze even if there is nothing on the other end. Anything that makes your brain "work" stimulates and furthers your intelligence. I'd argue that these virals exercise your brain more than simply waiting and watching the trailer. They're absolutely not a waste of time if you enjoy solving puzzles.
peloquin on May 16, 2010
16
I agree with #14. @jezusfinfrist: I'm sorry that you were searching for the meaning of life in every one of those viral marketing games. You said that none of it makes the viewing experience even better, but you followed up right after by saying that it manipulates human curiosity within the "suckers." Well, the way I see it, if being a "sucker" manipulates my curiosity with a film, thus enhancing my experience, then so be it. I'll gladly keep on visiting the sites.
JAPIV on May 16, 2010
17
Okay, here goes... In the grand scheme of things, virals are just the latest in a long line of marketing techniques to reach targeted demographics to get them to buy products or, in this case, movie tickets. Like most forms of advertising, they can be perceived as pointless and intrusive, or amusing and entertaining. It just depends on your viewpoint. Virals do have the positive aspect of being voluntary. If you don't want to participate, you'll never have to. Of course, most advertising is voluntary, as long as you activate your remote, turn the page, etc. The criticism I hear the most about is Hollywood keeps turning out more crap movies, while inventing more clever ways to coax us into the theater. The advertising improves while the movies don't. They spend lots of time crafting exciting trailers, that often reveals too much of the movie or contains the only good parts. Apparently, some companies have separate directors and crews tasked to creating a good trailer out of a bad movie. Who'd a thunk it? I even see lots of people on this site making judgements on movies solely based on their trailer. Anyway, I'm of a certain generation, and I find that I like to see movies with little prior information. I've been around long enough to know what type of movies I like, and who I like making them. I used to read as much as I could about every promising production in development, and after spending lots of time being disappointed, I quit hooking in to all the hype. Younger generations enjoy following virals, and solving puzzles, and unlocking levels. Let them. Its enough for me to simply go see the movie. And in case you haven't guessed, I see very few movies these days compared to a few years ago, and my taste for video games peaked with Space Invaders and Galaga. Yeah, I know. Technology and modern society is completely wasted on me.
Whale Master on May 16, 2010
18
If people are so annoyed by viral marketing campaigns why are they online reading an article titled "Super 8 Viral Update" and then taking time to leave comments and bitch about it? I come to firstshowing to get movie news as well as their opinion because I value it. If all I wanted was trailers I would just watch TV.
dw on May 16, 2010
19
HEY EVERYBODY!!!! CHILLLLL!!!! you know. like arnold says in that batman movie.
Brian Ricci on May 16, 2010
20
I just read that this is going to be Rambo V
Brian Ricci on May 16, 2010
21
the slusho stuff pissed me off about cloverfield, had nothing to do with the movie
dhof on May 17, 2010
22
Give it a rest. Virals are awesomely nerdy. Not to mention JJ knows how to do mysterious.
dude... on May 17, 2010
23
SLUSHO has been around for such a long time and continues in many of JJ's work. Alias, two episodes on "Fringe" this Season as well as the past, Star Trek of course....the viral for Cloverfield was beyond brilliant and the connection with the Targento Corp. thus the satellite falling in the final frames into the sea, as well as other attacks before the dates leading up to Cloverfield.. SLUSHO HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE FILM!!!!!! #9 ( and 11) is correct about everything he said. Very simply the viral was an extension and an incredible resource of information. If your were a fan of Cloverfield you really dug it...if you hated , ( or in reality did not UNDERSTAND Cloverfield) you ignored it. JJ is mysterious and makes the fan of his work think and continue to be entertained in many forms. I personally do not care for the TRON viral and got bored with it. It depends on the creative source behind the viral. Mr Abrams is a talent for many years to come. We should enjoy it for what it is. I think Alex has a point with the connection to Col. Gordon. This is another clever connection that will be made when the film is released. And Aliens scare the shit out of me as well, when and if some contact happens in our lifetimes....I promise everyone will be scared. JAPIV and peloquin .....great job! ( in peloquin we trust).
Clover on May 17, 2010
24
I personally love viral marketing because I'm not retarded. Most of the people who ended up being bitter about Cloverfields viral marketing just didn't put any effort or thought into connecting all the pieces. After keeping up with everything for Cloverfield, I can certainly say I know a lot more about the story than I would if I just watched the movie.
Rubix on May 18, 2010
25
Dude, Slusho had EVERYTHING to do with Cloverfield, it was the entire reason everything in the movie was happening. It was the reason why we were looking at Rob instead of some other random New Yorker, and it was why the monster was a monster. You just don't know that cause you didn't feel like following the viral. I'm not sure how i feel about the Super 8 viral'ing. I'm not becoming obsessed with it as i did with Cloverfield, i just don't find the viral sites quiet as captivating yet. But I'm definitely still gonna follow it.
Luna on May 18, 2010
26
yeah...what #1 & #3 said....really sad...reminds me of when Robert Palmer basically "duped" his "Addicted to Love" music video idea on another song and thought it would fly....crashed and burned hard...take a hint JJ...
blasphemer on May 18, 2010
27
@16 Whale Master its nice to hear someone echo my thoughts...a few years ago i decided to stop watching movie trailers for the most part for 3 reasons and I have to say its 1 of the best decisions I've ever made. First off most the time they sell the movie as something it is not, they show you all the action scenes from a dramatic movie as a way to sell to sell it and this only leads to disappointment. Also, they usually give away WAY too much information(Specifically I'm always reminded of Awake with Hayden Christensen that i enjoyed, but definitely would've hated it if i had watched the trailer that literally gave away the entire plot) once again leading to disappointment. I also came to the realization that trailers aren't made for a person like me (that reads about movies and has a fairly good idea of whether I'll like a movie or not based on who is involved and/or the plot) but rather for the average American that has no previous information and most likely(at least in my experience) will be unaffected by the ruined plot. I guess it really comes down to what you referred to; that the less you know about a movie's PLOT the more likely you'll find a movie enjoyable. I feel as though I have to mention that I'm 21 years old so its not my entire generation that needs to know everything about a movie beforehand to like it. As for the argument about Viral Marketing I have to say that I think its unarguable to say that it is a brilliant way to get free advertising from websites such as this. However unlike other commenters I dont think it is pointless, nor do I believe it insults your intelligence. I think it gives hardcore movie fans a chance to go into a movie with a little more(un-PLOT related) information than others. I think the enjoyment that people get out of trying to be the first to solve the puzzles and picking up on the small nods that are given to the followers of the marketing in the film make for a win-win situation between advertisers and fans
Trademark on May 24, 2010
28
@10 when has any viral marketing advertisement ever promised to give you more information? i could be wrong, but I've never seen it
Trademark on May 24, 2010
29
@27 A good example of adverts promising more is District 9. In the trailer, we see a quick scene where an alien is being interrogated. This scene was cut and never made it to the release.
gabe 1138 on Jun 9, 2010
30
coelacanth has something to do with it. its a prehistoric fish with the starting of arms and legs. that actuatly still exists today.Its said in an odd maner on some of the other websites the clues send you to. but i wouldnt recomend wasting your time because the first monster from clovierfield sucked and their was only a small group of people who knew what it looked like and the all had to sign fourms agreeing to keep it a secret.
al on Jul 16, 2010
31
Maybe the alien sounds like he is saying poppeteer when he means puppeteer--controlling us... Silly thought, I know...they could be rocket puppeteers.
Jeff on Oct 22, 2010
32
I thought the Slusho marketing was right on! After a quick read I knew EXACTLY what the monster was. They embellished and elaborated a bit from the ORIGINAL idea, but who doesn't?!?! For those who don't know, the Slusho story goes like this. A child learned that there was something better out there, a new ingredient called "seabed nectar". It was supposed to have a yellowish color to it. When the child went to look for it at the bottom of the ocean, the child fell into a deep sleep. The child then "dreamed" of becoming as big as a whale, and apparently did so. Bottom of the ocean. Dreaming. Man becoming an enlarged monster, eventually the size of a whale. Monster having a connection to a yellowish substance. The monster croaked and grunted. The monster "walked or stumbled about". The monster was said to be confused and frightened, and thusly angered, by the world around him (almost as if he was remembering a world much different before). Read some Lovecraft, people!
Jdam on Jan 1, 2011
33
hey love your website!, wanted you to know my 7-11 in queens is decked out in super 8 promos. The slurpee and food promo posters have either a red or blue border around them that says super 8. they have a stand alone rocketpoppeteer bar’s poster on the window it say’s “taste the outer space” 89cents. they had the poppeteers bars in the freezer with the ice cream and they were 89 cents each , they’re big ice bars like almost a foot long I was totally geeking out,
Ickalovesmike on Jun 2, 2011
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