Batman Viral-Marketing Mysteries, Dewey Cox Tighty-Whities Have Us Stoked For New Flicks

‘National Treasure: Book of Secrets,’ ‘Mad Money,’ ‘At World’s End’ DVD also getting hyped through unconventional means.

Does a movie feel more realistic after you’ve solved its mysteries on your Mac? Are you more inclined to care about a character once they’ve mailed you their underwear? Would you like to buy a subscription to a fictional newspaper, promote a beverage that doesn’t exist or mourn a woman who never lived?

In the near-decade since “The Blair Witch Project” changed the rules of movie promotion, lines between the silver screen and the simple life have become increasingly blurred. Phony Web sites, interactive games, movie props and mysteries now appear wherever a potential moviegoer might be. Whether viral marketing is trying to approach ticket buyers directly, or simply get reporters like me to talk about the films (argh, mission accomplished!), 2007 gave us some of the most memorable campaigns yet.
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