I have recently watched the reputed horror film “The Blair Witch Project”. Aside from the intriguing plot of the movie, the immense success of the marketing strategy that the movie implemented has piqued my interest as well. Considered as “one of the most successful independent film of all time”, “The Blair Witch Project” is also regarded as “one of the most successful viral marketing campaigns”.

However, although many films have attempted to replicate similar method of viral marketing, “The Blair Witch Project” has became an insurmountable achievement for the other movies. In my opinion, it was the advertisement of the “authentic” factor of the story that has rendered to the film’s enormous triumph. As more and more “proofs” were fabricated by the company to validate the supernatural event, fascination towards the story grew as the number of people who are convinced by the evidence proliferated.

However, will similar success occur again?

The answer is most likely no as the major component in the movie’s achievement is the originality of the marketing strategy. While viral marketing has became a common means for film promotion, the consumer’s familiarity with the Internet and awareness with the concept of viral advertisement has greatly increased the difficulty of the advertising tactics. Therefore, in order to succeed, the company must approach the method with a unique perspective that will provoke the interest of the consumers.

Sources of Images (in order):

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Blair_Witch_Project.jpg)

(http://cdn1.thisisinfamous.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1-The-Blair-Witch-Project.png)