In Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus,' the Advertising Is Part of the Picture

One of the main strategies that Ridley Scott and his team running the ad campaign for his film Prometheus are trying to accomplish is this idea of transmedia storytelling. One of these strategies was displayed in the TED2023 video posted below.

The TED2023 promo video cooked up by Scott and writer Damon Lindelof ("Lost," "Star Trek") was released on the TED blog and quickly became the subject of online articles and social-media discussions. It is a great example of a technique sweeping the entertainment industry: transmedia storytelling , in which a message or story is conveyed across multiple platforms.

Unlike conventional trailers, which use rapidly cut, repurposed footage and are widely available online along with straight clips, transmedia videos expand the movie's narrative and encourage fans to immerse themselves more deeply into the story. The advertising becomes part of the movie -- with the bonus that it is tailored for mobile devices and sharing across social networks.

The idea is for the platform to reach multiple different groups of people, essentially making the video go viral. While using the TED talks is a creative strategy, it will really remain to be seen if this campaign will interest those who don't really find an interest in the videos.

The article really delves into the whole concept of the campaign, as well as the whole idea of trying to create a successful viral campaign.