Jessica Rovello has a good article over on HuffPo on what we’ve learned about online marketing from The Blair Witch Project, what’s still relevant, what’s changed, and where we go from here.
This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the release of the Blair Witch Project, the ground-breaking, nausea-inducing, most successful indie film of all time. Blair is widely considered the first film to use the Internet to drive its marketing campaign — something I’m lucky to have firsthand knowledge of. In 1999 I worked at Artisan Entertainment as the Director of Online Services and was in charge of producing the film’s Web site and the online media outreach — not a bad gig for a 24-year-old. Had I had a second to breathe and understand what was going on around me — of the frenzy that was Blair Witch — I probably would have developed (in no particular order) shingles, a drinking problem and a facial tic. Luckily, I was blissfully unaware of the maelstrom.
She’s got five quick points. My favorite (as an old web usability whore)? Flashier isn’t necessarily better.
Also check out the official site.