District 9 Viral Marketing: Billboards, Benches and Bus Shelters

Posted by on June 2nd, 2009   Filed under: Posters and Marketing, Sci-fi
Source: IMP Awards

d9billboard

It’s no secret that we’re eagerly anticipating Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 here at Film Junk, but I have to admit that up until the first trailer was released, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of the early marketing. They decided to go with a viral campaign that played up the alien rights angle, but when the D-9 website launched, it was so overloaded with information that I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Now that we know a bit more about the movie, it’s all starting to come together nicely.

The most recent print ads to be released are a bunch of outdoor pieces on billboards, bus shelters and the like, and I think they are pretty clever. I can only imagine what someone who isn’t aware of the movie might think about a sign that says “Bus Stop for Humans Only”. When the marketing for a film not only raises public awareness but also adds to the story and helps explore the themes of said film, I don’t think you can ask for anything better. Check out a few more pictures after the jump, and visit the District 9 Flickr account.


d9bench

d9busstop

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  • Goon

    There’s a bus shelter one near my house and I was just going to send you this news item. Pretty rad to see in public, was surprised.

  • Goon

    When you call the number and check out for employment opportunities, they give you this website link:
    http://multinationalunited.com/

  • Goon

    ha ha ha, check out the careers page on that link, it shows ‘non human jobs’ in their own language. Cool.

  • Goon

    Sorry to keep posting, but another website:

    http://mnuspreadslies.com/

  • http://www.seandwyer.net Sean

    Yeah I’ve seen a lot of the related websites but I haven’t fully explored them… mainly because, as I mentioned, they’re kind of overwhelming. I think they should have taken their time and launched the sites in stages so we could appreciate them more fully.

  • Matt

    Oh, I’ve been to all of the websites and tried to do as much on them as possible. I even tried to take that math proficency quiz (twice), but I keep getting 9/10 which is apperently not good enough. I don’t know if I should be disappointed or proud. I also read all of the blog posts of that alien and how he’s mistreated. All good stuff. These bilboards and ads are another nice touch. Very excited for the movie.

  • http://www.filmjunk.com/treknobabble Reed Farrington

    Man, I suffer enough prejudice already. Now I have to deal with this.

    Seriously, I feel sorry for all the stray dogs and cats that will now never find homes.

  • http://www.ryanmarlow.com Ryan M.

    I left a message reporting an alien sighting. Took advantage of my cold and started coughing claiming aliens are shooting gas in my yard.

    This is a more awesome ad campaign than the fake Gotham websites!

  • JoBlo

    I noticed a rise in the number of viral marketing campaigns for movies. Some other movies like Cloverfield and A Perfect Getaway have also done viral marketing campaigns to promote their films as well. The District 9 one is well done and it has kept my attention. Hopefully the movie will be good.

  • http://bit.ly/2MOYCR Rachel Barris

    JoBlo- Yeah i just saw the viral campaign for A Perfect Getaway too. It seems pretty involved. I saw some “news” videos, missing persons posters and people’s facebook pages. you can check them out on youtube

    There sure are a bunch of viral campaigns out there now- But I LOVE them. I think they are so creative. It’s amazing what marketing for movies like D9, Cloverfield and A Perfect Getaway are doing now.

  • JoBlo

    Rachel Barris – I saw the YouTube videos. It got my attention right away and was wondering if it was real or not. These viral campaigns are well constructed and it does grab the public’s attention right away.

  • Jason Rivens

    I thought this marketing was great too: http://www.agencymagma.com/coolmoviemarketing.html