Despite Heath Ledger's Death, 'Dark Knight' Marketing Campaign Continues
While the world mourns the untimely death of Hollywood star Heath Ledger, questions are already surfacing regarding the publicity campaign for the latest installment of the highly popular Batman films. For much of the past year, 'The Dark Knight' has been the subject of an elaborate online advertising campaign built around Ledger's character, the evil Joker. Now it is a matter of debate whether Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, will alter its marketing strategy following the actor's passing.The viral campaign began early on by slowly revealing the new Joker's face on a site (now inactive) called IBelieveInHarveyDentToo.com. A scavenger hunt and a series of other fan-based games have fed the Batman hype, periodically delivering new images of Ledger's Joker to the public. Now the curious can read up on the imaginary Gotham City at www.gothamtimes.com, or peruse a nightmarish alternate daily paper at www.thehahahatimes.com.
Despite the Ledger tragedy, Warner Bros. recently released a statement saying that marketing for the film would not change. We think that it is an appropriate move to continue publicizing 'The Dark Knight' around the intriguing central villain. Nothing will honor Ledger's life and work more than ensuring that what will undoubtedly be a powerful performance receives public and critical acclamation. What do you think?
From The Wall Street Journal Via Valleywag
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