WhySoSerious.com/StepRightUp

‘The Dark Knight’ Viral Marketing Rings Again From Cake-Embedded Cell Phones

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:47:16 -0700

CHICAGO – Back on Dec. 4, 2007, we reported on “The Dark Knight” viral marketing activities that concluded in fans rushing around the U.S. to snag cakes in bakeries. Items were baked inside them and enthusiasts tore apart the treats to find out what they were. The Joker promised that the embedded cell phones would have a purpose later.

On Monday, the Chicago cake finder again contacted HollywoodChicago.com and said a text message was sent to the phone he received on that day. Here’s the e-mail to us containing the Joker’s new viral marketing message.

Hey, Adam! If you remember, I am the Chicago Joker cake finder.

I have the cell phone and I just got a text message from the Joker today from humanresources@whysoserious.com. Here’s what it said:

“You still out there, clown? Reply and let me know.”

I replied “yes” and I got another response:

“See you found my little message. So do you think you have what it takes to be a part of my circle of friends? Are you a backstabbing, self…”

Then the message gets cut off. Others I have talked to with the phone have said the same thing. I am sure this is an automated response.

I replied back “yes” to the last text and I am waiting to see what happens. I will keep you updated!

~ Vlkers54

Our Chicago cake photos from Dec. 4 are below.

What are your thoughts on this round of viral marketing? Take it to this thread on our boards!

1:50 p.m. update: The same person just e-mailed us again with an updated message:

Text three just came in! It said:

“It makes me smile to see you’re one of the serious ones, clown. Now … time to be patient. I’ll be in touch…”

Looks like more waiting. Maybe they are narrowing down the 22 people who got the phones. I’ll keep you posted as always!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

New WhySoSerious.com Page at /steprightup Unveils Final ‘The Dark Knight’ Challenge

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:31:24 -0700

Following our Dec. 3 post about a new WhySoSerious.com challenge at www.whysoserious.com/steprightup, the countdown has come to an end and the final challenge has been unveiled.

Various toys are visible all with a physical address in various U.S. cities pinned on them. By instruction, you must travel to these locations. You can’t call them.

The instructions ask you to go on location under the name “Robin Banks” (also known as “Robbing Banks”) with one prize awarded per location on a first-come, first-served basis.

The locations are all bakery stores. The prizes are all bakery delights with an attached phone number. As the bears disappear with each new discovery, the mallet hits harder.

Thanks go to Paul for these descriptions. As the bears disappear, more appear. It becomes evident that the number of bears equals the number of lights. Cakes are awarded at locations.

The note reads:

Wow. You really took the cake! Now put the icing on it. Call (phone number) immediately from this phone and this phone only. Do not give this phone number to anyone else.

Let’s hope your fellow goons come through as well as you. Once all the layers are in place, you’ll all get your just desserts. I’m a man of my word.

3:32 p.m. update: I just received from a reader new photos of the Chicago cake from Halsted Street.

When the person called the phone number, a lady answered from Rent-a-Clown to thank the caller. She said she knew who the caller was. The caller then received a text from the Joker saying:

“Good work, clown! Keep this phone charged and with you at all times. Don’t call me. I will call you … eventually.”

Credit for these photos goes to VLKERS54. The person also told me: “I had to fight another kid for it (only verbally).”

4:58 p.m. update: Alas, the last cake was located and the day was won. With all the lights lit up and clicking on the top, the following page was revealed.

Upon clicking the right card, the following was revealed.

Free tickets are awarded. These look like this:

Upon clicking the left card, the prize of the day was revealed: a new poster.

A high-resolution, 100-megabyte version can be downloaded here.

New WhySoSerious.com Page: /steprightup; ‘The Dark Knight’ Prologue Revealed

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:40:42 -0700

Moments ago, I received via e-mail from humanresources@whysoserious.com a new WhySoSerious.com message and code for “The Dark Knight” viral marketing.

Heads up, clown! Tomorrow means that there’s one last shifty step left in the interview process: Arwoeufgryo

By moving each letter one to the right on a QWERTY keyboard, the word “steprightup” is spelled.

This led to a new WhySoSerious.com page at the URL www.whysoserious.com/steprightup with a countdown to 12 p.m. EST on Dec. 4 along with a stuffed monkey with an exposed stomach.

If you set your system clock to noon on Tuesday (as was the answer to the /mausoleum riddle), the countdown changes to zero and nothing happens.

In other news, Wizard revealed the first six minutes of “The Dark Knight” from a screening shown in New York City. Warning: Spoilers follow.

Kicking off with a sweeping shot of downtown Gotham, the camera zooms in above a few buildings before focusing in on a single, traditional skyscraper covered in windows.

Suddenly, one window in the skyscraper explodes outward [and exposes] two criminals inside.

Donning clown masks and standing with a rifle, the two criminals shoot a grappling hook across a busy street below to the next building: the Gotham National Bank.

The two then slide across using a zip line.

On the street below, a man stands [with] his face unseen as the shot creeps up from behind [and] a clown mask slung in his grip. A van suddenly screeches up before he climbs inside and the van hauls off again.

Inside, there are now three men all wearing clown masks. They begin negatively discussing their boss and how he’s sitting out the heist.

“The guy thinks he can sit out and get a cut?,” laughs one man. “Must be why they call him the Joker!”

Back on the bank’s roof, the two men we first saw now shimmy into the bank’s security wiring while also discussing the boss.

“Why do you think they call him Joker?,” asks one. “I hear it’s [because] he wears make-up,” answers the other. “Like war paint.”

Suddenly – below – the three men blast into the bank. [They demand] money and [command] everybody to the floor.

Back on the roof, the two criminals intercept the outgoing emergency alarm set off by an employee. After they cancel its signal, one of the men shoots the other and heads inside for the vault.

Back inside, the clown gunmen hand all the hostages live grenades. “We wouldn’t want your hands free, would we?,” asks one with a laugh.

Continue reading the prologue description here.