Trust Me, It'll Grow on You

The signs of autumn are all around us: there's a slight chill in the evening air, the leaves on the trees are changing colors, and the Slice of Fried Gold posts have become Halloween-themed. So let's get this party started! After all, we only have five Mondays to work with.

Today's post is a quick and dirty one (literally). I don't know how many of you saw the movie Contagion yet, but Warner Bros. took viral marketing to a whole new and disturbing level. Check it out:



Yup, that just happened. Much to the delight of science geeks everywhere, Warner Bros. hired a company called Lowe Roche to make a couple of giant petri dishes to promote their new movie. It's a very clever idea, but I wonder if it's going to spawn a string of copycat ads for other movies. Such as:

• The Amazing Spider-Man putting up actual spiderwebs with the name of the movie spelled out on it (a la Charlotte's Web).
• A Puss in Boots billboard made of actual pet dander and some litter boxes.
• Talking posters for The Muppets run by actual puppeteers behind the wall.
• A bunch of dog crap and some glitter smeared on a brick wall for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.

The possibilities are endless!

What promotional materials would you recommend for some upcoming movies, faithful readers?