The Gift, a new thriller recently released, took an extremely original take on their promotional marketing campaign. . As part of the campaign, 50 writers/editors/critics/reporters received some uncomfortably specific personalized gifts. The packages contained a note from a high school friend, “
Gordo,” that referenced trips, obsessions, phobias or other personal trivia and tidbits.
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| The Gift Personalized Marketing Gifts |
These personalized gifts were based on obscure stories or anecdotes that the recipients had shared publicly on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. The marketing goal was to make the recipients feel uncomfortable and recreate the ambiance of the thriller film.
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| The Gift Personalized Marketing Gifts |
From this gifts became more personalized and creepy, the above example was sent to a journalist showing his cat superimposed upon a tshirt. This photo was found on an Instagram post taken and the marketing team had to have put a lot of effort in locating this photo.
The aim of this campaign was to get people talking, discussing and sharing information of The Gift. This type of viral campaign does not always succeed, but when effort and originality is inputted then there is a much stronger chance of the film trending. Reviews from The Gift have been extremely positive and this marketing campaign has been widely shared and spoken about. It would appear that Gordo is still out there and watching.
