Transformer Viral Campaign / C2C Drone Hype, page 1

If you've been following all the threads from the beginning I think the people who kept insisting these things are real have pretty well fallen by the wayside. (Edit: Oh, dear, there's one now!) If the threads have come to any conclusion, I would think it is that these drones are fake. It took awhile, but no one's coming on here insisting the skeptics are way out of line any more and the arguments on lack of aerodynamics and gravity drives have died down.

the other growth issue is the changing appearance of the drones through the various sightings. basically, the drone is becoming more complex. They look like different drones picking up more pieces, though this is also a good argument for CGI as the artists continues to refine the design.

The real argument now is whether the link to the Transformers is a wrap. Some people think it is based on the 'similarity' between the older probe from the cartoon and the drones themselves. The similarities include the timing itself just prior to release of the movie, the name "Chad" associated with the original drone and also the first name of the art director on the film, the similarity of the wings on the probe and the drones, and the existence of alien writing, apparently on the 'probe,' the drones, and the viral marketing web site.

Writing problem:
The problem I have with the writing is that it is different on the drone and the viral web site. Quite frankly, I can't see the writing on the probe. There are vague shadows there, but I can't resolve them. The viral web site has clear letters, some are in Klingon, esp.: Gotcha. But the writing on the drones has defied decipherment. We've had good people working on it, and so far there is no translation. The writing on the drone is not the same as on the viral web site. The only similarity is that they both are 'alienesque' writing.

Appearance Problem:
There is a vague resemblance between the probe and the drones, primarily the 'wing' size and shape. The rest of the drone is far different than the probe. The most obvious attribute of the drone, the egg whip, is totally absent on the probe. The type of metal (?) used in the drone looks similar to the probe. The overall shape and appearance of the drone, however, is far different than the probe. One argunent is that producers changed the shape of the drone as an update much as in a movie remake they would update the automobile models. If that's a point on the side of them being the same, okay. I think that is a pretty weak argument myself.

Viral marketing Problem:
I accept what people have said about how viral marketing works. You try to create a buzz around what you're selling in subtle ways, gradually revealing what it is all about. The thing is, you have to make the connection, and we're having a hard time doing that. There's enough different that it makes you question the connection. The writing is different. Why isn't it the same? Why isn't there a closer match? WHAT buzz? ATS doesn't count. Maybe C2C does, though, but this is still all fringe stuff. It isn't on the radar screen of the mainstream and they've only got two weeks left.

Now, we're being set up here for no conclusion. If further information determines this is definitely a viral marketing campaign for Transformers, then I'm sure the early posters on this idea will feel very clever about themselves. If the connection cannot definitely be made, there will be those who say that it was nevertheless, but just that the campaign was a failure. That way we'll still have something to argue about.

In any case. we're about due for another sighting of a more complex drone, eagerly awaited, I'm sure.

[edit on 6/13/2007 by schuyler]