Some new viral sites for The Dark Knight have cropped up recently. Let’s just say Jim Gordon is marking his territory, and with Batman watching his back, it’s probably not a good idea to mess with him in the name of Gotham.
Warner Brothers has been pumping serious cash into marketing for The Dark Knight, from countless viral websites that seem to pop up every other day, events like the Dentmobile campaign rallies, and videos to the Joker’s recruiting efforts and rewards for dedicated fans who get involved. And without fail, more virals have been added to the list this past week.
Just say “no” to clowns, kids
Now Lieutenant James Gordon, who was recently promoted to the head of the Gotham Police Major Crimes Unit, is getting in on the hype, and he’s not screwing around.
On Tuesday anyone hoping to be the Joker’s latest clown recruit was in for a nice surprise when, instead of receiving a call from someone they expected to be the Joker, they were busted by Jim Gordon himself. Well, a recording of him, anyway.
The Clown Travel Agency seemed to be another one of the Joker’s little games, and anyone who stumbled across the viral website was greeted by a message from “the Joker” asking his faithful cult followers to do him a small favor and disable an annoying alarm. Armed with the password “NEEDLE,” those who follow the link can input their name, phone number, and email to activate Acme Security’s Voiceprint Authentication System. You’ll immediately receive a call from an unidentified number (000-000-0000)—only the voice on the other end isn’t the Joker’s.
PWNED
Okay, so I’m a geek. Even after I was tipped off about Gordon’s scheme to catch conspirators plotting with the Joker I still plugged in my information in order to receive his call, just for (lame) bragging rights. It was pretty cool, actually, at least to Batman fans like me. Anyone who’s curious can still receive the call—or to simply hear the recording click here.
Also, the Gotham Police Department and Major Crimes Unit websites emerged yesterday from the endless abyss we affectionately call the Internet. It’s kind of funny how much work they put into these minor viral sites sometimes, but nonetheless awesome. I mean, on the GPD site they actually feature safety precautions in defense against corrupt cops and a career FAQ for anyone interested in taking the Civil Service Exam to join the Academy. There’s some other random stuff you can spot if you look carefully, too. For example, the current threat level is elevated. And FYI, you won’t be allowed to participate on the test date if you aren’t wearing long pants. Why? GUH, for safety reasons. Isn’t that obvious (cough)?
Full dental and medical? Oh, boy, sign me up!
April 6th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Movie’s gonna rock the house. That is all.