Chapter 99: Completely Feasible

Upon parting ways with Haley and returning home, Lisa's curiosity got the best of her. She searched the Discovery Channel's official website for information but found nothing, likely because the episode had just aired. She then turned to Yahoo, searching for information about the witch and the missing college students.

Her search yielded a plethora of results.

Lisa clicked on the first link, which was a post on the Yahoo forum with a prominent headline—Missing Person Notice!

"In 1994, three film students—Josh, Heather, and Mike—brought their filming equipment to Burkittsville to investigate local legends about the Blair Witch. They ventured into the Black Hills Forest, but soon after, they disappeared."

"People searched for them everywhere but found nothing, eventually giving up the search. A year later, some Maryland State University students discovered a hidden cabin in the forest containing a package containing one of the students' diaries and a DV camcorder documenting all the terrifying events leading up to their disappearance..."

The post included detailed descriptions, photos, and records of the students' activities before and after they went missing.

Could this be real? Lisa wondered, noticing the contact information and website link at the end of the post.

The missing students' friends and family set up the contact numbers and website, hoping to find any leads. Lisa was more interested in the website and quickly clicked the link, which led her to a simple webpage.

The site was fundamental, but Lisa realized it was likely made by the worried families who just wanted to find their missing loved ones.

She read about the witch and the students' journals, feeling increasingly creeped out and convinced that the students' disappearance might really be connected to the witch.

Lisa then closed the website and checked another post on a different site, which also turned out to be a missing person notice.

It seemed the families were desperate, posting these notices everywhere they could despite the involvement of such a mythical element.

Lisa decided to share the notice on her own blog.

After posting the notice, she took a shower. When she came out, she answered a call from a college friend.

"Is the missing person notice you posted real?" her friend asked urgently. "Do you have any connection to the missing students? Could there really be a witch?"

Lisa replied, "I have no connection to them. I just thought the families must be very anxious, so I wanted to help spread the word."

Her friend agreed, saying, "I'll get people I know to share it online. The more people who see it, the better."

Lisa thought this made sense and added, "I'll also ask my friends to share it."

She returned to her computer and messaged some friends on ICQ, asking them to share her blog post.

Soon, her friends' blogs also featured the missing person notice, and their friends began to share it as well.

The internet, a powerful new tool for movie promotion, showed its vast potential.

Michael's initial marketing plan wasn't complicated. In addition to the Discovery Channel, they arranged for various online media to spread the information as news, making people believe it was a real event. This belief then prompted viewers to share the information further.

There's a simple truth: a lie repeated often enough becomes accepted as truth.

Viral marketing wasn't new in the commercial world, but few movies had effectively used it for promotion.

Two weeks into the first phase, Seashore Entertainment received specific feedback data.

"Website statistics," David Villa said, licking his dry lips. "In just two weeks, we've had over a million visits."

Michael nodded in satisfaction and asked, "What about other aspects?"

David continued, "The marketing team posted over 1,000 messages online. On the Yahoo forum, the missing person notice has become one of the hottest pinned posts. Similar posts on movie websites and fan forums have also received strong responses. Based on incomplete statistics, excluding our guided replies, these posts have amassed over 300,000 replies."

Michael then asked, "Has the Discovery Channel's data come in?"

Garcia responded, "The data is here. The initial broadcast and two reruns had over 4 million views combined. The TV broadcast boosted the credibility of the internet information, and many viewers who saw the program have become followers of the movie site."

"Many people have been influenced," Robert added. "I've overheard several discussions about the witch and the missing students on my way to work."

As the marketing lead, David said, "The Blair Witch incident has become quite a hot topic online."

The results exceeded everyone's expectations, and David couldn't help but admire Michael's ingenuity.

Michael looked around and asked, "What do you all think?"

Garcia glanced at David and said, "I think the plan is completely feasible. We should move on to the second phase."

"The data doesn't lie," David agreed. "The first phase's promotional effect far exceeded our expectations. The numbers prove the plan is feasible."

"Good!" Michael decided. "Let's increase our investment!"

He directed David, "Mobilize the marketing team to keep posting online. Speed up the update of the missing students' journals on the website and start releasing audio materials. Jessica Felton has found some usable footage while editing. Upload that as well. Also, place ads on major websites using the missing person notice format!"

"Proceed with offline promotion simultaneously! Contact TV stations to keep airing the documentary clips. Negotiate with a national TV station for a pseudo-documentary program on witchcraft and paranormal phenomena. Buy ad space in communities for the notices of missing persons. Once the online buzz is sufficient, publish similar ads in major periodicals, magazines, and newspapers. And don't forget video rental stores, where many movie fans frequent."

Michael also reminded David, "Ensure confidentiality in the early stages."

Later, it wouldn't matter as much. Such a scheme couldn't deceive everyone, but the viral campaign would create another effect.

Even if some knew the Blair Witch stories were fabricated lies, the rich content and various online and offline activities would make it feel like these events were real. People would believe three students experienced a terrifying supernatural event and vanished in the Black Forest.

This mix of factual-looking lies could effectively stimulate human curiosity and a desire for exploration.