I really admire what NBC’s doing to market their new drama DAY ONE. Before the show even hits the air, the folks involved are setting up a mythological scaffolding that fans will gravitate towards like sea life to the footing of an oil rig. As Ashley Edward Miller (@ashman01) mused about on Twitter, it’s really important for Sci Fi dramas in particular to develop a fanbase who care enough and have enough story tools to give the story life outside the confines of what airs.

DAY ONE’s marketing campaign has been so smart because they made a character into a big fan of a show we’ve never heard of … so not only is the character just like us (meaning we relate), the character is also spreading the word about something we think we probably need to hear about, because it sounds like a real show. What’s this new show we’ve never heard of? I thought I’d heard of everything … etc. Early adopters quickly jump on board and DAY ONE becomes cool. Marketing success. Below is a write-up of the campaign:

So today I was browsing through my daily list of blogs and to my surprise came across an article about the most expensive piece of merchandise at San Diego Comic Con this year: For $147,000 you can be the proud owner of a very rare treasure indeed- four original toys from the classic sci-fi show “Sargasso Planet.” Then I happened upon another also reporting on it. Both sites wondered about “Sargasso Planet,” and both sites talk about the craziness of the price tag of those toys. The funny thing is? They’re unknowingly reporting on fake toys for a television show that never existed. “Sargasso Planet” is a viral campaign for NBC’s next big show “Day One.” It’s set to take over the “Heroes” time slot and has something to do with a cataclysmic ending of our world and the subsequent survivors.

This by far is one of the more successful and clever bids I’ve seen in a while for a viral campaign, especially at something that’s getting as much attention this year as San Diego Comic Con. There’s already a fansite set up by one of the main characters of Day One, Sargassoplanet.com. It was intentionally designed crudely so it looks like a fan made it on his home computer in his spare time. The site in fact has links to Sargasso Twitter feeds, Facebook groups and Flickr feeds. In other words, without coming out and saying it, it’s a hub for viral marketing.

Well played NBC, well played indeed.

via “Sargasso Planet” wins the internet! | Culturewav.es Blog .