You Suck Sarah Marshall
March 14th, 2008
Written By: Adam Sussman
Hook, line and sinker I bit.
While driving home I saw a billboard that read “You Suck Sarah Marshall”.
At the bottom of the message I saw the URL www.ihatesarahmarshall.com so when I got home I jumped on my computer and checked out the website. As I write this post at 9:00 PM on a Friday night I am trying to convince myself my current actions represent professional curiosity and not those of a loser who had nothing better to do. But I digress.
The website is a blog that is currently being written by a loved obsessed 26 year old guy who is YouTubing videos about how infatuated he is with his hot TV star girlfriend.
Well, as it turns out this website is the launch of a new marketing campaign for a movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall“. I have no idea if this movie is any good although it is brought to us by the guys who gave us the 40 Year Old Virgin. On a quick side note I can not recall seeing the R rated warning on the billboard but if I had I would have known right away it was a movie.
The point of this post is to point out the way this movie is being marketed. They are utilizing a combination of vague yet somewhat shocking billboard ads to drive people to a Google Blog thats incorporating YouTube videos as a way to create buzz. It should be interesting to see how it works out.
March 21st, 2008 08:15
Meanwhile, I’m sitting in my office cube on LaBrea and Highland and staring at a blank billboard directly outside of my window. It reads in black spraypainted typeface letters, “I BUTTFUCKED SARAH MARSHALL.COMSHOT” I’ve been at work today, Friday, Good Friday, since 745am. It is now 814am and three men in orange jackets just pulled the canvas down with this message. It is now gone. Thought you’d like to know.
March 21st, 2008 08:24
Theres a term i was hoping to rank for.
March 21st, 2008 10:03
[…] ago that calls the campaign “genius.” The NBC affiliate in Dallas ran a segment. And blogger Shandy King thought it was a novel way to promote a […]
April 6th, 2008 20:48
Sarah Marshall is the most grossest person I have ever met!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 14th, 2008 10:28
There is a new law in the UK starting end of May that would make such marketing illegal!
May 2nd, 2008 09:20
The blair witch project used a similiar but different type of marketing scheme. THe idea of being vague to an excess…
It worked incredibly well for them.
If my memory serves me right, they made half a million in the first week from a aweful movie that cost $10k to make.
May 9th, 2008 09:19
I am sure…Sarah Marshall is the greatest person and thanks for this wonderful post!!