The Blair Witch Project

Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Mynick, two unknown filmmakers, with a budget of less than $100,000.00, wrote and directed a mock documentary about three student filmmakers who disappear while searching for evidence of a legendary witch in the Appalachian foothills of western Maryland. Artisan Entertainment, a film distributor, purchased the right to the movie for $1 million in an all-night bidding session at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. The Artisan team wanted to maximize the film’s success but limit the marketing expense to $1.5 million. The film was called The Blair Witch Project.

The marketing strategy for the movie is a classic example of viral marketing and a prime candidate for buzz generation. Some of the horror in the film evokes a strong, emotional response on many levels.

Because of it’s shaky handheld, low-budget production values, the film generates visual curiosity, which viewers who are used to more polished Hollywood production values, generates it’s own emotional response…. one of displeasure and sometimes vertigo. The key thing here is to realize that you make whatever you have a positive.

Artisan’s creative team posted the following pieces of “evidence” on the original blairwitch.com web site, embellishing the myth of the Blair Witch and the vanished students:

• Invented journal entries written by one of the three characters
• Fictional but seemingly authentic police reports
• A fictional legend of the Blair Witch dating back to the 18th century.

Artisan updated the web site weekly, each time revealing more information and features in order to build suspense and encourage repeat visits. The web site was averaging 2 million hits a day.

Of course, Artisan didn’t stop there….they continued to bait and intrigue audience’s right up to and past the release of the film. Wow! That is what I call Viral Advertising at its very best!

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