20 Best Marketing and Advertising Campaigns We Have Ever Seen e book 20_Best_Marketing_and_Advertising_Campaigns | Page 11

11 THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT BRAND & CREATIVE: Artisan Entertainment Arguably the very first online “viral” marketing campaign predating YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and even Friendster, The Blair Witch Project remains an often-imitated, never-duplicated runaway success. Shot on a shoestring budget of just $22,000, the film raked in over $250 million, thanks in part to its novel approach of terrifying audiences into believing that STEAL THIS TELL GREAT STORIES! (Sound familiar?) It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to be remarkable. the fictitious story of three missing film students was 100% real. The key? A deft combination of “found footage,” strategically seeded rumors on online message boards, and a series of low-budget ads and trailers that perpetuated the legend.