Palm Creating Viral Video - To Air through June
Gizmodo confirms a rumor we actually first read in the comments here at PreCentral.net: Palm is creating a viral video in Seattle. We'll let LA Actor tell the story:
I know this will fall into the unsubstantiated rumor category, but here's what I learned today: I was at a casting studio auditioning and noticed next door they were holding a casting session for the "Palm Pre Viral" campaign. It was a non-union gig, so I hadn't been asked to audition, but I talked to one of the actors after he left the room.
The "viral campaign" begins, contractually, tomorrow. They are going to put the actor up in an apartment in Seattle. The actor is going to pretend he is a man who is upset because the Pre has not been released. He will have a camera on him in his "living room" and will be posting to Facebook and MySpace all day. The idea is that he won't leave his apartment until Palm releases the Pre. The ad agency was calling it a "protest." Eventually, the actor learns Palm knows about his protest and then they make contact - finally giving in to his demands. The actors have been told they will be done with the shoot on June 5th.
So, June 6th, a Saturday is looking like a good bet from what I've just heard.
Actors often know of things ahead of time because of ad campaigns.
Let's see: a "man upset because the Pre has not been released." That's a pretty good descriptor of a lot of us here (although we have to hedge on the 'man' part, there are a lot of ladies in the Pre House). Seems pretty well designed to either make a lot of us waiting for the Pre either laugh or tear our hair out -- or both. Sounds viral to us.
The date span is interesting: the shoot lasts from 4/29 through 6/5, but this being one of these low-cost for-the-internet type of things, it's likely we'll see it air before June. If the ending date is any indication of anything pertaining to the release date is an open question, but one we can see a few different ways.
Now -- since we're already reporting on the making of a video designed to get us to report on it (i.e. the definition of 'viral'), does that make this purported PR video über-viral?
Thanks to Derek and William for the heads-up and to LA Actor for the original tip!
