http://www.vimeo.com/13405477"The Colony" can now include your friends - and they probably won't like it one bit.
That's because Discovery Channel is promoting its new survivalist reality show, "The Colony," with a social experiment that simulates how your social circle might react on Facebook as a devastating pandemic unfolds.
The initiative, created by Campfire, includes fake footage and fictional updates from your real friends, family and colleagues as they seem to post about the effects of the outbreak on the cities where they live.
When I first saw the initiative, it reminded me of a digital era update to "Special Bulletin," a 1983 TV movie about a nuclear incident in Chesapeake Bay that alarmed many viewers because it appeared to be actual news footage, instead of just a movie. I figured I must be the only person alive who remembers that TV show.
I figured wrong. In a new audio interview, Campfire creative director Steve Coulson tells me "Special Bulletin" was indeed a major inspiration for the effort. He also shares his insights on bringing such initiatives to life through social media, and why Discovery in particular has been so successful at it.
Telling Stories: Campfire's Steve Coulson on the "Join The Colony" Social Media Experiment
Part 1: Gathering Around The Campfire
(approx. 4:58)
Part 2: "Special Bulletin" in The Age of Social Media
(approx 5:57)
Part 3: The Future of Storytelling
(approx 2:51)
Learn more about so-called ARG's (alternate reality games) in my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, here.
Read more about Join The Colony here.
And join the colony yourself, here.
