I just read a great article called Riese: as not seen on TV, by Marsha Lederman from the Globe and Mail. Riese is a Vancouver based science fiction series that is only available online. According to Lederman, the series was launched using YouTube and Koldcast. Prior to the launch a big marketing campaign was launched at Comic-Con to generate interest.

It is interesting to note that producers used a variety of marketing tools. They created Web content to promote the characters, utilized Facebook and Twitter to get the word out. According to Lederman, this was all in an attempt for producers to go “viral.”

Producers hope that using a variety of platforms will increase revenues; online sales of promotional materials (T-shirt and mug), alternate reality game, as well as developing an iPhone app. Lederman states that the producers spend about $50,000 per episode.

I guess when you think about the costs associated with a television series, including broadcasting, $50,000 seems like a good investment. I just watched the trailer on YouTube and it was good and had 139,233 views and 5 star rating. Viral Marketing and viral advertising are fast becoming mainstream. The hope is that the buzz generates lots of interest utilizing social networking, word-of-mouth and various online marketing techniques. With the increased traffic on YouTube and the additional online marketing campaigns, this may prove to be a good recipe for success.

Check out the full story using the source link below.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/as-not-seen-on-tv/article1356071/