Virals Exposed

"Ballad" Implodes

2006-01-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

Sadly, the Ballad Of Michael Adams has imploded. It's collapsed in upon itself, due to the canceling of a meeting between one of the unforums posters and an in game character. Its probable that the puppetmaster was in school, because they said they would be in contact in a "few months." (IE, the summer.) It never got the chance to have a real story line, and was just strung together codes with some vague plot. I rather liked talking to Mr. Adams, but alas, it was destined to fail. If you're looking for a story driven ARG, I would reccomend WIBS (previous post.) So, to Ballad: hasta luego.

Who Is Benjamin Stove?

2006-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Starting in early January, Tucker Darby blogs a story of a strange painting, and the people and events surrounding it. This ARG(?) seems to be original and simple, surrounding one object as of yet. Darby is in the dark as much as we (the players) are, and posts on the forum even spur Darby to take action.The site is gaining fast popularity, by putting up ads on other websites. I first heard about it, through the normal way, the unforums. A new wikipedia page has been started as well, providing multiple sources of info on WIBS.

Chatlog.

2006-01-12T17:24:00.000-08:00

[18:10] to FU POT pourri: Hello.
[18:11] MikeAdams1973: Evening.
[18:11] to FU POT pourri: How goes it, Mr. Adams?
[18:11] MikeAdams1973: I've reached a state of calm.
[18:12] to FU POT pourri: That's always good.
[18:12] MikeAdams1973: Are you aware of the situation through the whole network of folks helping?
[18:12] to FU POT pourri: I'm catching up now.
[18:12] MikeAdams1973: I'm surprised you contacted me.
[18:13] to FU POT pourri: Why?
[18:13] MikeAdams1973: For the last few days, every time I've managed to get to Bivens' computer, it seems like everyone's given up on me.
[18:13] to FU POT pourri: Hmm.
[18:13] MikeAdams1973: It upsets me; they don't understand the importance of the Item's Release.
[18:14] MikeAdams1973: They've ceased all communication with me.
[18:14] to FU POT pourri: I just read about the release now.
[18:14] MikeAdams1973: I didn't think there was anyone left who cared enough for you to catch up with.
[18:14] MikeAdams1973: I see.
[18:14] MikeAdams1973: Read?
[18:14] MikeAdams1973: Has it been published?
[18:15] to FU POT pourri: No. Not in any print media at least.
[18:15] MikeAdams1973: Then how exactly are you reading it?
[18:16] to FU POT pourri: Well how else would you get information other than word of mouth?
[18:17] MikeAdams1973: Well, reading implies it's in a public source of some sort.
[18:17] MikeAdams1973: That's just how it came across.
[18:18] MikeAdams1973: My apologies for the misunderstanding.
[18:18] to FU POT pourri: Oh.
[18:18] MikeAdams1973: But back to business.
[18:18] MikeAdams1973: The Day approaches us.
[18:18] MikeAdams1973: I cannot speak it here; Bivens will be back soon.
[18:18] to FU POT pourri: Bivens?
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: Haven't you seen the conversation that was on my LiveJournal?
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: It's gone now; I'm sure someone else still has it.
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: Bivens is the Traitor.
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: He'll be arriving soon to make sure I'm safely kept.
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: But he can't find out the Date.
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: And he can't find out the Location.
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: Which is why I can't tell you now.
[18:19] MikeAdams1973: But a friend will be in contact soon.
[18:19] to FU POT pourri: Right. Do you know them though?
[18:20] MikeAdams1973: Whom?
[18:20] to FU POT pourri: The date and location.
[18:20] MikeAdams1973: I do.
[18:20] to FU POT pourri: I see.
[18:21] MikeAdams1973: As does the friend who will be in contact.
[18:21] MikeAdams1973: Bivens will be here soon.
[18:21] MikeAdams1973: He'll ensure my safe-keeping here.
[18:21] MikeAdams1973: He'll then leave Orlando for Washington.
[18:21] to FU POT pourri: Are you being held captive?
[18:21] MikeAdams1973: I am.
[18:21] to FU POT pourri: They seem nice to allow you internet access.
[18:22] MikeAdams1973: They're kind of...slack...in security.
[18:22] to FU POT pourri: Hehe I guess so.
[18:22] MikeAdams1973: It's someone's basement in Orlando.
[18:22] MikeAdams1973: But as I said.
[18:23] MikeAdams1973: Bivens will then proceed to Maryland, and after I carry out the Release, the final stage of the Prophecy will be fufilled.
[18:23] MikeAdams1973: As I said, a friend will be in contact soon.
[18:23] MikeAdams1973: Bivens has arrived.
[18:23] MikeAdams1973: If I don't speak with you again, thank you for all of your help.
[18:24] to FU POT pourri: Its the least we can do.
[18:24] MikeAdams1973: I only hope someone will be able to accept the Release and take the Item into their own hands.
[18:24] MikeAdams1973: Goodbye.
[18:24] to FU POT pourri: Bye.
[18:24] *** "MikeAdams1973" signed off at Thu Jan 12 18:24:57 2006.

Good times, good times...

2006-01-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

Anyone here remember Our Colony? It showed up as a mysterious site with hidden messages,puzzles, and sadistic public moderators. Take a trip down memory lane as you visit these old forums I set up to try to get to the bottom of the Our Colony "mystery." Turns out it was an ARGish viral for xbox360, but it was sure fun. I just recently found a bookmark to these old forums in Firefox on my desktop. I think I made it so you have to register to gain access... (nice ploy to get over 100 members :D) but it's all there... free! Don't you feel glad you waited?

(ARG) The Battle Of Michael Adams

2006-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

Originating on a blog of a member of the unforums in the form of a discarded email thought to be SPAM. With humble beginnings, this new ARG quickly grew into a 4 page long thread discussing the clues and codes. I even had the chance to have a conversation with the puppetmaster of the ARG, a man named "Michael Adams." It seems that Mike is in trouble, with people after his life. The complete thread gives information on the codes, cyphers, and MORE! After checking out their forums, I found that I need to learn more about some cryptanalysis. Here's my conversation with Mr. Adams:

[21:30] to FU POT pourri: Hello. I've been keeping up on your situation.
[21:36] MikeAdams1973: As have others.
[21:37] to FU POT pourri: You seem very calm considering you're in need of urgent help.
[21:40] MikeAdams1973: Oh.
[21:40] MikeAdams1973: Sorry.
[21:40] MikeAdams1973: I assumed you were in with G3K's little group.
[21:40] MikeAdams1973: The situation is not urgent at present.
[21:40] MikeAdams1973: But it shows clear signs of becoming so in the very near future.
[21:40] to FU POT pourri: Oh right I forgot.
[21:40] MikeAdams1973: Not a problem.
[21:40] to FU POT pourri: Indeed.
[21:41] MikeAdams1973: Forgetfulness...at times...can be an ally.
[21:41] MikeAdams1973: Too much understanding has a tendency to cause problems.
[21:42] MikeAdams1973: As times go on...
[21:42] MikeAdams1973: Technology is no longer able to help us.
[21:42] MikeAdams1973: And we must look to the past for answers.
[21:43] to FU POT pourri: Yes. Technology can't substitute for human ingenuity.
[21:43] MikeAdams1973: The key to understanding is to realize what your past holds, and how it defines your present.
[21:43] to FU POT pourri: Who is after you, Mr. Adams?
[21:43] to FU POT pourri: Or who will soon be?
[21:43] MikeAdams1973: Ohh.
[21:44] MikeAdams1973: The time for that understanding is not yet upon us.
[21:44] to FU POT pourri: I see.
[21:44] MikeAdams1973: What is upon us, however, is the necessity for realization that the past holds secrets the mortal mind cannot hope to grasp.
[21:45] MikeAdams1973: And those of us charged with the protection of these secrets hold burdens on our souls which we carry for eternity.
[21:45] MikeAdams1973: And on that note, I must leave you.
[21:45] to FU POT pourri: Nice talking to you.
[21:45] MikeAdams1973: Likewise.
[21:45] MikeAdams1973: Just remember:
[21:46] MikeAdams1973: The key to understanding is to realize what your past holds, and how it defines your present.
[21:46] MikeAdams1973: Do not continue to allow technology to hold you back.
[21:46] MikeAdams1973: Farewell for now.
[21:46] to FU POT pourri: Good night.
[21:46] *** "MikeAdams1973" signed off at Mon Jan 02 22:46:46 2006.

Methargo - an ARG

2005-12-30T16:08:00.000-08:00

I was looking at the unfiction forums last night and came upon this new ARG. It involves our "hero," his captor, and a series of riddles and clues. Very interesting. If you want to get in on the ground floor of a new ARG, this seems like a good one. You can find the unfiction thread on it here. They do a great job of blowing through these clues and codes, better than I ever could. I joined their forums, under the name "Falafel" The blog of the ARG supplies the clues and such so far. I'll try to keep up on this along with the other ARG/Virals.

Edoc Laundry

2005-12-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

I read an article in Wired Magazine, which can be read here. It talks about secret messages hidden in clothing, and some that the writers themselves found. The website for the clothing can be found here It seems like a viral, but for simply reason to buy the clothes? This could be a possible reasoning for these cryptic messages. But, on the main page, if you click on "Nothing to hide" up in the top lefthand corner, there is a flash animation talking about the death of someone named "Al" From the Wired Article, it seems to be bandmembers, but I can't get any information on this as of yet. Stocked with hidden messages and deadly secrets, this seems like a promising viral/ARG (Alternate Reality Game) Here's a link to a unifiction thread on the topic.

"Hidden Directory" found

2005-12-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

A hidden directory was found on the stop-polarneft website, containing alleged cave paintings, a document from 1985, and a 3D seismic video. They basically show the same thing as the siberian ice giant video. The document, besides showing that whoever typed it had the "Caps lock" key firmly jammed, says that there were previous investigations on this "giant."

Also: If anyone has any other virals/hoax sites that would like to affiliate with my blog, that would be great. And if any interested readers have information on this or other virals, please contact me at my email address (in my profile, don't want spam.)

Straight from the mouthes of babes...

2005-12-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

I recently checked the giantology site just to find this:

"Despite all the hoaxes and trickery and puzzles, I believe there's too much actual evidence in the world that points to one conclusion:"

All I can say is: wow. First Strangemag, (previous post,) and then this. Despite the evidence against him, he keeps deying it. So I say: thankyou, Mr. Giantology blog creator. (Reeal men of geeniusss)

Featured in Strangemag

2005-12-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today, as I was searching for "Virals exposed" on google, I came upon this article. I was slightly taken aback by this -- that I, or my blog, would be featured in a magazine of any sort, online or otherwise. I'm happy to be featured alongside chupacabra sightings and hauntings. I had also noticed that I was the talk of other message boards and "underground" blogs. I find this fascinating, considering that I had only posted a link to my blog on digg.com and Animated Diversions. 2 Links spread across this grand thing we call the "intarweb." So I want to say thanks to all the readers of this blog, skeptics and believers alike, for promoting it in any way.

Stop-polarneft.com

2005-12-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

I just recieved this comment:

"They've slipped up this time. If you do a whois search on stop-polarneft.com, you will see that the contact email is arkadysimkin@hushmail.com - but the site is supposed to be ABOUT Arkady Simkin, not BY him. But more tellingly, it shows that stop-polarneft.com is actually registered to a Matt Smith of 58-60 Rivington St, London. Doing a google search on this name and address gets you to here, which then leads to www.theviralfactory.com - "the viral marketing experts". Case closed!"

Some remarkable work there, whoever posted that comment. It seems to show in hard evidence what we've known for weeks now.

I also was reading in a Wired magazine article about a viral marketing campaign regarding "Poor Richard" I'll do some more research on this, but if anyone else has useful information, feel free to either email me or post a comment.

Right now it's Christmas Eve so I'm a little busy, so, until next time, Happy Holidays (oh no boycott.)

Where Boris is at?

2005-12-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, the Giantology author is going on a worldwide vacation to find... you guessed it... GIANTS! Amazing. I'm sure that he can do something that no one else has ever done. In more recent developments, the giantology author recieved an email from the mysterious "Boris" in regardging the Siberian Ice Giant's "discoverer," Arkady Simkin. The email contained simply a url, http://www.stop-polarneft.com/, seeming to be an outcry against an oil company that apparently kidnapped Simkin. The site is pretty straightforward, in protest against the company. Perhaps some "retribution" against the company will come later? The answer is simple: I don't know.

Guerilla Sony Graffiti

2005-12-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

This one I found quite interestting. First: Sony employes graffiti artists to spraypaint ads in major cities. That they would go to illegal action sure impresses me. Also, local graffiti artists fought back, and would rather "teabag a mime" than buy Sony products.

Non SOTC post

2005-11-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

I saw this on digg.com It's a marketing campaign for Xbox360. Although it's clearly by Microsoft, it's still interesting. It's a series of 10 puzzles and you're given things along the way as "rewards" On level three, you're able to download an Xbox 360 countdown program (which is useless now that the 360 has already come out) Although not as original and captivating as ourcolony.net or ilovebees.com before it, it's still entertaining. Check it out.

http://www.063xobx.com.au/

Inca Statue

2005-11-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

A new video has been posted on Giantology. It can be found here. When watching the video, something immediately pops out. This is the most obvious of all of the giant videos, where there is nothing hiding the giant from plain sight (sand, ice, etc.) It's right out in the open. This makes it the easiest to see which giant in SOTC it corresponds to.

The first is from the video and the second is from the game:

You can easily notice the similarities, and because this one is completely intact (and towering above the forest, I persume) it is easy to see what it is. Also, I want to look at the Giant photograph itself.

In red is circled something that appears to be a saquaro cactus. Saquaro cacti only grow in the southwestern U.S. Now, how did one get to Peru...?

ADDED: Giantology confessed that the giant appears to be a colossi, but instead of admitting the campaign, asks if they based the game on real discoveries. Allright, despite the fact that they are made out of what appears to be stone, and have no skeleton structure, I suppose they could survive, eating herds of dinosaurs. Hey -- thats how the dinosaurs became extinct! AMAZING!

Well guess what guys, I'm working for Sony.

2005-11-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

Someone posted a comment on the previous post:

"Sony, enough of this campaign already. This guy isn’t any more believable than Giantology."

Well, you got me. I'm working for Sony. We (Sony) thought that by revealing our viral marketing campaign, we could get more people to buy games. It makes perfect sense! Well, you got me, O wise reader.

While I appreciate that people are a) reading this blog and b) are forming their own opinions, however farfetched they are, my being involved in the viral marketing campaign would (logically) be very unlikely. I know that if you believe that I am part of this advertising, I most likely cannot dissuade you from your views.

Thank you, and good night.

New Giantology Pics

2005-11-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

For a few weeks now, giantology had been posting pictures of a supposed giant creature found in the mountains of Iran. I had been suspecting this creature was one I had again seen in the game, but I couldn't be sure. Now I am almost positive now that the same "creature" that is supposedly found in Iran is one and the same.

Here's the original picture from the

Here's the sketch from the same site which I added markings to to compare it to a screenshot from the game.

On another note: If anyone else has new evidence they want to share, I'll put it here, and give credit to the person. Also: tell your friends about this blog! Woo.

Sony on SOTC

2005-11-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

I learned about this through a comment.

Taken from playstation.com:

"Shadow of the Colossus will be highlighted in a dedicated national print, viral and online media campaign..."

" For the viral campaign, various efforts will be conducted including a unique video comedy series, available on Heavy.com featuring scenes from the game. The video series, titled "Dr. Philprah, Colossus Whisperer," is a parody on the main character in Shadow of the Colosuss, who is portrayed as a talk-show host."

Although this doesn't confirm the giantology.net theories, it shows that SOTC is using a viral marketing campaign. Thanks to the poster of the comment. You can check out the whole article here

ADDED:

After listening to the Giantology podcast #1 I am beggining to realize that there are more theories about this whole giantology than I've seen previously. Here are the possible theories that I can think others might draw conclusions towards:

I. Believers
Believers actually believe in the whole cryptology/giants shmeal. They make arguments in regards to the videos being genuine such as it's "too high quality/large scale to be faked." They also say that there is a possible "scientific coverup" of this thing, because the scientists have somehting to gain by keeping people in the dark and completely going against what all conventional science stands for: to better mankind through advancements in knowledge.

II. Scientific non-believers
These non-believers believe that the video(s) are faked, but find no connection to viral marketing. These people are probably not in touch with the gaming community,or are, but are not familiar with SOTC.

III. Viral non-believers
A)Giantology believers
These people don't believe in the giant videos, but do believe in giantology and it's author, in that the author is just a passer-on of sorts, not involved in the viral campaign.
B)Giantology non-believers
I fall under this category. I don't believe in either the videos or the giantology blog. They believe that the blog is a part of the campaign.

New Giantology Updates

2005-11-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

On November 2nd, the "author" of the giantology blog posted saying that he was publishing a book. He had also previously done a podcast, which I have not gotten the chance to listen to yet, but evidently he mentioned the publication of the book. The cover of the book is the picture previously posted on the same blog, of the "sea creature" supposedly taken by a diver. As if to support the video of the "Tsunami Giant," he posts a link to a news article reporting on the 2003 earthquake in India uncovering ruins of a temple. This is true, but the Tsunami giant is not. The real article seems to give crediblity to the other claims related to it through association. Then, he posts a link to a national radio station, which I have not verified as of yet. I'll look more into it, but I don't have time right now.

New giantology development

2005-10-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

The "creator" of giantology has posted in response to some people accusing him of being part of a viral marketing campaign for SOTC. This shows good planning and executing of this campaign: they acknowledge some people's opinions and claim not to know of them. Here is the email I sent to the blogger of giantology about a week ago.

Oct 21
I posted a comment on your site, but I wanted to contact you directly.

I have reasonable belief that suggests that both the "Tsunami Giant" and the "Siberian Giant" video are part of a viral marketing campaign for the video game Shadow of The Colossus
If you look at both videos, you will notice heiroglyphics on both of the "skeletons." These heiroglyphics can also be seen on the giants in the game. You can look at some screenshots at this site: http://www.gamersmark.com/screenshots/1243/ Seems like a little more than a coincidence, wouldn't you say? Both videos appear to be digitally altered. It appears they are a hoax, but who would go to such an effort and create films of this production value? How about someone that had access to a lot of money, say, a major electronics and videogame manufacturer like Sony? At this point, I am not quite convinced that you and your website are just another aspect of this campaign. It seems strange that you would be the first to have both of the videos on your site. If this is a viral marketing campaign, then it is quite an impressive one indeed.

I'd like to know what your views on this are.

I have yet to recieve a response. This could be because of the overwhelming amount of traffic the site has been recieving, or because they refuse to respond to this letter. I'm not leaning one way or the other yet, but the comment I posted on the giantology site has not yet been put up, when others have. Also, the backstory for the Siberian video has been elaborated upon. Apparently, the person that shot the video and made the "discovery" has gone into hiding. I seriously doubt this, but it is adding more to the story.

Also, I read this comment on the giantology site that I found quite amusing.

I came across your site and watched the video of the Russian giant. I think it is definetly a hoax. I speak Russian. How they speak sounds very scripted. At the beginning of the video you hear someone yell from off camera. He says, “I found something, it looks like some sort of animal.” Then they all come over and start chiseling at the ground. Clearly at this point it is not apparent what is in the snow or that there even is anything in the snow. Just the way they are speaking and the fact that they say they have found something before even really finding anything makes it seem scripted. Also, the wide shot at the of the thing coming out of the snow looks very fake. Especially the piece on the left looks like it’s computer generated.

Adding fuel to the fire.

"Ice Giant" Story on Digg

2005-10-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

It's strange that a day after I posted the first entry, there is a link on digg in regards to it. Connection... probably not. But a coincidence as well. If you look on the comments for it, there is some pretty good discussions, along with a heated debate about God. Link Here

Also: a little article about SOTC viral marketing website, giantology here

Exhibit A: Similarities

2005-10-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, now I will show similarities between both a) the two videos and b) the videos and the screenshots/trailers for Shadow of the Colossus (SOTC).

Similarities between videos:

Tsunami Video Siberian Video

Notice the similarities? Both show the same type of strange markings.

Similarities between game and films:

The picture on the left is from the Siberia video. The one on the right is taken from a screenshot of SOTC. Both of the creature's heads share features: The "eyes" The horns, and the "beard" (what I'll be refering to the feature of jutting spikes as) This shows that this is in fact a viral marketing for SOTC.

Virals Exposed

2005-10-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

I would first like to tell you a little bit about this blog. This is (as of now) a blog dedicated to exposing a very well composed and executed viral marketing campaign. What is viral marketing? Here's a link to a wikipedia article about the subject. A few weeks ago, I saw a link to a video on kontraband.com to a supposed "Giant" found in India (click link for video) Right away, I suspected viral marketing as a possible explanation, but I needed the answers to this: what was this advertising? I knew for a successful viral, there were likely to be more than one video or website, etc. Then, yesterday, I saw this video. I knew there was a connection, but what? They were both found on the same website, www.giantology.net, which was watermarked on the first video. Both "skeletons" looked similar, and had similar carvings on them. Then I remembered a preview for a video game I had seen a while ago, Shadow of the Colossus. I looked into it, and the colossi in the game, and the giants in the video looked extremely similar. I now have evidence that shows a direct connection between the two, which I will present in different posts.