Westworld is an experience like no other, and so is their
website. What is Westworld you might ask? Westworld was a 1973 sci-fi movie
that was about an amusement park for adults. Flash forward 43 years later and a
whole generation or two and you find that HBO is remaking the movie into a TV
show for a millennial generation. How has HBO advertised for their new venture?
Social media and micro sites. Frankly, I had never heard of Westworld before I
scrolled upon it on my Facebook mobile app. I was intrigued and clicked on the
advertisement which brought me to another website. The site explained why my
vacation into the theme park would entail and how I could book my stay. In
order to sign up for the experience, I needed a code, which I searched for on
the internet. Then, I booked my stay, took an assessment so they could tailor
my stay, and I watched a “thank you” video. While watching the video, I wanted
to zoom in. Mind you, I am still on my phone. I go to zoom in and ZAP! My phone
glitches and someone is talking. I let go of the screen and my phone (causing
me to momentarily worry because I dropped it). The “thank you” video is still
playing. I pick the phone up and do it again. It “glitches” again. I go to a
different screen within the site, and when you zoom in, it still “glitches.” I
am extremely intrigued now. This causes me to do more research about the
original Westworld and HBO’s part in the re-boot. Over the course of a few
weeks, I receive new access codes to view “company” emails. A few weeks later I
am officially welcomed into the park and I book my stay. I am even given a
receipt which is very detailed including everything from resort fees, concierge
fees and an interesting arbitration deposit fee. This is a lot of work for HBO,
but will they see a return on their efforts?
The marketing for this is simply above and beyond any
average fall TV show premiere. They are heavily advertising Westworld through
their social media channels. Besides trailers online, HBO has not given much to
the public about the show. It is all a mystery. Hopefully the hard work will
pay off for HBO. Many speculate, including myself, that this show is being
heavily touted as nothing that the public has seen before because Game of
Thrones is ending. I think that this is an interesting spin as to why they
would advertise so heavily. HBO has many cult TV shows, and they seem to want
to make Westworld the next one. Is the public intrigued as much as I am? I
think it would be interesting for HBO to report how well their microsites
helped promote their show. I know that the people I have shown the site to are
intrigued. I can only hope it lasts more than one season!
If you are just as intrigued as I was, this is the link for
the initial microsite: https://discoverwestworld.com/#
To see further information about the company, you need to
click the access button at the top right and type in violentdelights. Good luck! (And don’t forget to zoom in on your mobile
device, or if you are on desktop computer, hold down the shift key!)
This is insane! Wow! ☺
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