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‘Lost’ plot thickens with online Jeep tie-in A while back, some of my Adweek colleagues and I were sitting around the lunch table wondering how the producers of ABC's Lost could work in some kind of product placement. Considering the island’s remote location, marooning a random tube of Crest toothpaste along with the castaways would stick out as a ham-fisted attempt. This week, we got our answer. While playing back the second in a series of ads for the mysterious Hanso Foundation, the organization behind the series' mysterious Dharma Initiative, I saw a tiny piece of script in the corner of several frames that reads, “Paid for by Jeep.” Being a pasty-faced blogger with little to do, I decided to investigate the Web site that this week’s ad pointed viewers to. (HINT: Get past the compass screen by clicking around the 4 o'clock area outside the graphic. Then answer the prompt question with "Y".) Buried deep in the bowels of letyourcompassguideyou.com are not only a cancelled contract between DaimlerChrysler and Hanso for 23 Jeep vehicles, but also what appears to be a WW II-era ad for Jeep (pictured above) and a link to this early '80s-looking TV spot for the Jeep CJ7 Hatch, a forerunner to the Wrangler. Were this any other show, Lost fans would likely be disappointed by what could have been a labyrinthine route to a couple of ads. But instead, there were clues buried within the Jeep print ad, signatures by various members of Hanso’s board on the contracts and sly references to Hanso's sinister deeds made by Jeep executive William T. Kirkpatrick. (I won't get into all my theories here, but I will ask: Could Hanso's director of communications Hugh McIntyre—who appeared to be absent on corporate picture day—be The Others' mysterious bearded man and "the mouthpiece?") It’s the most sophisticated product placement I’ve seen yet. Hats off to Lost and Jeep for drawing me in for 45 minutes and making it time well spent. —Posted by Deanna Zammit

May 19, 2006 | Permalink

Comments

Life's too short and precious for such nonsense.

Posted by: Your Conscience | May 19, 2006 2:50:51 PM

Seriously. What a waste of time.

Yawnnnnnn.

Posted by: WakeMeUpWhenIt'sOver | May 19, 2006 3:44:38 PM

Ever notice how the Lost women don't have hairy legs or hairy armpits? Was this dealt with in an earlier episode? Or do they and I just haven't paid attention?

I don't really care.

No, this has nothing to do with your post.

Posted by: snake | May 19, 2006 5:10:59 PM

Deanna - nice post. Thanks.

Because time is so precious, people are splintering off into a variety of activities that directly interest them -- rather than just sitting and watching shows straight through (with commercials).

Posted by: Craig | May 19, 2006 7:02:07 PM

I had been deliberately avoiding reading up on the Lost Interactive story thing, but I recently stumbled across the Lost article in the Wikipedia which summarises the interconnections and websites thus represented.

Seemingly, there's a huge online presence of people absolutely addicted to everything "Lost"

Posted by: Kit | May 20, 2006 2:53:28 AM

A couple of things I noticed:

There's a code of some sort on the compass, visible when you highlight the area "around 4 o'clock"; DI 9FFTR731

Also, when you get to the "vintage" Jeep ad, there's added text next to the buddha(?) figure, saying "The Mouth Piece"...

What does it mean? Halibut-know, but there you have it

Posted by: Pete | May 21, 2006 9:40:45 PM

DZ - If we can no longer discuss Lost during lunch, this will have to do. Nice work.

Posted by: Rodson | May 22, 2006 11:41:30 AM

In the posted image, there is a clue for the website to the right of Buddha under the "around the world" copy.

Now...I enjoy LOST and applaud them for being involved in an indirect marketing campaign rather than plastering print & tv ads everywhere you look. This idea/approach is different and fun and creative. Plus, it speaks to their target market audience - it is ahead of the curve for multichannel marketing through television/online/print ads.

Not only is it being discussed here, but it's all over YouTube and the dozen (or more) LOST-devoted websites out there, and with every episode of LOST available online for free, they win again and again.

Those of you who pretend to bored with such a powerfully constructed and well thought out campaigns are only fooling yourselves. You're too cool and hip for such advertising? You're probably too cool for Myspace..."Oh, it's a fad" "There's no advertising opportunity here..."

Let me tell you prima donnas something (I read elsewhere): Cool - Relevancy = Lame. Maybe you've forgotten that the objective of good ad/mrkt is to put the correct product in front of the correct audience; all the better if they are attentive, receptive and willing audience. Guess what. LOST has just such an audience.

These folks watch commercials just to find such interactive puzzle pieces. They visit websites like the aforementioned. They blog and chat about LOST - and that my friends is creating a grass roots PR buzz, which is the FIRST step successful advertising.
Keep yawning. Keep saying "kill your television." And keep telling yourself that you're a creative genius. Maybe that shelf of Addys will be worth something someday - but right now, it didn't get you the Jeep account.

Posted by: Corey King | May 22, 2006 1:22:53 PM

Whew!
Sorry about that rant.
I feel better now.

Posted by: Corey King | May 22, 2006 6:40:52 PM

dang skippy you tell'em.

Posted by: anony | May 24, 2006 5:04:54 PM

LOST = thinking television.

Posted by: | May 24, 2006 5:07:20 PM

May 24: Hanso Foundation spokesman "Hugh McIntyre", who's mentioned in your article, will be appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" later tonight after the season finale for "Lost".

Just thought you'd like to know......

Posted by: Toby OB | May 24, 2006 7:08:50 PM

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