The viral marketing for the new Batman thriller just keeps getting more intense! As of Monday, April 1st, another interactive element of the campaign for "The Dark Knight" was added into the mix.

Packages were delivered to the doorsteps of individuals who have been involved in - or following closely - this campaign. What were these "packages"? They were bowling bags stuffed with a Joker-themed bowling ball, a cheap cell phone and a note from The Joker himself. On the bowling ball, there was a name and telephone number engraved. (Sidenote: From my research, it seems that most of the people receiving these packages were aware that they had something coming for them. At first, I thought it was completely random, but it was well-thought out.)

The individual was prompted to use the cell phone to call the number on the ball. After doing so, they would be greeted on the other end of the line with a creepy voice which whispered "We know who you are", and then hung up. The note also gave instructions to visit this website for more information about the package they have received. Once there, they were re-directed to this security website, and asked for specific personal information. Immediately after submitting this, they would receive another call on the cell phone.

This time, the call was from Commissioner Gordon, a character from the movie, informing them that they were involved in a huge set-up. Basically, just their fancy - and expensive - way of saying April Fools!

I don't follow the Batman movies, so I can't figure out the relation of the bowling ball, cell phone and security website to the actual movie, but I do know this campaign is top of the line. Just from browsing the Internet to find more information, I've stumbled across a large handful of blogs raving about it! It seems that the marketers have done a great job of identifying their targeting audience and execuding appropriately.