ARG stands for Alternate-Reality Games, a new marketing tool. This is inviting consumers to solve a mystery by offering online and offline tracks.
Unlike other campaigns ARG, the name of General Motors was concealed until the end. The mystery was one of the weapons with which the creators wanted to play. Created by agency Campbell-Ewald, "Who is Benjamin Stove?" Was created to raise awareness about alternative energy programs of the company and to promote ethanol fuel, E85.
web page www.whoisbenjaminstove.com told the story of a farmer who in 1988 disappeared without leaving his farm a painting depicting a mysterious circles in the field. A fictional character claimed that he had bought this painting at auction. One of the tracks is that this picture was traces of ethanol. The search had begun.
Data: the website had 380,000 visits, more than 8 million page views and 8,800 posts. The average time spent on the page the surfer was 16 minutes, a much higher time you are exposed to the consumer in any conventional advertising platform. Here more details of the campaign with statements by the creative agency.
