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[VIRAL MARKETING/ARG?] Pherotones
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rowan
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Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 1966
G3K wrote:
And did anyone notice that one of the doc's friends works at, or at least is interested in, McKinney Silver? This is getting uncomfortably meta.
Not any worse than having a character with a set of links including ARGN (and then try to claim they don't know what it was before magically editing the email). Very Happy

Good times.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:50 pm
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Pixiestix
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 		Okay, i'm in - the proof video sold me. I dropped my cereal i was laughing so hard.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 5:23 pm
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Rotundo
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 		http://www.argn.com/archive/000376pherotones.php

Pherotones
by Brooke Thompson
Pherotones have the potential to transform a friend into something more.

Several weeks ago, Dr. Myra Vanderhood was interviewed by Bruce Stewart for O'Reilly Emerging Telephony blog about the potential of using ring tones to attract members of the opposite sex. Pherotones are the audio equivalent of pheromones, in which people and animals are attracted or repulsed by upon receiving a fragrant whiff of a potential mate. Dr. Myra Vanderhood discovered that sounds can have a similar effect and is testing her discovery on ring tones.

The interview with Stewart linked to Dr. Vanderhood's blog as well as to a wikipedia article (since deleted) on Pherotones and it didn't take long for the blogosphere to weigh in with fascination and controversy. Once it was discovered that the wikipedia article had been written by McKinney + Silver (the Ad Agency behind Art of the Heist), there was a justifiable frustration over the manipulation of one of the internet's best resources for commercial and advertising purposes. And, despite their best efforts of hiding their involvement (going as far as to obscure the registration information for the pherotones.com website), it brought McKinney Silver into the fold. When confronted by this, Dr. Vanderhood explained that someone on the board hired them for promotional purposes (great thinking on your feet!) and added a new "Is this a marketing campaign" question to the website FAQ.

There is still no word on the actual client, though rumors have it ranging from Qwest (a client of McKinney Silvers) to Stephen King's latest novel, Cell. We do know that the website will be updating (and a wiki of sorts will appear at some point), though the depth of the campaign is still to be determined. However, with the possible interaction (Dr. Vanderhood will chat on AIM and has replied to emails) and the great quick thinking we've seen so far, if it goes very deep it should be a fun and well thought out ride.

ARGN verdict: pherotones have the potential to transform the spring gaming season into something more.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:50 am
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imbri
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Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 1182
Location: wonderland
G3K wrote:

And did anyone notice that one of the doc's friends works at, or at least is interested in, McKinney Silver? This is getting uncomfortably meta.


That's not all that bad since, according to her, someone on the board hired McKinney Silver for promotional purposes. They may have met through that. I thought it was a great way to cover the outing of the agency from the wikipedia 'oops' and the deserved controversy that followed because of it. You'd think they'd have learned fom the BBC/Jamie Kane mess.

interview with Bruce Stewart wrote:

DrPherotone: Hi. How are you today?

bruceETel: doing well, thanks! What's going on with the wikipedia entry for
pherotones, do you know? did you write that entry?

DrPherotone: Well, when you consider the groupthink that rules mainstream "acceptable" science, it's surprising they let it stay up for even one minute.

DrPherotone: No, but it is based on a lot of my work.

bruceETel: Are you going to try and fight to keep it up?

DrPherotone: You can't fight city hall. The only way to keep it up there is to prove once and for all the existence and potency of Pherotones. That's the only fight I am interested in.

bruceETel: Are you working for McKinney Silver?

DrPherotone: No, they work for me. I'm doing a blog post about this.

bruceETel: Oh, great, that might help with the confusuon. when will that be up?

DrPherotone: As soon as I write it. I do the research here, the business stuff is not in my purview, but I know we needed help with our site.

bruceETel: And you hired McKinney to help you build a site to do that?

DrPherotone: Actually, the board hired someone who hired someone...all I know is that there were a bunch of scruffy looking kids sitting in the conference room last month, wearing torn jeans and $200 shirts and Italian designer converse sneakers...the websters we call them.

(source)

Still a bit meta, but at least it's in an ingame manner... very much like how PPC hired Mind Candy. Would it be that awful or meta if someone from PPC had a friendster account and friended one of the Mind Candy people?

PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:54 am
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rebel2k4
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Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 109

 		New Conversation with the Good Doctor...
[22:59] JIBlock: welcome. I have seen your website.
[23:00] JIBlock: Sorry you couldn't get an ad on the superbowl.
[23:00] drpherotone: hi there..
[23:00] drpherotone: yes, well, the are quite expensive, these ads for the superbowl
[23:00] drpherotone: maybe next year
[23:00] JIBlock: Well, if the technology takes off.
[23:01] JIBlock: It needs to be really in the public eye.
[23:01] JIBlock: You need more exposure.
[23:01] drpherotone: Yes, although right now I am a little overwhelmed with all the attention, I can't imagine even more
[23:01] drpherotone: ]although that is the goal...
[23:01] drpherotone: be careful what you wish for
[23:02] JIBlock: Well, that is true.
[23:02] JIBlock: But here is an ironic twist.
[23:02] JIBlock: My birthday is next Tuesday.
[23:02] JIBlock: Smile
[23:02] drpherotone: yes...
[23:02] drpherotone: happy birthday to you
[23:02] JIBlock: Thank you.
[23:03] drpherotone: yet, I always have a problem with this word, "Ironic" I always think I know hwat it means until I try to use it or until someone else does
[23:03] JIBlock: Irony is in the eye of who uses it.
[23:03] JIBlock: I am not trying to outsmart you.
[23:04] drpherotone: even without trying, you ay be succeeding...you may just be smarter than I am.
[23:04] drpherotone: without even breaking a sweat.
[23:05] drpherotone: do you have a favorite pherotone?
[23:05] JIBlock: Hold on...
[23:06] JIBlock: I like the Wizard's Sleeve myself.
[23:06] JIBlock: I am a D&D player myself.
[23:07] drpherotone: Oh, yes, that is a very popular pherotone
[23:07] drpherotone: we are working on some new ones....
[23:08] JIBlock: What do you think of the negative use of cellphones by Stephen King in his new book?
[23:09] drpherotone: I think Stephen King can make anything scary...
[23:09] drpherotone: Pets, especially.
[23:10] drpherotone: That one scared me the most, although I love The Stand also, very frightening,but a great read, great characters.
[23:10] drpherotone: I think it will be read 100 years from now, studied as literature...
[23:10] drpherotone: anyway, King has written more books than I have read.
[23:11] JIBlock: So what do you want your ultimate goal to be? More Love or More Sex?
[23:12] drpherotone: well, I would say more love, but I am not naieve
[23:12] drpherotone: I think the true goal is more attraction, and that can lead anywhere...
[23:13] JIBlock: But the pheromone or "pherotone" is advertised more sexually.
[23:16] drpherotone: Well, Love and sex are tangled all up together...we made the site that way in order to attract attention, but my agenda is to get the pherotones out into the general population so that we might have a greater sample to study...for me it is largely trying to do an end run around the mainstream scientific community...but really, I think sex without love is not so interesting...
[23:16] JIBlock: I agree.
[23:17] JIBlock: You need an emotional attachment to the sexual aspect.
[23:18] drpherotone: Yes, even casual sex is not really so casual.
[23:18] JIBlock: How so?
[23:19] drpherotone: because on some level whether the "swinger" believes it or not, their "sport" is having an emotional impact on them, and they will tend to favor those partners with whom they share the most emotional correspondence
[23:20] JIBlock: So why do you think some people think your site is a "game" or ARG?
[23:21] drpherotone: ARG?
[23:21] drpherotone: is that the games, the gamers
[23:21] JIBlock: Yeah those people.
[23:23] drpherotone: I think that they mistook some of my passions and hobbies, my farm, depression glass, fiestaware, mission furntiure, orchids, opera...things I talk about in my chats, and IM's...I think that some of them saw these things as clues...
[23:26] JIBlock: Clues to what?
[23:27] *** "drpherotone" signed off at Sun Feb 05 23:27:17 2006.
[23:38] JIBlock: where did you go?
[23:38] drpherotone: .
[23:38] drpherotone: I got cut off...I live way out in the country, and sometimes when the wind kicks up, I loose my connection.
[23:39] JIBlock: A smart doctor like you. You need a better one.
[23:40] JIBlock: So what do you think the gamers think the clues lead to? Or do you think your life isn't that interesting?
[23:41] drpherotone: well, I have had an amazing life, so maybe they just want to know more aobut me.
[23:42] JIBlock: But they may think they may be leading to the "Golden Ticket" or big reward...you know how greedy some people can be.
[23:44] drpherotone: I don't think it's greed.
[23:44] drpherotone: I think they are the kind of people who find fun in everything...I don't mind, I just hope they are not disappointed
[23:44] drpherotone: Pherotones are their own reward.
[23:45] JIBlock: So you are telling me that their is nothing but the pherotones there?
[23:45] drpherotone: yes, but one could say, without exaggeration that Pherotones are everything.
[23:46] JIBlock: Hopefully you wont run out for Valentine's Day.
[23:47] drpherotone: Oh, no, they are a renewable resource, so we will have plent...
[23:47] drpherotone: plenty
[23:47] JIBlock: Do you think they are addictive?
[23:48] drpherotone: well, like anything else, they can be abused
[23:48] JIBlock: How do you prevent that?
[23:49] JIBlock: Because if you do this right, you could end the perfume and cologne industry.
[23:50] drpherotone: No, I think Pherotones will just augment the fragrancees people use.
[23:51] JIBlock: interesting. So all you want to do is enhance all the "aphrodisiacs" out there?
[23:52] drpherotone: yes, I don't need to put anyone out of business
[23:52] JIBlock: This may sound very personal...but how is your love life?
[23:54] drpherotone: Extremely complicated
[23:55] drpherotone: Although I am an intimacy expert, I still have issues with intimacy
[23:55] drpherotone: I think you could best describe me as a practicing serial monogamy
[23:56] JIBlock: from your picture, and this is not meant to be offensive, you look like you need to loosen up a little Smile
[23:56] drpherotone: Ha! Some would say I need to be less flighty...less free-spiritied.
[23:57] drpherotone: You know that photo is highly retouched...I am not a vixen by any stretch
[23:57] JIBlock: Smart women attract me. Do you know how many times I have talked to women with three working brain cells.
[23:57] JIBlock: It's very depressing.
[23:58] drpherotone: I bet there is a woman in your life right now who is very smart, but you might be missing her somehow...
[23:58] drpherotone: how about your women friends, are they smart
[23:59] JIBlock: Yes they are. But the one I am attracted to the most is the one I cant have.
[00:00] drpherotone: That is always the way, isn't it?
[00:00] drpherotone: I feel you.
[00:00] drpherotone: I suffer fromthat myself a lot.
[00:00] JIBlock: We have a very covertly intimate relationship.
[00:02] JIBlock: She has sex with her partner and talks to me about it.
[00:03] drpherotone: covert is fun for about five seconds, then it gets frustrating, I have a kind of an under the radar thing going on right now, and I like it, but sometimes I wish we could just go out to
[00:03] drpherotone: dinner like normal people.
[00:03] drpherotone: part of a mature relationship is taking responsibility for it.
[00:03] JIBlock: Is he married?
[00:04] drpherotone: no, just emotionally unavailable...I write about him a little bit on my blog.
[00:04] drpherotone: Have you seen myb log?
[00:05] JIBlock: no...
[00:05] JIBlock: whats the link?
[00:07] drpherotone: pherotones.blogspot.com
[00:07] drpherotone: that's how I got into pherotones, I had a well...a personal experience.
[00:07] JIBlock: care to share?
[00:08] drpherotone: I don't use his real name, so I call him Ekstrom.
[00:08] drpherotone: Ekstrom is a swede, several years older than me.
[00:09] JIBlock: Are you European as well?
[00:09] drpherotone: I am of mixed scandanavian descent.
[00:09] drpherotone: and a little dutch for good measure
[00:09] JIBlock: Ok.
[00:09] JIBlock: So how did Pherotones and Ekstrom mix?
[00:10] drpherotone: It's on the blog, but in a nutshell, I found myself powerfully attracted to him, things happned, later, looking for a logical explanation, I hypothesized pherotones, and my research began in earnest
[00:11] JIBlock: ah.
[00:11] JIBlock: Well, I will read your blog and see if I can get to know you better.
[00:12] drpherotone: that should help, but remember, it's just a blog, not a treasure map
[00:12] JIBlock: You know people are going to look anyway.
[00:13] drpherotone: of course, just so long as they look with open eyes
[00:13] drpherotone: eyes wide open, I mean
[00:13] JIBlock: You sound like a fascinating woman. If you are in NYC we should have lunch. Smile
[00:14] drpherotone: There is nothing ironed out, but I hope to be making a public appearance there.
[00:14] JIBlock: I will be there.
[00:14] JIBlock: For the lecture of course.
[00:15] JIBlock: The science is fascinating.
[00:15] drpherotone: great.
[00:15] drpherotone: so you live in NYC
[00:15] JIBlock: Yes I do.
[00:16] drpherotone: do you mind if I ask how what you do for a living?
[00:16] JIBlock: unemployed, but looking for paralegal work.
[00:17] drpherotone: good money in that
[00:17] JIBlock: If you are working.
[00:17] drpherotone: some of my grad students do that
[00:17] JIBlock: Ah.
[00:19] drpherotone: well, it's getting late, I should call it a night
[00:19] JIBlock: Good luck to you and I will see ytou around.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:25 am
Last edited by rebel2k4 on Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:14 am; edited 1 time in total
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G3K
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 		Clues to a depressingly boring existence.

That, or clues of which we're not understanding their pointed, deliberate existence.

Could be interpreted both ways.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:38 am
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enaxor
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Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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 		From the good doctor's latest blog entry she lectured at a major university last week. Googling the area code on an ad underneath the Pherotones fact sheet pictured, it appears she was in Greensboro, NC. Anyone from around there hear anything about this?
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:15 pm
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omegagriffen
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 		I Googled Universitiy in Greensboro NC, and the two that came up were UNC at Greensboro and NC State University. Checking their events calendars did not bring up any scheduled events relating to Pherotones, not that I was expecting to find any.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:42 pm
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CreativeEmbassy
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Location: State College, Pa, USA

 		LOL! I just watched the video. Had to explain to my professor why I was laughing so hard in the middle of class. Oh well, I have an entire class interested in ARGs now. Very Happy

Looks like it's this one and WiBS for me.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:24 pm
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aliendial
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Joined: 29 Sep 2002
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Location: Far Far Away. Nowhere Near You. Really.

 		My guess: a sequel to that Sandra Bullock movie Love Potion No. 9 where the potion made a person's voice irresistible to members of the opposite sex. Pherotones are more targetable, but the potential for disaster is still there...just a different kind of disaster (hence the video).

edit: Gosh that sounds too straight. I am laughing and wild-speccing to keep the conversation going. Feel free to make your own offerings! Laughing
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:11 pm
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G3K
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 		I am suspicious of this being a straight-played "comedy" ARG/promotion/whatever. The "pherotones" could just as easily be warped for nefarious use, and I'm getting a real sci-fi vibe from the stuff going on here. Still, though, they ain't giving us much to work with... that's a very, very, well-produced clip, though, so a movie promotion may be a good guess.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:23 pm
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Loudboy
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Joined: 01 May 2005
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G3K wrote:
I am suspicious of this being a straight-played "comedy" ARG/promotion/whatever. The "pherotones" could just as easily be warped for nefarious use, and I'm getting a real sci-fi vibe from the stuff going on here. Still, though, they ain't giving us much to work with... that's a very, very, well-produced clip, though, so a movie promotion may be a good guess.


yes, this is definitely starting to feel promotional. and i honestly wasn't sure whether this was marketing or not up until i saw the video. If it's marketing, that video is waaaay not serious and(sadly) not appealing to many people because of the content.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:34 am
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Pixiestix
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Loudboy wrote:
If it's marketing, that video is waaaay not serious and(sadly) not appealing to many people because of the content.


I am not sure what you mean.....
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:19 pm
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vector
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Pixiestix wrote:
Loudboy wrote:
If it's marketing, that video is waaaay not serious and(sadly) not appealing to many people because of the content.


I am not sure what you mean.....


I think he means the "dudes kissin" fear factor.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:48 pm
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Pixiestix
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Joined: 26 Aug 2004
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Loudboy wrote:
If it's marketing, that video is waaaay not serious and(sadly) not appealing to many people because of the content.



vector wrote:
I think he means the "dudes kissin" fear factor.


Homophobia is so offensive. Perhaps those comments are best left quiet.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:35 pm
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