Pepsi and The Black Knight

originally posted by: Gh0stwalker
After everything is said and done, you can't help but ask why so much emphasis was placed on The Black Knight rather than Pepsi's product. It just doesn't make sense from a marketing standpoint.

So you are saying it was successful. Have you analyzed all of their youtube videos that follow the same format? What does Usher's new song and UrtheCast have to do with aliens? Is that "non marketing" also?

Who is uncle Drew? check it


Suspiciously it would be the only non-ad on their Youtube channel. Its like they put it there for no reason but there is a reason but ....but why? Its a total mind-eff.


You aren't really seeing it, are you?

originally posted by: Gh0stwalker
After everything is said and done, you can't help but ask why so much emphasis was placed on The Black Knight rather than Pepsi's product. It just doesn't make sense from a marketing standpoint.

Yap!

It makes no sense a 10-minute long ad, with no logo, no name, no product...
The first rule of marketing is: the product must be the star.
This video made Dark Knight the star.

c'mon people are really far from the "x marks the spot" here.

a reply to: Gh0stwalker

After everything is said and done, you can't help but ask why...

Congratulations: you started a very successful ATS thread. However, there is nothing left to discuss. The facts should now be clearly evident to all. To continue to cling to the possibility that 'something's odd here' in the face of all that has been discussed is to imitate the behaviour of children who insist in the face of disillusion that fairies and Santa do really exist.

Some people tend to be fiercely protective of their beliefs, continuing to defend them even after they have been thoroughly disproved. This is interesting: it shows how valuable people's beliefs are to them, regardless of whether they are true or false. But it is also dangerous, and it is one of the many ways in which conspiracy theorists continually deceive themselves.

originally posted by: firesnake
Yep the guy behind it is James Frey whos recent books with Nils Shelton Johnson have been the Endgame series; a worldwide (well online) treasure hunt based on 12 'players' of Endgame after comet strikes around the world. I'm surprised noone else has picked that up as its 100% ATS audience material. Ancient societies, religions, technology, myth and conspiracies. Anyway the books have a movie right attached if theyre succesful enough I believe. He'd be the go-to man for a campaign like this, the books are very clever, very immersive on various platforms. The puzzles in the books are designed by Mat Laibowitz who created the hunts that Goldman Sachs staff participate in in NYC.

The more I thought about your comment the more I think you nailed it. The second book in the trilogy was due out last month.

People solve the Endgame puzzles by finding the "keys." In the Black Knight Decoded, Ahna asks if the father still has the key. He seems confused, but it goes on to make you think she meant the key to her house, so he and the daughter will be safe from the government.

However, he doesn't actually go to her house, he goes to her office. I'm thinking a key to her place is not the key she was referring to.

Anyway, I think Frey has incorporated this short film into his Endgame puzzle books. There is an ancient society youtube channel with videos involving the Endgame puzzles, too. It just fits too well to not be connected to the Endgame trilogy.


ETA: I also read that it requires some computer skills to solve these puzzles. It would make sense there might be something at the blackknightdecoded website for people to work with. I jokingly said a few pages back that maybe the 'audio' has to be played at a certain frequency to hear it, but perhaps it's not that far-fetched.

It is a $500,000 prize -- that would justify a sophisticated puzzle piece, in my mind.

Maybe the truth is that this short film is not, at all, about advertising Pepsi...but it is very much about advertising the Pepsi 'Challenge' through the Endgame challenge.

It's a smart partnership if it is.

a reply to: tsctsc

The first rule of marketing is: the product must be the star.

Can you explain the Uncle Drew video then? its 5 minutes long and they don't mention Pepsi at all except at the beginning.

The Black Knight video is about 6 minutes with 3 minutes being a music video and 4 minutes being credits. What does Usher have to do with the Black Knight?

Why isn't Usher the star? This was a brand new song for him. It is entirely possible that most people watched this video for Usher and didn't give a crap about the UFO story. What did we learn new about the Black Knight satellite? Nothing. Its an old story. All they did was take some UFO lore and wrap a Sci FI story around it. The story barely makes sense.

Here is what I see:
A Pepsi production
Some UFO lore
A Sci FI short
A music video
The Pepsi challenge
Credits
Now one of hundreds of ads listed on their YouTube channel. If you notice, they all have Pepsi in the title. Why do you think this is any different?

a reply to: Astyanax

However, there is nothing left to discuss.

No there is not and I am very disappointed about that. I did learn a few things. Did you know Pepsi spends 2 billion dollars a year on advertising?

originally posted by: Astyanax
However, there is nothing left to discuss.

We could discuss the Pepsico/Nordic Alien connection alluded to in previous ad campaigns...

a reply to: firesnake

originally posted by: MotherMayEye

originally posted by: firesnake
Yep the guy behind it is James Frey whos recent books with Nils Shelton Johnson have been the Endgame series; a worldwide (well online) treasure hunt based on 12 'players' of Endgame after comet strikes around the world. I'm surprised noone else has picked that up as its 100% ATS audience material. Ancient societies, religions, technology, myth and conspiracies. Anyway the books have a movie right attached if theyre succesful enough I believe. He'd be the go-to man for a campaign like this, the books are very clever, very immersive on various platforms. The puzzles in the books are designed by Mat Laibowitz who created the hunts that Goldman Sachs staff participate in in NYC.

The more I thought about your comment the more I think you nailed it. The second book in the trilogy was due out last month.

People solve the Endgame puzzles by finding the "keys." In the Black Knight Decoded, Ahna asks if the father still has the key. He seems confused, but it goes on to make you think she meant the key to her house, so he and the daughter will be safe from the government.

However, he doesn't actually go to her house, he goes to her office. I'm thinking a key to her place is not the key she was referring to.

Anyway, I think Frey has incorporated this short film into his Endgame puzzle books. There is an ancient society youtube channel with videos involving the Endgame puzzles, too. It just fits too well to not be connected to the Endgame trilogy.


ETA: I also read that it requires some computer skills to solve these puzzles. It would make sense there might be something at the blackknightdecoded website for people to work with. I jokingly said a few pages back that maybe the 'audio' has to be played at a certain frequency to hear it, but perhaps it's not that far-fetched.

It is a $500,000 prize -- that would justify a sophisticated puzzle piece, in my mind.

Maybe the truth is that this short film is not, at all, about advertising Pepsi...but it is very much about the advertising the Pepsi 'Challenge' through the Endgame challenge.

It's a smart partnership if it is.

I'm personally satisfied that this short film has far more to do with the Endgame books than advertising Pepsi.

Some other things to note: The Endgame puzzles involve many symbols...and I couldn't help but notice the eye shaped building next to the one the father builds his sparkler & light bulb symbol on. The eye-shaped building, too, has a symbol in a red square and circle on it -- much like the one the father builds his symbol in:



This is the cover of Endgame: Volume I (note the same eye shape):


Also of note, it's from the view of the building that the cloud "arrows" are visible.

Here are some other symbols linked with the puzzles:


So, for me, Endgame is the answer I was looking for.

***

On a personal note, I read Frey was inspired by Kit Williams' book: Masquerade. It was a puzzle book that lead to a real-life treasure...a jeweled encrusted gold rabbit, in the late 70s and early 80s. This was my favorite book as a child and I regularly checked it out at the library and worked on it with my dad. About ten years ago I bought a signed copy. The illustrations were amazing.

So, I have really enjoyed unraveling this little mystery, even if I lack the skills to actually participate in the Endgame puzzle.

Good thread, thanks everybody, the Group Mind rules! Happy turkeys, y'all.

originally posted by: JimOberg
Good thread, thanks everybody, the Group Mind rules! Happy turkeys, y'all.

Agree! Great thread and great short film that successfully made me want to order the Endgame books, not a Pepsi.

a reply to: MotherMayEye

On a personal note, I read Frey was inspired by Kit Williams' book: Masquerade. It was a puzzle book that lead to a real-life treasure...a jeweled encrusted gold rabbit, in the late 70s and early 80s. This was my favorite book as a child and I regularly checked it out at the library and worked on it with my dad. About ten years ago I bought a signed copy. The illustrations were amazing.

One of my favorite books - ever. Just gorgeous

And obsessive in a way that makes me feel tingly all over - layers upon layers of meaning and clues and art

a reply to: Spiramirabilis

a reply to: Spiramirabilis

By the way, I just learned there was an extra clue in the Sunday New York Times, in December 1980. You may have known that already but if not, here is that illustration:

Link

a reply to: MotherMayEye

I swear - he's like my hero :-)

Thanks for that - I hadn't seen it

When I was a kid I used to set up these very elaborate treasure hunts for my sisters. They were too young to appreciate them - but god was that fun. Based on a thread I saw, you seem to be way into sleuthing :-)

Love all of it - up to an including geocaching (which I've never done myself)

This is my favorite - always saw myself as that sullen little girl - and I really, really wanted that rabbit...er, hare :-)

a reply to: Spiramirabilis

I know we're digressing now but that particular illustration spread (and the other double page illustrations, too) were startling to look at as a kid.

I loved it. Turning the page to one of those double illustrations was horrifying and wonderful all at the same time.

originally posted by: MotherMayEye
a reply to: Spiramirabilis

I know we're digressing now but that particular illustration spread (and the other double page illustrations, too) were startling to look at as a kid.

I loved it. Turning the page to one of those double illustrations was horrifying and wonderful all at the same time.

ETA: Ha! Yes, I do love sleuthing. How can you not love sleuthing if you grew up loving this book?

a reply to: MotherMayEye

Way off topic now...

But then not - since the possibility that this clue in the OP might be as well thought out as you're suggesting means this thread might be a very long one

originally posted by: Spiramirabilis
a reply to: MotherMayEye

Way off topic now...

But then not - since the possibility that this clue in the OP might be as well thought out as you're suggesting means this thread might be a very long one

On that note, I really do think it is part of Endgame. When I looked up the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles, I see it actually has a '12' on it, not a '10,' like in 'Black Knight Decoded.'

When something that seemingly unimportant is intentionally altered, there has to be a reason. It screams: CLUE.

'10' in the short film:


'12' in real life:

a reply to: MotherMayEye
Apparently a lot of buildings have numbers on them. 10 and 12 being the most common. It was probably shot on top of a building with a 10. Sorry, I was intrigued so I looked it up.

originally posted by: ZetaRediculian
a reply to: MotherMayEye
Apparently a lot of buildings have numbers on them. 10 and 12 being the most common. It was probably shot on top of a building with a 10. Sorry, I was intrigued so I looked it up.

That's all well and good if we were talking about two different buildings. But it's the same building: The U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles.

They shot that scene on the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles. In the movie there is a '10' on it. In real life it has a '12.'