"Snakes on a plane." "Cloverfield." Two giant wins in digital marketing, renowned for the innovative way their marketers used the internet to create buzz, conversations, and, ultimately, bigger audiences. But they both owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Monello and his fellow creators of "The Blair Witch Project" for paving the way.
So when your first big project became a pop-culture phenomenon, with more than $240 million in worldwide box-office sales and a cemented role in the digital marketing halls of legend, what do you do for an encore?
In Monello's case, he co-founded Campfire with Steve Wax and Gregg Hale. The agency focuses on helping brands rethink marketing through narrative and active audience engagement. Campfire has driven award-winning marketing for major brands, including Audi's Art of the Heist, HP, Verizon FiOS, USA Network, and Warner Bros.
Mike has an innate sense of what will ignite word of mouth with an audience, and how to create stories that audiences want to share with others -- making these stories their own, not just retelling them."
- Steve Wax
- Managing Partner, Campfire
More than 10 years since "Blair Witch," Mike's work continues to make great strides when it comes to re-inventing trans-media marketing best practices and creating content strategies that go beyond pushing information to the masses -- they draw in audiences to create long-lasting communities and conversations. Case in point: The agency's work on HBO's True Blood, which won this year's ad:tech award for best integrated campaign.
Follow Mike on Twitter at @mikemonello.
