Prior to the release of 2012, publicity would be indirect, revolving around The Institute for Human Continuity. Playing on peoples already present fear of disaster and the fragile nature of our planet. By offering free disaster training online, we can get people involved with an online a community where people can exchange opinions on there favorite disaster movies and our own bloggers can create excitement about the greatest disaster movie to date; 2012. Of course we don’t want to loose people due to disappointment so the site would be a cornucopia of information on how to increase your chances of surviving a catastrophe, including live chats with experts, safeguards for the home and office, charts of risk by location, etc. Along with articles like “How Rome coped as Pompeii was struck?” and case studies, for example “What will happen when La Palma in the Canary Islands erupts?”.

These posters, and billboards like them, would be scattered around the country. The generic ‘safety instructions’ style lends to the indirect nature of this pre-release marketing tactic. By getting people involved with The Institute for Human Continuity we can expect greater loyalty, this means we can expect increased turnout at the box office, with fans that would also purchase DVDs and other paraphernalia. When people engage with something like this, the time and effort they invest has value and as such it isn’t easily disregarded.

Due to the public service aspect of ‘disaster training’ there is a potential to get public figures involved, pledging their support, as the first Metro cover demonstrates. The second is a fake front page advertorial, using a headline that would be noticed and read we can engage people who haven’t become involved with The Institute for Human Continuity, increasing general awareness of 2012’s release.

The disaster training theme would make an excellent outdoor event. Again it is all about getting people involved, giving people something so that they feel obliged to reciprocate. A few ideas for an outdoor event are shown here, all aspects of the event should be fun, if people are enjoying themselves they are functioning on a more alert level increasing the chances of remembering the film and its launch date.

Illustrated here is a potential shop front, incorporating the Mayan calender which is set to end in 2012, the dials in the left hand window show the Mayan calender that could slowly revolve, and at its’ centre a digital clock counting down to the release date of the film introduces its’ modern ‘Sci-Fi’ aspect. Meanwhile the Tsunami destroying the Himalayas and the door frame adds theatre to the shop front. The screen in the right hand window shows a live feed of a green screen event happening inside the shop, this green screen could show the participant in front of an catastrophe, the videos that are created could be transferred to the participants phone via Bluetooth as a keepsake. Green screen events often go unnoticed, by placing a live feed in the shops window people will become aware of the fun to be had inside.