The Secret

Someone among my network decided I needed to know about "The Secret".

The Secret is to be unveiled in "A Worldwide Television Event" scheduled for sometime in 2006. When you go to their website http://www.whatisthesecret.tv/ you'll find an intriguing visual and a slick video to whet your interest.

The entire site is devoted to getting you to become an advocate and then spreading the word to your friends and associates.

If you do submit your e-mail address to them, you'll get some very mystical emails now and again. They'll promise if you share names and emails of your friends, you will receive great benefits and good fortune.

Now the message is pretty standard. We all get the emails from acquaintances promising good luck if we send on the message, and dire consequences if we break the chain.

But The Secret is different in significant ways: first, it's a commercial attempt to capitalize on viral marketing techniques, and second, from a branding standpoint it is brilliantly executed.

The graphics in both the emails and the website convey a mood of Masonic mysticism (Their video even speaks of The Church suppressing The Secret.).The logo incorporates a wax seal. The type font, though hard to read on a monitor, is appropriate for the message. The message itself is mysterious but compelling.

I'll be watching this campaign unfold. It may be the way of the future for media promotions, following in the footsteps of other viral marketing successes like "The Blair Witch Project", "The Passion of Christ" and "What the Bleep Do I Know".

Martin Jelsema
Signature Strategies
Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding