Guerilla Marketing Campaign “Believe in Sherlock”: the origins

Those are only quotes from the original article, that can be found here.

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After the third and final episode of the second season aired, the fandom found itself facing another cliffhanger (of sorts) and another long hiatus, with new episodes planned for early 2013 at soonest. They took to the internet in droves immediately after the airing of “The Reichenbach Fall” (based on the Doyle story “The Final Problem”), an emotionally intense piece of television which inspired equally strong reactions. Among them, Tumblr user earlfoolish made a post “in character” for the story’s universe and then suggested the idea of a guerrilla campaign, inspired by a DIY marketing endeavor by artist Amanda Palmer and the 1950s “Frodo Lives!” campaign: 

Imagine being a Sherlock fan in the show universe. You’ve been following John’s blog, stalking Sherlock a bit at crime scenes, try to be within earshot so you can hear him do his deductions. You’ve got cutouts from the papers. Then the news reach[es] you. What do you do?… I would like to propose [a] tribute campaign, to show our love and support. Yes, in real life. We put ourselves in the mindset of the in-show fans…

The media has just taken notice as well, lead by the British press and The Daily Leicester newspaper website, who’ve posted an article on the phenomenon.

If you’d like to learn more or participate in the movement yourself, the primary hub of activity is Tumblr, via the “Believe in Sherlock” tag and the Believe in Sherlock blog dedicated specifically to keeping up with the fan campaign. There are a variety of downloadable flyer designs for those who want an easy alternative to designing their own (or resorting to illegal graffiti). There is also a QR code that will display “I believe in Sherlock Holmes” for posting on or offline or adding to your designs. You can participate through Twitter by using the #BelieveInSherlock hashtag, or Facebook communities (the largest located here).

It’s worth noting that there’s something extra special about this campaign, whether you’re a fan of the show or not. The BBC has done some viral marketing for Sherlock, but limited in scope to the blog John uses to talk about his escapades with Sherlock. While guerrilla style marketing campaigns set in the alternate universe of the fictional work are not unheard of (e.g. 42E’s Flynn Lives ARG for Tron: Legacy), to my knowledge a campaign which is fan-initiated, designed, and executed is essentially unprecedented. To date, it’s not clear if the production or the BBC are even aware of it. Series 2 has yet to air in many countries, including the United States (it will be airing as part of Masterpiece Theater on PBS in May), so if the momentum keeps up, you’re likely to start spotting slogans in the wild in your area soon. 

This campaign is something to watch; the sky is the limit and all it takes is a handful of creative and dedicated fans to take it to the next level.

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