HBO’s The Leftovers Is Watching You
About a month or so ago I got a tweet from the official Twitter for HBO’s The Leftovers. “We’ve been watching you, Nina. Expect an email soon.” I thought I was in trouble. I had just recorded a podcast about one of the episodes, and in it I went on a rant. I was worried that the show was going to be a 1-season ride that would leave us with more questions than answers. And I’m someone who adored LOST and will defend that show - including the series finale - to anyone who dares shit on it.
When they emailed me later that day and wanted my home address, I gave it. Apparently I wasn’t that worried about being in trouble and also, free shit. Then I kinda forgot about it. I’d heard that some viewers were getting things in the mail from the show like the Trouble board game Jill finds in Nora’s house. I love board games. I was like, “Where’s my board game, The Leftovers?” Then I forgot about it again.
Flash to this past Friday when I got a FedEx delivery I wasn’t expecting. I pushed away thoughts of Anthrax and mail bombs, and tore into the package. It was a pretty cool white plastic box with the show’s logo printed into the inside cover. In the box was a flat monitor with a plug. Once plugged in, the monitor immediately began to play a video on the accompanying flash drive. Two members of The Guilty Remnants stared at me as they smoked cigarettes. The lady on the right looked like she was judging me for my life choices. Then the other woman held up a sign that read, “Stop wasting your breath, Nina.”
Maximum Creep Factor Achievement Unlocked, HBO!
Today, I received another package. This one included the lighter Jill gave Laurie, a cell phone with a happy face (I’m too afraid to plug it in because I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting a call from Holy Wayne), a file which includes damn near everything about me, a screenshot of one of my tweets about the show, and a large Guilty Remnants sticker. Check it out:
As someone who works in social media marketing, this is exciting. HBO and the show’s team clearly understand the power of social media when it comes to spreading awareness of their product. The reason Project Fandom exists is because we recognized the draw of fans “experiencing” a show together, in real time, via social media. In addition to their interaction with fans via Twitter and Facebook, sending out this type of swag shows The Leftovers understands exactly who their audience is and what they want.
As a fan of the show, I’m over the moon. I thought I couldn’t be any more excited for tonight’s season finale. I was wrong.
