| The premise of the "More to See" theme was that, | | | | consumers were invited to solve the mystery of |
| just as television was the most powerful storytelling | | | | where an eccentric millionaire had hidden three prized |
| device (with perhaps a tip of the hat to cinema), | | | | urns. The three television commercials that developed |
| Sharp's Aquos product line offered the most | | | | the storyline-"The Key," "The Pool," and "The |
| advanced televisions, providing viewers with a more | | | | Tooth"-weaved a "cinematic mystery," in the words of |
| vivid experience through its superior color, detail, and | | | | Shoot magazine's Bill Dunlap, "set in a country estate, |
| sound. One of the campaign's five television spots | | | | involving a beautiful woman, an older man in a |
| showed people-a mother dressing her daughter, a man | | | | swimming pool and a careless driver in a Volkswagen |
| cooking, an audience at a movie theater-going about | | | | Karmann Ghia." Marcus Robinson, writing for Boards |
| their lives with their eyes closed. Finally a woman | | | | Magazine, offered his own summary of the setup: "A |
| opened her eyes in an art museum in front of Victor | | | | guy, Peter Lindeman, is swimming in the pool of his big |
| Meirelles's painting Battle of Guararapes. A voice-over | | | | French chateau, and his babe girlfriend wanders out on |
| then said, "The Sharp Aquos liquid crystal television. | | | | the road to meet her lover. Unfortunately, he's |
| Suddenly there's more to see." Some critics took | | | | massaging a toothache and had his eyes on the rear |
| exception to the underlying concept. Writing in | | | | view, which forces him to swerve to avoid hitting her. |
| Brandweek, Barry Janoff commented, "Taking the | | | | He ends up launching his red sports car into the pool." |
| spot's premise literally means to imply that people can't | | | | All three spots showed the same incident from a |
| really see or appreciate their lives unless television is | | | | different point of view. In "The Pool," for example, a |
| there to help them. And, more so, they won't truly | | | | woman from a bedroom window watched Lindeman |
| value their own lives unless they trade in their ordinary | | | | swimming in the pool when a car suddenly flew |
| TVs for an Aquos. Of course, Sharp can't tell people | | | | through the air and landed in the water. A Sharp |
| to get out and enjoy life by turning off their TVs." | | | | television was then shown, and on its screen viewers |
| The message of "More to See" may have been | | | | were directed to the campaign's website, The site |
| simplistic and even illogical, but the method by which | | | | provided audio and visual clues, and featured blogs, |
| the centerpiece of the campaign was delivered was | | | | purportedly written by the three characters engaged in |
| as innovative as Sharp's LCD technology. The | | | | the hunt for the three mystery urns. Chat rooms were |
| campaign was more than multifaceted; it was in many | | | | also available for people to ponder the mystery |
| ways an example of interactive fiction, using the | | | | together. Once viewers were at the website, they had |
| different elements-television spots, print ads, websites, | | | | to opportunity to learn more about LCD technology |
| and an "alternate reality game" contest-to engage the | | | | and Sharp's Aquos line of televisions. Participants were |
| audience and keep it involved in the campaign for | | | | also directed to other websites to uncover clues. The |
| months on end. Such an approach was intended to | | | | spots were directed by award-winning documentary |
| counteract the resistance that consumers had built up | | | | filmmaker Errol Morris, whose credits included Gates |
| to 30-second commercials after years of being | | | | of Heaven, The Thin Blue Line, and Fast, Cheap, and |
| bombarded by them, not to mention the ability of | | | | Out of Control. |
| digital-video-recorder owners to skip over commercials. | | | | The television spots began airing in September 2004 |
| The pioneering effort in this type of promotion was the | | | | and were shown on a variety of network and cable |
| independent film The Blair Witch Project, which | | | | programming, including ABC's Monday Night Football |
| created a buzz by dropping hints in the media that the | | | | and CBS's 60 Minutes. The "More to See" campaign |
| film was a student documentary project that went | | | | also included print ads, executed by Wieden & |
| horribly awry. The curious were led to the producer's | | | | Kennedy's Amsterdam office, that also attempted to |
| website, and a large number of people began to | | | | drive people to the website. After starting in the United |
| debate among themselves whether the "found | | | | States, "More to See" was rolled out to 18 other |
| footage" of the student filmmakers was real or fake. | | | | countries. In an ancillary component of the campaign, |
| When the low-budget film opened, it became the | | | | Sharp opened a storefront in New York City, where |
| surprise hit of the summer of 1999, generating an | | | | consumers could experience the Aquos product line |
| impressive $150 million in domestic box-office sales. | | | | and where further clues were made available. The |
| Sharp engaged the services of the Blair Witch | | | | campaign ran for four months, through the critical |
| producers, Haxan Films, to help create the mystery | | | | holiday season, with bits of the mystery parceled out |
| story around which the "More to See" marketing | | | | over time. In the end, Ken Floss of Ohio solved the |
| campaign and contest would revolve. The resulting tale | | | | puzzle and won the grand prize, an Aquos television |
| was called "Legend of the Sacred Urns," and | | | | and other home theater equipment. |