Department of Personal Responsibility
At first I thought that this stunk so obviously of typical, uninspired viral advertising that it could serve as a signpost marking the ever-shifting border between conventional and guerrilla marketing. The “undergroundification” of conventional marketing has become, quite expectedly, formulaic, and this page seems to follow the formula to a tee. It only took a couple seconds of snooping before I discovered that exactly what made this site unconventional: It’s funded by the Department of Defense. ThatGuy.com is a viral campaign by the DoD intended to dissuade drunken and irresponsible conduct in military enlistees.
“The Defense Department is spending $13 million on Healthy Choices for Life, a series of TRICARE-managed pilot programs aimed at encouraging servicemembers to lose weight, quit smoking and drink in moderation.”
Some might say this is a respectable marketing effort for a government agency. Others might consider it a worthy cause. Still others, possibly named Jason, might be quick to point out that it’s the overall poor behavior of entitled and empowered American youths that creates the need for this type of campaign, and that no one should ever need to be told not to be a dick.